Podcast

Charlsey Pearce as CEO of Mortar Caps Data Standard is a long term HEDx partner leading an innovation project around data standards for human capability records that support lifelong learning and tertiary harmonisation. In this episode she introduces, leads and comments on a HEDx webinar that led to the development of a White Paper recently submitted to ATEC, JSA and the Productivity Commission. This is a chance for Australia to jump from last to first in a global race for technology to support tertiary harmonisation and lifelong learners having records that set them up for life. Numerous HEDx partners join a conversation ending with views of a student of why this is so important.

Kivanch Oner is CIO of University of Nevada Las Vegas. He joins me and co-host Matt Cavallaro of Salesforce to discuss how change to serve changing student needs is achieved in a leading R1 US university. Our discussion traverses changes facing students and how they impact providers seeking to serve them. The place of technology as an enabler is analysed through the UNLV experience. The importance of partnerships and culture arising from trust is key to accelerating transformation and represents social capital for change. Insights from two technological pioneers of the cultural and human side of change that shines a light on transformation that is possible and needed by global providers in the sector.

Professor Kris Ryan DVCA of The University of Queensland introduces and reflects on the most recent HEDx event on Our Commitments to Students in the Age of AI. He does so by celebrating our adoption of the student voice in our work and the need to commit to it continuously in the future. We saw that in our most recent conference close up. And we saw how vulnerable all of us are and how that is something to celebrate as Manuela Franceschini of Adobe illustrates in a beautifully reflective poem written on the day at the event. And it all gives pointers to the community we build in doing this which Professor Kylie Readman of UTS celebrates in inviting us all to the next HEDx in the first week in June in Sydney.

Professor Kylie Readman DVC of UTS leads a panel of Australian experts in online learning in a discussion of the needs of this special group of lifelong learners. Professor Dominique Parrish of Torrens University Australia, Tom Steer of University of Adelaide, Catherine Reynolds of OUA and Erin Jancauskus of OES share experiences from leaders of online education. They dissect how AI is impacting this area of higher education. And they outline what it is going to take as we shift even more fully to this mode of learning in an omni-channel future as one of the ways that the growing demand for lifelong learning can be met particularly from equity groups.

George Williams of Western Sydney University launches a seminal essay on the crisis of social license in our universities and what we have to do about it. As a publication of The Australia Institute, George shares thoughts on why the essay was written and what is contribution will be with Alice Grundy of The Australia Institute Press. The session is a response to the conversation between Alphia Possamai-Inesedy and Ann Kirschner, advisor to President at ASU and the University of California. Ann sees an opportunity to rebuild from the tremors impacting the sector globally and makes the perfect case for why the essay was needed.

Simon Biggs VC of JCU recently visited TEDI-London as an exemplar of learning innovation and of how AI can democratise education for disadvantaged learners. Little did Simon and I know that he was meeting Professor Lisa Brodie TED-London Dean shortly before she would be able to be public about it transitioning into ASU London. As its foundation Dean, she joins Simon and I to reflect on their meeting and what they discussed and sharing the news that ASU London was launched last week. In. partnership with Cintana, this major development in global educational partnerships has a profound impact on how we will perceive the future of transnational education for global learners.

Bill Shorten, Pascale Quester, Sharan Burrow and Simon Biggs answer this and other questions posed by Dionne Higgins of KordaMentha. “Nothing about us, without us,” is the essence of the call for action that Kelly Matthews of UQ and I hear clearly and will return to in future episodes in 2026. Never was the student voice more clearly made, head and accepted for action.

Sir Chris Husbands former VC of Sheffield Hallam University and founding chair of the UK Teaching Excellence Framework joins Professor Helen Bartlett VC of University of the Sunshine Coast. They were on stage at HEDx at UQ for an opening keynote and fireside chat that dissects the global issues facing higher education. They argue the clear need to identify purpose, implement that purpose clearly and consistently, and be ever vigilant to ongoing change in leading our communities through turbulent times. Sir Chris and Helen both emphasise the importance of being distinctive and following your own true path in doing that. They observe many members of our community do this effectively every day.

Ian Oppermann is Chair of Data Standards for the Commonwealth and Industry Professor at UTS. From a lifetime in AI and driving technology to serve the needs of consumers and their data rights, he is partnering with Charlsey Pearce of the Mortar CAP data standard. They led a sector workshop at AWS in Sydney recently of sector representatives jointly crafting a white paper to guide improved data stanrads to serve the needs of lifelong learners in a harmonised tertiary education system. They reflect on the workshop and the issues it addressed before bringing its progress to a workshop at the HEDx event on November 5.

This episode gives voice to 34 students from 8 different HEDx member universities and partners in UQ, Adelaide, Swinburne, OES, OUA, Torrens, UniSC, and Canberra. We asked each 9 questions about what they thought of higher education, what they would change, and how they felt about AI and the future of work. Their answers might surprise you. Professors Suzanne Le Mire and Kelly Matthews of UQ helped me design them and make sense of their answers. Ignore these messages at your peril. My great thanks to Suzanne and Kelly and the colleagues at the 8 places and all of their wonderful students. We hear you and see you.