2023 CAUDIT Awards Finalists

Dan took over as the manager of UQ’s CSOC in 2022, and his technical knowledge combined with his natural leadership abilities has helped develop and strengthen UQ’s Cyber Security Operations Centre. Thus, increasing the cyber security posture of the entire university. Dan is approachable, level-headed and calm in times of crisis – something particularly unique for a Cyber Security Manager during incidents! He has been pivotal in growing the CSOC team and fostering their professional development. He brings the CSOC team together, playing to their strengths, and encouraging them in building relationships with their various stakeholders. His proactively works to contain incidents and his team of 5.2 people protect approximately 7,410 staff, 55,044 students and respond to over 3000 cyber security events and requests from across the University community per quarter

Prior to Jamie joining University, Digital Services had very little partnership with most elements of the research and library community at UC. In 18 months, Jamie has transformed how we work with our research and library counterparts, bringing us together through new co-design groups and forums, developing out a shared vision and roadmap for the digital research and library experiences, and improving our service delivery culture and approach. On top of cementing trusted relationships, she has led a small team to deliver challenging projects and iniatives that improve the the technology platforms and digital experiences in this space.

Jack Cross is QUT's Associate Director, Information Security and was instrumental in leading QUT's cyber incident detection and response during its recent ransomware attack. Not only did Jack act as the incident controller for the contain, eradicate and protect phases of QUT's response, he also:

• Took preventative steps to mitigate loss that including rehearsals, establishment of a retainer with an expert firm, and worked with QUT's executive and the Risk and Audit Committee to ensure QUT delivered against an agreed dynamic roadmap to meet modern current and emerging threats;
• Ensured all relevant stakeholders, including other higher education institutions cyber units, were kept abreast of the incident to reduce the probability of them being successfully infiltrated by the same actor; and
• Continues to learn and build capability, notably the recent introduction of multifactor authentication, the establishment of a 24/7 cyber operations centre and refinement of account management and network segmentation controls.
   

Jodi’s leadership is outstanding and well acknowledged by her team. Her curiosity and innovation to continually improve and share this, along with development of her team is extraordinary, and she's gone on to build us a whole new continuous improvements form, OneNote structure for detail and a PowerBI dashboard to provision visibility of performance. In the absence of a dedicated reporting or analyst role, Jodi, through her work on citizen development, went on to establish a new set of ServiceNow Business Intelligence performance dashboards.

CSIRO’s Cloud Right project introduced centrally-brokered, managed access to public cloud platforms Amazon Web Service, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure. CSIRO is one of the first research organisations in Australia to establish secure, managed access across three public hyperscale clouds, keeping digital assets safe and secure within
guardrails, offering researchers the benefits and services only available through public cloud. Cloud Right used innovative technologies to minimise cyber and other risks to CSIRO’s data, and ultimately CSIRO researchers benefit from secure data, cost savings and efficiencies. These efficiencies removed set up effort for researchers, enabled collaboration with external partners, allowing faster time to science and faster time to impact. The project established a unique shared responsibility model to ensure CSIRO research is secure and accessible. Researchers benefit from efficient, managed and protected public cloud services and can now explore new technologies, which benefits all Australians.

As the demand of computing and storage resources increases with the growth in computational research and availability of data, The University of Newcastle has partnered with Kablamo to create a new set of cloud-based research solutions. The aim is to provide a set of solutions which reduce time to research output, improve our sustainability posture, create greater visibility over research costs and build stronger relationships between IT and our research community. The target audience for the first iteration of the initiative is the School of Psychology, with the outcome being the transition away from traditional on-premise HPC to the new AWS Service WorkBench. This service has quickly enabled the Psychology researchers to access on-demand compute services that meet their specific research requirements, leading to faster research outputs. This was achieved over a six week engagement between Kablamo and the University.

Platform O is a flexible online-based research tool that serves as an end-to-end eResearch solution for researchers and end-users. Its scope encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including research projects in medicine, nursing, exercise and nutrition, psychology, communications and technology. Designed to simplify participation and uplift engagement, Platform O allows researchers to build interactive, engaging and highly personalised programs without requiring coding or technical expertise. Its target audience consists of researchers seeking a user-friendly, responsive, and codeless platform to capture end-user engagement, feedback, and sentiment. With features like integrating third-party survey tools, online multimedia elements, and a personalised content/program algorithm, Platform O caters to researchers across diverse projects.

With a focus on technology centric collaborative spaces designed to inspire and support the learning journey, Boola Katitjin sets a new standard for tertiary education. Connection with country The Noongar name Boola Katitjin translates to lots of learning and was chosen by Dr Richard Walley and endorsed by the MU Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group. This name reflects both the different levels and functions of the building and the knowledge that will be passed on in this space. This Connection to Country is at the core of the building and reflected throughout, from the yarning circles in the welcome spaces, to the artwork seen throughout. Boola Katitijin aims to create a safe and welcoming space for everyone. Sustainability at the heart of Boola Katitjin As the largest mass engineered timber building in Western Australia, Boola Katitijin is designed to achieve the Green Building Council’s 6 Star Green Star Design and As-Built v1.3 rating. Some of the key sustainability features include a 450kw solar panel array, estimated to produce over 65% of the building’s operational energy requirements at peak conditions, and active design features such as raised access floor systems with HVAC from below, large breezeways and renewable timber for 70 percent of the building’s structure. The large stormwater harvesting tanks will collect water for reuse and excess stormwater will recharge groundwater through a large infiltration tank. The commitment to sustainability is also seen outside the building, with the landscaping allowing for more than 26,000 native plants to be installed around the building. Learning and teaching technology Boola Katitjin has been designed with students at its heart and will enhance the learning experience, providing students with a fresh space to learn, collaborate and socialise. The new learning spaces have been designed to put students at the centre of a social learning environment, enable innovative teaching methods with technology-enhanced features that encourage active and collaborative learning. As learners and teachers embrace the pedagogical and technological affordances that Boola Katitjin provides, we will together create memorable and impactful learning experiences. 60% of all teaching at Murdoch is now conducted in this building.

