How can Local Government use AI to improve services?

Dr Tim Turner, Chairing the meeting

Greetings from the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN) where I am attending a meeting on "How can the ACT Government use AI to improve government services?" organised by the Pearcey Foundation. There are about 20 people in the room from government, industry and academia, with Dr Tim Turner chairing. I am not exactly sure why I am here, but when we went around the room I said I would teach this stuff, to students.

Each year, as well as sponsoring awards for Canberra entrepreneurs, the ACT Government sets a challenge for the Pearcey Foundation to address, with experts in Canberra. This year it is improving government services through AI. Apparently we are going to be doing brainstorming. 

Priority 1 is planning and development.

As it happens I know a little about ACT planning processes, as I chaired a local committee for redevelopment of the shopping center at Dickson. My suggestion was to train the staff to use AI, so they did not go off and use tools they should not, and put sensitive data into them. Also I suggested a tool to point citizens to other levels of government which provide relevant services. I am off to Singapore for Education and FinTech conferences in November, so did a quick search. I found the Singapore Government have had an AI for government plan since 2001, and have updated it since. So it would be worth looking at there experience (especially as Canberra is similar in some ways being a city state). One thing I put to the meeting was if AI could be used to improve social housing. As I was commenting on something another participant said, I commented "Like a smart patter book?". It turned out that wasn't what they meant, but perhaps this would be a good idea. NSW has a pattern book for cluster housing. If you use one of the designs it is pre-approved. The smart version would allow you to customise designs for different sizes and locations, but still meet planning requirements and get approved quickly. I then asked the meeting if there was an opportunity for small startup companies to provide AI products. It then dawned on me, this was why we were meeting at CBRIN. This raises the issue as to what is the role for government: do they need to build the software to do this, train the AI models, or can they just buy the service? Obviously Canberra's universities have teams of students who can build prototypes. 

I did the obvious, and asked Microsoft Copilot:

"The ACT Government can leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to improve public services by drawing on best practices and emerging trends from other jurisdictions. Here's a breakdown of how AI is being used and could be applied in the ACT:

---

### **1. Enhancing Service Delivery**

AI can streamline and personalize interactions between citizens and government services:

- **Customer Service**: AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can provide 24/7 support, answer FAQs, and guide users through complex processes like applying for permits or accessing health services[1](https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/artificial-intelligence-2025-legislation).

- **Healthcare Inspections**: AI can assist in analyzing inspection data to identify patterns and prioritize high-risk facilities for review[1](https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/artificial-intelligence-2025-legislation).

- **Road Safety**: AI can analyze traffic data to optimize road maintenance schedules and identify accident-prone areas[1](https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/artificial-intelligence-2025-legislation).

---

### **2. Responsible AI Governance**

Governments are increasingly adopting frameworks to ensure ethical and safe AI use:

- **Pilot Projects**: Many states start with pilot programs to test AI applications in public services before full-scale deployment[2](https://cdt.org/insights/state-government-use-of-ai-the-opportunities-of-executive-action-in-2025/).

- **AI Task Forces**: Creating cross-agency task forces helps coordinate AI strategy, assess risks, and ensure alignment with public values[2](https://cdt.org/insights/state-government-use-of-ai-the-opportunities-of-executive-action-in-2025/).

- **Impact Assessments**: Agencies are encouraged to conduct assessments to evaluate the societal, privacy, and equity impacts of AI systems[3](https://www.dlapiper.com/en-us/insights/publications/2025/04/white-house-releases-guidance-for-ai-acquisition-and-use-in-government).

---

### **3. Equity and Civil Rights Protections**

AI systems must be designed to avoid bias and protect vulnerable communities:

- **Bias Mitigation**: Guidelines can require agencies to evaluate AI tools for potential discriminatory outcomes, especially in high-impact areas like housing, employment, and education[2](https://cdt.org/insights/state-government-use-of-ai-the-opportunities-of-executive-action-in-2025/).

- **Transparency**: Publishing inventories of AI tools and their use cases helps build public trust and accountability[2](https://cdt.org/insights/state-government-use-of-ai-the-opportunities-of-executive-action-in-2025/).

