Australian Catholic University (ACU) ranks in the top 10 of global Catholic universities and is in the top two percent of the world’s tertiary institutions. With 35,000 students, and around 9,000 staff and academics, it currently has eight campuses throughout Australia, with a ninth in Rome.
As part of ACU’s 2020-23 Strategic Plan, they wanted a ‘modern workspace environment’ that provided seamless communication and increased efficiency. This meant a total overhaul of their systems.
It was vital to ACU that the new digital workspace provided a seamless and secure environment for ACU’s staff and students, regardless of location. The solution was originally scheduled to be staggered to allow for stronger adoption and user support, but COVID-19 put a strain on things, leading the overhaul to take just two weeks.
Microsoft Teams is now being piloted across various course units to enhance communication and collaboration between students and staff. The ability to share documents and live chat during a meeting, in addition to running 3×3 video calls and features like the ‘raise hand’, is proving popular, not to mention necessary in light of a second lockdown.
ACU now plans to develop its own applications and workflows through Microsoft Power Platform to gain deeper insights and identify students needing help. There are also plans for a chatbot to provide students with online support.
Food Agility overhauls IT software to become a connected and collaborative 
