The Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), the leading Technical and Further Education (TAFE) provider in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), serves up to 20,000 students annually. When chief technology officer Craig Neiberding joined the institute, he discovered that a new vertical campus in Woden was under construction, but the technology design for that campus did not align with key strategic priorities—specifically campus utilisation.
“What I realised was that the technology design for the new campus was not going to achieve one of our key strategic priorities – namely, campus utilisation,” Neiberding said. The original model had been co-designed with teachers, resulting in every room being different with unique layouts and audio-visual equipment. This variation limited utilisation because teachers could not easily switch between rooms without familiarising themselves with the setup. “There wasn’t a digital transformation strategy,” he observed, noting that while the institute had a strategic direction, a significant opportunity was being missed.
CIT had historically taken a departmental approach to hardware and software selection, leading to a mix of Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and various projector brands. “You name it, we used it,” Neiberding said, despite the ACT government having a significant investment in Cisco technology. The Woden building was already under construction, but Neiberding saw an opportunity to adopt a standardised design before it was too late. The goal was to maximise utilisation while keeping students at the centre of operations, removing barriers to learning. This was especially important to Neiberding, who serves as executive sponsor for inclusion at CIT and has three neurodivergent children.
CIT then partnered with Cisco to co-design what a future classroom could look like. “We didn’t have a complete end-state design in mind, and I believe this is what’s different between a partnership and a vendor relationship,” Neiberding said. “The difference is having someone who’s at the table during that design phase, and who’s still at the table when things get complicated. When you’re doing a massive transformation like we are at CIT, things will always get complicated. With that Cisco partnership, we were able to co-design what a future classroom looks like and make it standard across the board.”
Traditionally, teaching staff had their own dedicated classrooms, which hindered utilisation because classes were not always matched with appropriately sized rooms. Under the new model, no one ‘owns’ a particular room unless it is a specialised practical space (e.g., hairdressing, hospitality, graphic design or cyber security). Instead, teachers are allocated the right room based on class requirements, with each offering a standardised environment.
Inclusive, hybrid-first learning
Neiberding had a lightbulb moment when he visited a room on the Bruce campus used for physiotherapy practicals and noticed a webcam connected to the teacher’s laptop. It was set up to support a student who struggled to attend in person but still wanted to participate. Realising there was an opportunity to standardise inclusivity efforts, he said, “What we have done at Woden is try to remove the barriers that exist for all learners, whatever their needs are, as we move through this next skills uplift.”
The resulting environment integrates with various systems to account for which class is scheduled for a particular room and time, which students will be attending, and to help teachers create content for hybrid delivery. Each classroom now features a standardised layout of screens: a fixed panel, an interactive panel, and a rear screen displaying students attending online, allowing the teacher to see them and integrate them into the classroom conversation. “We haven’t just put communication and collaboration devices on the wall and walked away; we’ve actually taught the workforce how to use them and how to make them engaging,” Neiberding said. “We've removed the walls from the classroom. You can get a learning experience remotely that is similar to being in the classroom.” Those physically present also benefit; for example, students can turn on live captions to read rather than listen if that better suits their learning needs.
Zero on-site support and improved security
The classroom equipment was designed to largely eliminate the need for on-premises technical support. It is remotely monitored, and equipment cannot be easily unplugged – a common issue in uncontrolled environments. This approach has proven highly successful: “We moved from our traditional two facility support staff to zero,” said Neiberding.
Security was another major consideration. “I used to say our environment was so secure because I could never even find anything across it; it was all disconnected, disaggregated and secure by obscurity,” he explained. During the transformation, “security was at the forefront, and using Cisco technology ensures we conform with protected-level data standards”. Previously plagued by shadow IT, CIT now employs active monitoring along with a standardised system that controls classroom admittance – both virtually and physically at the Woden campus. The system also manages platform access and generates alerts when unauthorised devices are plugged into the network. “It’s also enabled us to fix our identity systems,” Neiberding said. Trying to unify four separate identity systems had previously been a significant challenge, but adopting Cisco’s identity platform resolved the issue. “Our integration layer ensures that a student or teacher has access to the right room at the right time.” This capability extends to other resources, such as lockers – fashion and textiles students might need a locker for a whole semester to store a mannequin, while others only need temporary storage.
The need for integration showed the importance of the CIT-Cisco partnership. CIT uses the Moodle learning management system and the TimeEdit academic operations platform. In response, Cisco prioritised changes to its Moodle integration, ensuring it worked harmoniously alongside these applications rather than attempting to override room management and virtual classroom links. “We have seen that we can influence a multinational like Cisco through this partnership to really support the outcomes of our students,” Neiberding observed.
Harnessing telemetry for space utilisation
The technology changes have also led to unexpected safety and accessibility improvements. In the commercial kitchen, for example, students previously had to crowd around a teacher’s bench to observe techniques. Now, a 360-degree camera zooms in on the demonstration, allowing students to watch the screens safely from their own workstations. “It’s quite incredible what the technology has enabled in this space,” added Neiberding. Additionally, the institute has abandoned lapel microphones, which teachers hate, in favour of directional microphones that focus on the speaker and filter out background noise.
The Cisco hardware provides valuable classroom telemetry. While it monitors air quality and noise, the key metric for CIT is occupancy. “We need to maximise utilisation,” Neiberding said, noting that real-time visibility into actual class attendance is valuable. This telemetry is particularly advantageous when upgrading older campuses that lack dedicated building management systems. With built-in sensors, CIT gains occupancy insights without needing staff to conduct manual audits. Rooms are initially scheduled based on expected enrolment numbers, but ready access to actual attendance data means classes can be dynamically relocated to more appropriately sized rooms. “We have five computer labs at Woden, and I can see their utilisation runs at around 95%, which tells me we are hitting capacity,” Neiberding said. By contrast, some general learning spaces operate at around 40%. “Those insights and intelligence enable us to make decisions that improve outcomes and access to the right resources at the right time.” As CIT aims to help upskill Australia’s workforce in response to changing job roles, Neiberding believes the Cisco partnership will play a key role. “Wouldn’t it be great not to have to come onto campus to do the AI basics skills uplift or [learn] how to supplement your current work using the right AI tool?”
The transformation at CIT demonstrates how standardised, inclusive, and data-driven technology can boost campus utilisation, enhance security, and improve learning outcomes for all students. By moving away from fragmented systems and embracing a holistic partnership, the institute is setting a new benchmark for TAFE education in Australia.
Source:ComputerWeekly.com News