---

### **4. Workforce and Procurement Strategy**

AI adoption should support—not replace—public sector workers:

- **Workforce Impact**: Agencies should assess how AI affects staff roles and ensure it enhances rather than displaces human work[2](https://cdt.org/insights/state-government-use-of-ai-the-opportunities-of-executive-action-in-2025/).

- **Smart Procurement**: Governments are updating procurement policies to ensure ethical sourcing of AI tools, protect data rights, and avoid vendor lock-in[3](https://www.dlapiper.com/en-us/insights/publications/2025/04/white-house-releases-guidance-for-ai-acquisition-and-use-in-government).

---

### **5. Legislative and Regulatory Frameworks**

The ACT can learn from other states that have enacted AI-specific laws:

- **Transparency Laws**: Requiring agencies to disclose their use of automated decision-making tools publicly[1](https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/artificial-intelligence-2025-legislation).

- **Worker Protections**: Ensuring AI does not undermine existing labor rights or collective bargaining agreements[1](https://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/artificial-intelligence-2025-legislation).

 

Here’s a tailored proposal for how the ACT Government could implement AI to improve services across health, transport, and education:

1. Health

AI Applications

Predictive Analytics for Hospital Demand: Use AI to forecast patient admissions and optimize resource allocation.

Virtual Health Assistants: Provide 24/7 support for mental health and chronic disease management via chatbots.

Medical Imaging Analysis: Deploy AI to assist radiologists in detecting anomalies in scans faster and more accurately.

Implementation Steps

Partner with Canberra Health Services to pilot AI triage tools in emergency departments.

Collaborate with universities for ethical AI research in diagnostics.

Ensure compliance with privacy laws and conduct regular audits for bias.

2. Transport

AI Applications

Smart Traffic Management: Use AI to analyze traffic flow and adjust signals dynamically to reduce congestion.

Predictive Maintenance: Monitor infrastructure (roads, bridges, buses) to predict failures and schedule maintenance.

Public Transport Optimization: Analyze commuter patterns to adjust bus routes and schedules.

Implementation Steps

Integrate AI with existing Transport Canberra systems for real-time traffic updates.

Launch a pilot with AI-powered predictive maintenance for ACTION buses.

Use anonymized MyWay card data to train models for route optimization.

3. Education

AI Applications

Personalized Learning: AI tutors can adapt content to individual student needs and learning styles.

Administrative Automation: Streamline tasks like enrollment, grading, and feedback.

Early Intervention: Identify students at risk of disengagement or poor performance using predictive models.

Implementation Steps

Partner with ACT public schools to trial AI learning platforms in STEM subjects.

Train educators on ethical AI use and data literacy.

Establish a student data governance framework to protect privacy.

Cross-Cutting Recommendations

Create an ACT AI Taskforce: Include representatives from government, academia, industry, and civil society.

Develop an AI Ethics Framework: Ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in all deployments.

Public Engagement: Host forums and consultations to build trust and gather feedback."

City of the Future in Singapore is Singapore

Liam Young 

On a brief stopover in Singapore, I happened across "City Utopia" at the Semi Permanent Festival of Creativity & Design. This was sponsored by Audi, and the venue was the lotus shaped ArtScience Museum. There were electric cars displayed as art, and in between a podium and seats for the talk. The talk turned out to be a performance, with Liam Young narrating a video about a planet wide single city of the future. The concept was that humanity could live in one interconnected metropolis, with the rest of the planet returned to wilderness. 

Visualization of city infrastructure
 at Singapore City Gallery

The graphics for the world city were impressive, showing towering buildings, made up of futuristic, and old fashioned elements. But it was a little too dark and Blade Runner for my liking. I much preferred the actual city of the future, all around us: Singapore. Young mentioned Sim City, and this also featured in a multimedia display at the Singapore City Gallery, with their version called "Sing City".

I much preferred Singapore City's take on the future. But Aldi might not be happy with it. At the interactive Sing City display I selected the private car option, and the simulation showed all the green space converted to car parks, and roads clogged with cars. The message was clear: we need to move away from dependence on private cars, even if they are electric. 