The Monash Study app is a personalised mobile experience designed for Monash University students. Developed in close collaboration with our students, this is a custom-built in-house app, delivering timely, relevant information that students can access at their fingertips. Before the Monash Study app, students needed to navigate numerous platforms to find critical academic information. Now, they can get everything they need, all in one place. 

Students can use maps to find locations on campus, set reminders for their upcoming events, get key
University updates through a targeted newsfeed, nominate their pronouns, view their academic results, sync their timetable to Google Calendar and add widgets to their homescreen so they don’t even need to open the app.

With over 58,000 sign-ups (out of 86,000 students) in the first year, and 7 million app sessions to date, the Monash Study app has become the students most-used study tool.

The University of Auckland (UoA) opened an eSports Arena on campus in November 2022 due to demand by students for a facility of this nature. The arena represents a first step to what esports can bring to the student experience and preparing students for the workforce. Esports, as an industry is growing phenomenally in New Zealand, with over 1.6 million Kiwi gaming households. Having an accessible eSport arena has already proven successful in contributing to an improved student experience, their engagement and ultimately their welfare, bringing the vibe back on-campus, leading to a better learning environment. Esports is a large industry, not only for gamers but supporting industries such as event management, media broadcasting, game development, creative arts, etc. By creating the Arena, the students get a flavour of what it would be like and can explore career opportunities that is beyond traditional roles in the market.

The Digital Workspace Project within the Information Technology Services team at the University of Tasmania has integrated a digital wayfinding and space reservation system. It addresses challenges of locating spaces and understanding timetables across diverse campuses. Users can easily navigate and reserve spaces through mobile devices, benefiting from 3D navigation, personalised recommendations, and real-time location data. The project faced challenges in legacy infrastructure integration, stakeholder engagement, accessibility, and spatial data accuracy. However, innovative solutions and collaboration overcame these challenges. The project has brought transformative benefits, including improved productivity, reduced stress, and enhanced inclusivity. It supports the University's strategic mission by connecting users with places and services, providing a seamless and efficient digital workspace experience.

The Assignment Extension Tool initiative at Deakin University streamlined the process for students to digitally submit extension requests for assignments and provided a centralised system for teaching staff to manage these requests. This innovative tool eliminated the need for manual processing via email and PDF attachments, saving valuable time and resources. Approximately more than 150,000 extension requests are received each year, and the tool significantly improved the efficiency for teaching staff to manage these. Students benefited from a user-friendly platform that ensured all necessary details and documents were included with their extension requests. Teaching staff gained a centralised system to review, approve, or deny requests, eliminating the need for time-consuming management of emails, and back-and-forth communication with students trying to obtain missing information of supporting evidence. By implementing the tool, operational efficiency was enhanced, administrative burdens reduced, and the overall experience for students and teaching staff in managing assignment extensions was improved.

The Recruitment and Retention Nudge Campaign initiative was launched with the aim of delivering significant applicant and student experience enhancements, while simultaneously reducing manual staff overheads, through the automation of ‘nudge’ email communications / touch points. 

Recruitment nudges target applicants to nudge them through the recruitment pipeline, for example by automatically encouraging them to respond to an offer, provide required documentation to allow for application assessment, or enrol in units.

Retention nudges target current students to nudge them back on track where, for example, they have failed to log into the Learning Management System for 7 consecutive days, or their course completion rate is falling below a set threshold as part of progression monitoring. 

Nudge campaigns are delivered by multiple fusion teams, leveraging enterprise platforms including the Student Management System, the Learning Management System, Advanced Analytics, Integration, and the enterprise CRM.

The Academic Promotions & Progressions project at AUT has revolutionized the employee experience by leveraging the ServiceNow platform. This innovative solution streamlines the complex process of academic promotion and progression, offering a user-friendly experience for all stakeholders. Implemented in two phases, in collaboration with AUT's DVC's Office, ICT Services, and People & Culture, the project aims to enhance employee satisfaction and align with AUT's strategic goal of being a place where people love to work and learn. The tailored lifecycle experience built on the ServiceNow platform guides applicants, Heads of School, and the P&C team through various phases and tasks, ensuring timely completion and providing valuable insights. Applicants benefit from early engagement, comprehensive support, and increased transparency throughout the process. A survey of applicants revealed a 54% response rate, with 60% rating their experience as exceptional or very good. Continuous improvement ideas ensure ongoing enhancement to the applicant journey.

The Curriculum Design, Accreditation, and Publication (CDAP) project was launched to address ongoing usability, capability and compliance gaps within the Curriculum Design, Accreditation and Publication space. The intention of the project was to be business-led to transform the current way of working by replacing functions delivered by a number of disjointed systems and processes while introducing benefits afforded by a more modern system and interface. The project has delivered flexible workflows and curriculum management processes that are usable, logical and comply with all policies and legislation. By consolidating systems into a single platform, CDAP better facilitates the management of the curriculum lifecycle at Charles Sturt University. This enables teams to work more effectively together on the design, accreditation, and publication of courses and subjects, while also simplifying the maintenance of the curriculum. The stakeholder group for this project includes our faculties, academics, support staff, student support services, executives and the academic senate.