Educators + tech-heads = Ed-Techs : 'The Symphony'

When academics and computer technicians do not work in unison a dissonance can occur in the learning provided to students as the best software application or technical solution and the most appropriate or engaging learning experience may not be harmoniously orchestrated. At CQUniversity, Australia, out of the cacophony of experiences, frustration and limitations approaches have been developed and implemented to enable successful and innovative learning and teaching approaches. For the last ten years academics and computer technicians have collaborated to instigate Ed-Tech solutions, including interactive technologies into the classroom and for academics on the move, needing to access resources or communicate with students and colleagues in delivering its undergraduate Engineering programs. These innovations extend to web based communications (web conference between students through ‘ScopiaTM’), application sharing (CitrixTM Main Frames Application Delivery via http for applications such as MatlabTM, Microsoft OfficeTM, AutoCADTM and other CAD applications, Strand 7TM and Visual StudioTM – on both Apple and Microsoft platforms for students and academics) and secure access outside of university networks. The collaborative relationship, the ‘symphony’, between technical staff and academics, has ensured ‘outside the box’ thinking and far more realistic Information Technology outcomes have been implemented to improve lecturer delivery and student learning.