Regardless of if we agree with the futures shown by Young or Singapore, such visions are useful in making informed choices.

Liam Young is an architect who doesn't design real buildings. He is not the first I have come across.  In 2001, design students at University of Canberra had my home office as their assignment. I was surprised to find the top design was by someone who did not plan a career doing real buildings, instead they were going to do them for video games. I presented my own vision of the city of Canberra to a Bauhaus class of design students working on a design for Sydney.

ANU 2025 Strategic Plan

The Australian National University has invited comment on its ANU 2025 Strategic Plan. Like previous consultations, for the ANU Strategic Plan 2017-2021, this is a very broad invitation to the community, not restricted to staff and students.

In suggestions for the 2017 plan I wrote:

"... a campus should be seen as a supplement to the primary way universities already carry out their mission: in the digital realm. This allows greater equity, with those of limited means able to work, research and study at university without having to leave their community. ..."

By 2021, I suggest the typical Australian university student will still attend classes, but for only 20% of their program, with the other 80% on-line. .."

The prediction online working came true a year early, regrettably forced by COVID-19.As many universities found, it was feasible to move from blended to pure online working (Cochrane et al., 2020).

However, it should not be assumed that the COVID-19 pandemic will end soon, or that other situations will not keep students from campus. It will therefore be prudent to design an online option into every course, even after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Also it would be prudent to design research and work procedures so most staff need not be on campus.

Previously, I had suggested ANU invest in flexible classrooms and lecture theaters with retractable seating. This was done with the Kambri development at ANU, which opened in 2019. This worked well before the pandemic (Worthington, 2019) and was useful for implementing social distancing in response.

However, Australian universities now face a much larger threat than COVID-19, with onshore international student numbers expected to drop 60% by 2030, due to international competition (Guthrie et al., 2021). I suggest a flexible blend of quality onshore, offshore and online learning to remain competitive. Online courses with a mix of domestic and international students have worked, as envisioned (Worthington, 2014).

The main challenge with a blended approach is having staff who are sufficiently skilled to implement it. As well as support staff, this requires tutors and lecturers who are trained and qualified both in their primary discipline and in teaching. I suggest this be addressed by offering teacher training to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, as part of their degrees. The same training can be offered to external professionals, and staff, as micro and short credentials.

References

Cochrane, T., Birt, J., Cowie, N., Deneen, C., Goldacre, P., Narayan, V., ... & Worthington, T. (2020, November). A Collaborative Design Model to Support Hybrid Learning Environments During COVID19. InProceedings of the ASCILITE 37th International Conference on Innovation, Practice and Research in the Use of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education, Armidale, Australia(Vol. 30). URL https://2020conference.ascilite.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ASCILITE-2020-Proceedings-Cochrane-T-et-al.pdf

Gwilym Croucher, Kristine Elliott, William Locke and Edward Yencken (0 Mar 2020)Australia’s higher education delivery offshore and online – trends, barriers and opportunities, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education. URL https://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/3568275/Australias-higher-education-delivery-offshore-and-online.pdf

James Guthrie, Martina K Linnenluecke, Ann Martin-Sardesai, Yun Shen, and Tom Smith (January 2020).On the resilience of Australian public universities: Why our institutions may fail unless Vice-Chancellors rethink broken business models, Macquarie University Business School working paper. URL https://www.dropbox.com/sh/f3idf8xogq5r8rj/AAA35NWKaxYTmR2DF3V0FcFIa?dl=0

Worthington, T. (2014, August). Chinese and Australian students learning to work together online proposal to expand the New Colombo Plan to the online environment. In 2014 9th International Conference on Computer Science & Education(pp. 164-168). IEEE.

Worthington, T. (2019, December). Blend and Flip for Teaching Communication Skills to Final Year International Computer Science Students. In2019 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Education (TALE)(pp. 1-5). IEEE. URL https://doi.org/10.1109/TALE48000.2019.9225921

Is a New Canberra Campus Needed?

