1. Ethical Hacking Studios
Okay, so cyber security is a big issue. In 2019, 59% of organisations in Australia detected a security breach that interrupted their business at least monthly. Unfortunately, there are just not enough security professionals in Australia with the skills needed to address this.
To fill this gap, UTS FEIT now offer an ‘Ethical Hacking’ four-week studio. Run over summer and led by Larry Zektser and his team Darshil Shah, Jay Ghorpade and Luke Fuehrer (who are all students in FEIT), these hands-on experiences gave students the skills to hack systems, so they can prevent other, ‘unethical’ hackers from doing it.
Students presented their final projects to industry professionals working at Deloitte, ServiceNow and Gitlab – which let the students reflect on the skills needed in the workplace.
Run by Larry Zektser (student), Faculty of Engineering and IT. Find out more.
2. Meet the Journalist
Leigh Sales has been a journalist for over 24 years, winning several awards and interviewing countless people. But what happens when the shoe is on the other foot?
This year UTS journalism students researched and framed hour-long public events in which they interviewed leading Australian journalists including Leigh Sales (ABC), Hamish MacDonald (The Project, ABC RN), Rick Morton (The Australian) and Sandra Sully (Ten Evening News and Ten Daily Editor in Chief).
Awesome to see my UTS classmate @WendyJohn8 kicking goals and interviewing @leighsales at the UTS: Meet the Journalist event. #UTSJournalism pic.twitter.com/m7dEkODmgt
— Allison Hore (@AllisonM_H) April 12, 2019
This series gave students the chance to DO journalism – gaining real-world skills, such as how to conduct a one-hour interview (an extremely taxing task in itself) and how to think on their feet.
By interviewing industry leaders, students also identify and explore issues in journalism – exactly what the industry needs during this time of digital flux.
Run by Professor Monica Attard, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Listen to the podcasts.
3. Experiments with AI and Machine Learning
Many people think learning new technologies like AI and machine learning is way too complicated and should be left to the technologists of the world.
The Advanced MBA’s subject ‘Challenge/Opportunity Discovery’ is challenging this assumption.
“It is about developing an open mindset: We show our MBA students that AI and machine learning are not so difficult to understand, even if you have no technical background.” – Dr Natalia Nikolova
Embracing transdisciplinary learning, Advanced MBA students now experiment with new technologies, learning how to prototype simple algorithms using Microsoft Azure’s suite of services. On the way they learn how AI and Machine Learning are transforming existing business models and explore their potential to create new services and new business models.
Students are getting a taste of industry at UTS: UTS Business collaborated with industry partners – digital consultancy 3 Points Digital and Microsoft – to design and deliver the learning experiences.
Find out more about UTS Advanced MBA.
Run by Dr Natalia Nikolova, UTS: Business.
4. Start-up Lab
Australia has become the fifth-most startup-friendly country in the world. But how can universities help support people looking at that stage of their careers? Enter the Start-up Lab. Available to all students in the Bachelor of Entrepreneurship (Honours), the Start-up Lab gives students the chance to shape their individual learning requirements based on what stage they’re at with their own start-up – from user research to market launch.
Start-up Lab combines online learning with in-class mentoring, learning reflections and creation of a portfolio.
“You can think of entrepreneurship during your studies as a way to work on your own passion project while developing key skills that also make you stand out in a workplace.” – A/Prof Jochen Schweitzer
Students are independent learners and are in control of what and when they learn while creating real world business outcomes and developing entrepreneurial competencies.
Run by Dr Julien Marchand and A/Prof Jochen Schweitzer, UTS: Business. Find out more.
Did we miss anything?
This is just a taste of some examples of learning done differently at UTS. If you know of a great example, we’d love to hear. Get in touch to share what you (or your shy colleague) have been up to.