The University is undertaking an extensive program of work to provide students with a significant uplift in collaboration capabilities.
Student access to Microsoft 365 is part of the Collaborative Technology for Students and Staff (CTSS) initiative. CTSS is working to deliver a collaborative platform, with the accompanying governance, templates and support services, for the UQ community.
This uplift in collaborative capacity is part of the ongoing digital transformation at UQ, with significant efforts having been made to improve the quality of UQ’s operating environment.
This initiative aligns to the strategic goal of;
Transforming our student experience through a flexible, integrated and partnered learning environment.
Providing the full range of Microsoft 365 collaboration services is critical to supporting the student and staff experience. Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and associated services form part of a modern collaborative workspace, exposing students to these tools and incorporating them into future T & L activities is critical to ensuring Students have the required flexible tools and technologies to support T & L outcomes.
The University of Queensland (UQ) approach also looks to tightly integrate these services into a digital environment that enables a range of services that contribute to all aspects of the student experience.
Committing to activities that attract, support, and retain a diverse and inclusive community of high achieving staff and students.
Adopting and effectively using modern collaborative tools and methodologies is essential to UQ's strategy of supporting staff. Technology and services being deployed as part of this program will help staff work more effectively in a range of circumstances, locations, and technology backgrounds.
Building an agile, responsive, and efficient University operation.
UQ's Digital Transformation vision and Enablement strategy, of which the initiative is a part, is designed specifically to ensure we move away from less agile fixed and complex locally provided services to more agile cloud-based services. The program also looks to reduce the number and complexity of IT systems leading to more efficient university operations.
Diversifying our income streams and managing our resources to establish a sustainable financial base.
This initiative will look to combine support and IT cost around services and systems already included in UQ budgets better utilising our existing capital, human and information assets.
Student satisfaction
Improvement in student satisfaction relating to both campus experience and knowledge and awareness of services.
Improvements in student satisfaction relating to the provision and access to appropriate learning resources, systems, and tools.
Collaboration
The delivery of modern assets, processes, knowledge, governance, and systems that support the collaboration needs of both staff and students for administration, teaching, learning and research.
Improvements to staff efficiency and culture associated with the use of improved systems and processes for collaboration and administration.
As a global university, staff and students would expect to have access to work leading collaborative system and services.
Cost reduction
The reduction in infrastructure and operating costs associated with fix line IP Telephony.
There are several projects and initiatives at UQ encouraging improved collaboration using Microsoft 365 (M365) tools.
Initiatives
Productivity Tips community
- The community meets once a month for a presentation from a community member.
- Recent sessions focussed on Microsoft Forms, appointments in Outlook and Teams, and OneNote.
Microsoft 365 Viva Engage
- A space on Viva Engage (previously Yammer) to share news, ask questions, and celebrate milestones relating to M365.
Microsoft 365 Change Champions Network
- The M365 Change Champions Network is open to any university staff member who wants to play an active role in developing digital capability at UQ.
- The network meet formally once a month. Between meetings, Change Champions are given the opportunity to contribute to new training, change management and communication.
Projects
Enhanced M365 for students
- Migrating student accounts to the staff Microsoft tenant will allow staff and students to use the same Microsoft services and seamlessly collaborate.
M365 adoption
- Support adoption of M365 applications in day-to-day work through multiple approaches.
Training
Systems Training Hub
- M365 training material is published on the Systems Training Hub.
- This includes how-to guides, informative blogs, and links to further resources from Microsoft.
Workday courses
- Digital Tools at UQ and Microsoft 365 Overview.
- Microsoft Teams Overview.