UNSW Canberra at ADFA are planning a new university campus in Canberra, on the site of the old Canberra TAFE. The current UNSW Canberra campus is described as being "now at capacity". However, universities are currently teaching online, with almost all students and staff off campus. That situation will change in the next few months, as students and staff return to campus. But, the COVID19 emergency has accelerated the long term trend to e-learning.

As this is integrated into routine university teaching, the capacity of Canberra's university campuses will increase five-fold. Domestic students will only need to be on campus for about one day a week and international students in Australia only for a brief part of their studies, if at all. There is scope to repurpose some of the surplus space for research and for co-working, but even so, there is likely to be more than enough space on Canberra's campuses for the foreseeable future. 

It does make sense to reuse the old Canberra TAFE site for a university, but it is unlikely Canberra will have the hundreds of thousands of additional students which this, and the existing campuses, could accommodate. 

Do You Have a Digital Twin?

Professor Deborah Bunker,
Group Leader

Greetings from the Spatial Futures Forum  on Intelligent Cities and Transport hosted by Communications and Technology for Society Research Group* at University of Sydney. If nothing else this has been useful to find out what a "Digital Twin" is. I kept reading this term in LinkedIn discussions. It turns out this is a new term for digital models of real world objects. In this case it is referring to models of cities, including mapping data, roads, and buildings. The models can be used for planning, and operations.

* They used to be the Interoperability for Extreme Events Research Group (IEERG)., but pivoted.  


9:30am Welcome (and Housekeeping) – Professor Deborah Bunker (University of Sydney) Intelligent Cities and Transport: What Are the Issues?
9:45am Mr Bruce Thompson - Executive Director, NSW Spatial Services Division
KEYNOTE: Spatial Digital Twin: The New Digital Workbench for Intelligent Cities and Transport
10:30am Morning Tea
11:00am Professor Sisi Zlatanova - Built Environment (UNSW)
Digital Twin: Challenges and Opportunities.
11:40am Professor Christopher Pettit - City Futures Research Centre (City Analytics Lab UNSW) Value Australia - Sharpening Our Land and Property Decisions with Artificial Intelligence
12:20pm Professor Linlin Ge & Mr Peter Mumford - Geoscience and Earth Observing Systems Group (UNSW) New Directions in Smart Parking
1:00pm Lunch
2:00pm Professor Michiel Bliemer - Chair in Transport and Logistics Network Modelling ITLS (University of Sydney) Future Transport: Technology-led or Technology-fed?
2:40pm Mr Yale Wong – Research Associate in Integrated Mobility Services and Contractual Structures, ITLS (University of Sydney) Mobility as a Service (MaaS): Rationale, Governance, Trials
3:20pm Afternoon Tea
3:40pm Mr Shane Conserdyne & Mr Nathaniel Bavinton – City of Newcastle
Recent developments in Newcastle’s Digital Twin and Smart City Initiatives
4:20pm Panel & Wrap Up Chair - Adjunct Associate Professor Tony Sleigh (University of Sydney)
5pm Networking
 

Government Dispersal of Students Threatens Major Export Industry

Yesterday the the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) warned of "Unintended Consequences" from the Australian Governments possible dispersal of international students beyond major capital cities. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) are considering measures to reduce the population increase in Sydney, Melbourne and South East Queensland, to reduce pressure on infrastructure.

The logic behind the COAG proposal to disperse students is not entirely clear. International students make up only a very small proportion of the population of Australian cities. These students are concentrated in inner city areas, in high density purpose built accommodation. They are close to public transport, or in walking distance to their university. As a result these students are not a burden on the infrastructure. In contrast, it is those living in detached houses in suburbs far from the city center, who are a burden on infrastructure. Low density suburbs are expensive to build, support and provide transport for. Far from being a burden, our  international students are showing how the rest of Australia needs to learn to live, to reduce both financial and environmental costs.

International students come to Australia attracted by the quality of education offered by our universities. However, they are also attracted by the lifestyle of our major cities. Students will not necessarily want to attend a regional university, far from the big city attractions.

Australia’s education export industry will face competition from China in the next few years. Last week at the IEEE Engineering Education Conference (TALE 20198) in Woolongong, I attended a talk from a Chinese academic on how they are preparing to provide large scale global education, in English. It is unfortunate that just as Australia's third largest export industry is about to face a major challenge, Australian Governments are considering removing one of that industry's key selling points.

However, I suggest the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC), and other academic bodies, need to do more to plan for new forms of education, delivered in new ways. Offering a pleasant location will not be enough of a selling point if the product is still an on-campus education, in the form of a multi-year degree. One option I detailed in my presentation at TALE 2018 is micro-credentials via mobile devices to students of the Indo-Pacific.

Digital Infrastructure in ANU Strategic Plan 2017-2021

The ANU Strategic Plan 2017-2021, has been released by Professor Brian Schmidt, Vice-Chancellor of the Australian National University. While most attention will be focused on upgrades to the physical infrastructure of the campus, the plan includes digital infrastructure:

 "ANU should be known for the quality of its research and digital infrastructure, for its collections, its contemporary educational facilities and campus amenity that befits its status as the national university." (Pages 12 to 13) 

Two of the key initiatives include digital aspects:

"1.8 Evidence of learning and satisfaction will drive a regeneration of our approaches to curriculum, teaching and digital and physical learning space design."

"1.11 We will revitalise our learning and teaching infrastructure, beginning with state-of-the-art facilities at Union Court and a major refresh of digital infrastructure."

In February 2007 a severe hailstorm damaged many of the buildings at ANU, causing closure of the campus for several days. However, this did not stop the university functioning. Like many other staff (and students) I was still able to work on-line from home.

The ANU will still benefit from having a campus in 2021, as will most of the world's great universities. However, a campus should be seen as a supplement to the primary way universities already carry out their mission: in the digital realm. This allows greater equity, with those of limited means able to work, research and study at university without having to leave their community. This also allows those with a disability, and work, family or cultural commitments to participate in university life, where the requirement for physical attendance would have previously excluded them.

The last century university, where students had to travel to a campus, is being transformed into one where the students learn primarily on-line, in the workplace, wherever they are in the world. This e-learning can be supplemented, when required and where convenient for the student, with campus based education.

By 2021, I suggest the typical Australian university student will still attend classes, but for only 20% of their program, with the other 80% on-line. These classes may not be at the campus of a university, but in a local community facility, wherever in the world the students are.

Some Australian universities have invested heavily in satellite campuses with conventional teaching rooms, in Australian cities and in Asia. ANU has not pursued this strategy and so does not have as large a stock of now obsolete lecture and tutorial rooms. ANU will be able to use modern teaching techniques to provide access to students on-line wherever they happen to be.

UK Government Plan for Vocational Education

The UK Department for Education has released a sixty page . .

Policy paper on "Post-16 skills plan and independent report on technical education" (8 July 2016). The UK technical education system, equivalent to Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system, will be simplified with 15 "routes" for clusters of occupations. There will be options for education at a college and employment based education (with a minimum of 20% at college).

.

The proposed routes are:

.

1. Route name: Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care. Numbers employed: 454,726. Typical job roles: Conservationist, park ranger, farmer, horticulturalist, agricultural manager, agricultural technician
2. Route name: Business and Administrative: Numbers employed: 2,204,478. Typical job roles: Human resources officer, office manager, administrative officer, housing officer
3. Route name: Catering and Hospitality. Numbers employed: 568,998. Typical job roles: Chef, butcher, baker, catering manager, events manager
4. Route name: Childcare and Education. Numbers employed: 1,060,804. Typical job roles: Nursery assistant, early years officer, teaching assistant, youth worker
5. Route name: Construction. Numbers employed: 1,625,448. Typical job roles: Bricklayer/mason, electrician, building/civil engineering technician, carpenter/joiner, construction supervisor
6. Route name: Creative and Design. Numbers employed: 529,573. Typical job roles: Arts producer, graphic designer, audio-visual technician, journalist, product/clothing designer, upholsterer, tailor, furniture maker
7. Route name: Digital. Numbers employed: 351,649. Typical job roles: IT business analyst/systems designer, programmer, software. developer, IT technician, web designer, network administrator
8. Route name: Engineering and Manufacturing. Numbers employed: 1,319,645. Typical job roles: Engineering technician, vehicle mechanic, aircraft fitter, printer,. process technician, energy plant operative
9. Route name: Hair and Beauty. Numbers employed: 293,004. Typical job roles: Hairdresser, barber, beauty therapist
10. Route name: Health and Science. Numbers employed: 915,979. Typical job roles: Nursing assistant, pharmaceutical technician, sports therapist,. laboratory technician, dental nurse, food technician
11. Route name: Legal, Finance and Accounting. Numbers employed: 1,325,482. Typical job roles: Accounting technician, paralegal, financial account manager, payroll. manager, finance officer, legal secretary
12. Route name: Protective Services. Numbers employed: 398,400. We expect this route will primarily be delivered through apprenticeships.. Typical job roles: Police officer, fire service officer, non-commissioned officer (NCO),. maritime operations officer (coastguard)
13. Route name: Sales, Marketing and Procurement. Numbers employed: 957,185. We expect this route will primarily be delivered through apprenticeships.. Typical job roles: Buyer, procurement officer, sales account manager, market research. analyst, estate agent
14. Route name: Social Care. Numbers employed: 865,941. We expect this route will primarily be delivered through apprenticeships.. Typical job roles: Care worker, residential warden, home carer, probation officer,. welfare counsellor
15. Route name: Transport and Logistics. Numbers employed: 589,509. We expect this route will primarily be delivered through apprenticeships.. Typical job roles: Ship’s officer, railway signalling technician, HGV driver....
    
    From Post-16 skills plan and independent report on technical education, UK Department for Education, Policy paper 8 July 2016, Page 22

University of Queensland Student Strategy

The University of Queensland (UQ) has issued a twenty page Student Strategy 2016-2020 White Paper (19 July 2016). The paper sets out five goals and twenty initiatives, mostly citing specific projects already underway. Some exceptions are Authentic assessment, Learning analytics and eAssessment, which have no specific projects listed to implement them.

It will be interesting to see how far UQ goes with online learning, offering short modules, competency-based credit, Learning analytics, Authentic and eAssessment. These require a high level of skill from course designers and instructors, otherwise they risk the reputation of the institution for high quality education. The old university approach of having someone with just a research degree design and teach courses will not work. UQ will need qualified educational specialists, working in teams. This approach has been routine at distance education teaching orientated institutions, but not research universities.

An interesting initiative is the  Employ101x: Unlocking your employability MOOC. One frustration with the white paper is the lack of hypertext links, or references, to initiatives cited. As an example, the VC’s flagship courses for ‘creating change’ sound interesting, but I could not find these on the UQ website. I have added links below, to some of the projects I could find.

Some of the initiatives do not appear very radial and perhaps do not go far enough. As an example, moving from two terms a year (Semesters) to three (trimesters), is not a very radical move. The universities in the Open Universities Australia consortium already offer four study periods a year. As a part-time postgraduate student I have found this a very useful option, allowing me to study at a steady pack all year and progress at a reasonable rate.

Goal 1: Game-changing graduates

1. Work integrated learning and student employability program expansion ... BEL Student Employability Team; UQ Advantage Office – Employ101x
2. UQ research fused with UQ teaching ... Undergraduate Research Program
3. The VC’s flagship courses for ‘creating change’ ... Schools of Law and Political Science – Undergraduate Working Groups
4. Idea acceleration ecosystem ... EAIT – Idea Hub
5. Global extension experiences ... Short-Term Mobility Project
6. Authentic assessment ... Develop a system of assessment that uses challenging and meaningful assessment tasks to engage and extend students across their programs.

Goal 2: Student-centred flexibility

1. Initiative 1: Extended online and on-campus active learning ... Prioritise the online delivery of courses ... HASS – Strengthening the First-year Gateways: Aligned, Literate and Flipped; EAIT – Flipping the classroom
2. Unbundled course options ... Offer key components of our courses in short modules that draw on UQ’s advanced digital learning resources and allow students to build competency-based credit. ... School of Psychology and UQx – Introduction to Psychology – Online Series: PSYC1030x
3. Program schedule alternatives ... Move to a trimester system across selected undergraduate and postgraduate programs where a need for accelerated and decelerated study options is identified. ... UQ Business School – Flexible MBA options
4. Learning analytics and eAssessment capability

Goal 3: Dynamic people and partnerships

1. Students as partners ... UQ Students as Partners Fellowships
2. Multi-point mentor program ... EAIT – MEET a Mentor Program
3. Teaching innovation support ... UQ’s Learning Designer Teams
4. Staff professional development and recognition provisions ... Teaching@UQ
5. A teaching engaged staff profile ... School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences – The Alure project

Goal 4: An integrated learning environment

1. Campus precinct development ... UQ student residential borough
2. The student learning and support hub ... Provide a central, integrated physical location on campus that enables innovative teaching practices and effective student enquiry/support services.
3. Enhanced multifunctional spaces ... UQ Library: Multifunctional, service-oriented spaces
4. IT infrastructure renewal ... Invest in IT infrastructure renewal to enhance UQ’s online user experience and support the increasing demand of eService requirements across the University.
5. Student support interfaces ... my.UQ

What Makes A University Different?

Greetings from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, where Professor Brian P. Schmidt AC FAA FRS, ANU Vice Chancellor is consulting staff, students and the community on the future of the university.
The ANU released a draft document "Australian National University: Our Vision" and is conducting a series of consultation sessions.

My suggestion is to "flip" the university to make "ANU 2.0", putting the emphasis on on-line teaching and research, turning it into a truly  global institution.

The VC started by commenting that the legislation governing the university was decades old. The Functions of the University, as set out in the Australian National University ACT (1991), Section 5, are:

(1)  The functions of the University include the following:

(a)  advancing and transmitting knowledge, by undertaking research and teaching of the highest quality;

(b)  encouraging, and providing facilities for, research and postgraduate study, both generally and in relation to subjects of national importance to Australia;

(c)  providing facilities and courses for higher education generally, including education appropriate to professional and other occupations, for students from within Australia and overseas;

(d)  providing facilities and courses at higher education level and other levels in the visual and performing arts, and, in so doing, promoting the highest standards of practice in those fields;

(e)  awarding and conferring degrees, diplomas and certificates in its own right or jointly with other institutions, as determined by the Council;

(f)  providing opportunities for persons, including those who already have post-secondary qualifications, to obtain higher education qualifications;

(g)  engaging in extension activities.

(2)  In the performance of its functions, the University must pay attention to its national and international roles and to the needs of the Australian Capital Territory and the surrounding regions.

From "Functions of the University", Section 5, Australian National University ACT (1991).

The Australian Parliament has given the ANU a broad mission for national and regional development in a world context. But this may need some minor refinement.

The VC made use of an on-poll tool during his presentation, with the audience able to vote on aspects of research and education and the results displayed in real time. As he commented, this is a good technique to use during a lecture to keep students engaged. Such a "Lecture 2.0" technology is an improvement on dull old non-interactive presentations. The VC has previously produced a groundbreaking fully on-line Astrophysics Course, showing the future of university education.

The "Australian National University: Our Vision" at four pages is longer and more detailed document than it needs to be. I suggest it could be trimmed to less than a page. Alsoit needs to be more specific on "research-led" education. Research into how people learn is useful, as is teaching new discoveries from research. However researchers require additional training in how to teach to make them effective educators (Bryant & Richardson, 2015).

The ANU's efforts to consult the staff, students and community in a "blended" way, with face to face forums, computer support in the live events and on-line forums points to the future of the ANU as an online institution. Australian needs such an "ANU 2.0", which has a campus to support its research and education activities which will be primarily on-line. A reasonable goal would be within ten years to have five times as many on-line off-campus students and researchers, as  on campus ones, or about 30,000 on-campus and 150,000 on-line students).

Reference

Bryant, D., & Richardson, A. (2015). To be, or not to be, trained. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 37(6), 682-688. DOI: 10.1080/1360080X.2015.1102818