Metadata
- Interview Title: Higher Education in the Age of Digital Disruption
- Participants: John O’Neill (Interviewer) and Teresa Tjia (Academic Registrar and Executive Director of Student Services, Victoria University)
- Location: Victoria University City Campus, Melbourne
- Themes: Student-centricity, digital transformation, the “Student First” philosophy, and the evolving role of tertiary institutions.
Clean Transcript
John: I’m sitting here at the Victoria University city campus in Melbourne with Teresa Tjia. Teresa is the Academic Registrar and Executive Director of Student Services at the university. Universities are currently going through a period of profound change within a rapidly evolving education landscape. The business of learning and teaching is dramatically different than it has been in the past. We are going to talk with Teresa today about what the “age of the customer” and digital disruption mean for the tertiary sector. Teresa, I’d like to start by sharing with the listeners a little bit about your background: where you grew up, where you were educated, and how you came to be in your current role.
Teresa: Thank you for this opportunity, John. I have always been very passionate about education. I came to Australia as a migrant when I was ten years old. My family is Chinese-Indonesian, and we moved to Perth. It was instilled in us from day one that education was our pathway to opportunity and success; it was seen in our family and community as something truly transformational. We have always focused on education as a vital part of our lives. I suppose that is what led me to university and then prompted me to stay within the sector. You meet the most amazing students and staff who are equally passionate about the process of transformation.
John: Where did you study, and what was your field?
Teresa: Interestingly, I studied at the University of Western Australia, and I studied science. I completed both a Bachelor’s Degree with Honours and a Master’s Degree. I actually worked and taught in labs before moving into management.
John: You have worked at several other universities. Can you tell me which ones they were and how you arrived at Victoria University?
Teresa: I have worked in very diverse roles. As I mentioned, I started as a scientist and an educator, mainly in universities across Western Australia—I think I worked in most of the ones in Perth. I then moved to Melbourne after a stint as the elected National President of the Council of Australian Post Graduate Associations. I came to the University of Melbourne to head up their postgraduate association. That was a time of real growth for postgraduate students, not only in research but also in coursework. It was a fascinating time to witness that expansion, which has continued to this day. Eventually, I ended up at Victoria University because it represents an institution dedicated to helping students who are often the first in their family to attend university. Many come from diverse backgrounds and may not have had prior opportunities to study. Victoria University offers those opportunities in spades.
John: Teresa, could you describe your current role and responsibilities?
Teresa: I oversee most things related to the student lifecycle, from admissions and applications through to graduation. I do this in collaboration with many parts of the university. I have a team across various areas, including enrolments, fees, student life, wellbeing, and customer service. We also work closely with other departments, such as academic skill support, the colleges, academics, IT, and the library. The great thing about this university is that it is a very collaborative, networked workplace, which is evident in everything we do.
John: Many people outside the sector don’t appreciate the scale of these institutions. Can you describe the size of Victoria University and its specific niche in the Australian marketplace?
Teresa: One of the unique things about Victoria University is that it is a “dual sector” university, one of only a few in Australia. This means we offer everything from TAFE certificates to PhDs. The TAFE side handles vocational training, while the higher education side covers degrees and research. We also have a significant international presence. We have students studying at our offshore sites with partners in Singapore, Malaysia, China, and Vietnam, as well as a campus in Sydney. Overall, we have up to 50,000 students. If you look at higher education in Melbourne specifically, it’s about 25,000 students, with thousands more in TAFE and offshore programs.
John: I mentioned we are living in the “age of the customer.” Do you think of your students as customers, and what does that imply?
Teresa: That represents a significant change we’ve seen in universities over the last two decades. We now view students as much more multi-faceted. Yes, they are customers in the sense that they have the same service expectations they would have of their bank, a retail shop, or a telecommunications provider. However, they are also learners. They have to invest their own effort and time to achieve an outcome; we don’t just spoon-feed them. They must actively engage in the learning process. Additionally, they are members of a community. They become lifelong alumni, staying in touch with the university and each other. They find mentors and make connections that last a lifetime. Because the student identity is so complex, we have to address each of those facets—customer, learner, and member—in different ways.
John: How has this more complex view of the student changed the way services are provided?
Teresa: We have to put the student at the center. I know of several universities that have launched projects specifically called “Student First.” Everyone is focusing on the customer journey. We need to know their expectations and experiences so we can meet or exceed them. We also have to look at them as digital, mobile customers. They expect convenience and ease of use. Furthermore, students today have very different lives. Many balance one or more jobs alongside their studies. Mature-age students have family commitments, and postgraduate students are often managing developing careers. Study is now a part of their life, not necessarily their whole life. We have to be cognizant of those multifaceted identities when delivering our services.
John: What are you doing to better understand the needs of your students, and how is that translating into the physical and digital environments you’re creating?
Teresa: Like many others, our university is deeply engaging with the student journey. We use traditional feedback methods, such as student representative structures, unions, and councils. However, we are also moving toward more vigorous methods to reach all students, such as customer journey mapping, focus groups, and surveys. We are moving away from just doing an annual survey or a meeting every three months. We want timely, targeted, “just-in-time” feedback so we can respond immediately to their needs.
John: You mentioned the nature of your student body—first-in-family, migrant backgrounds, etc. What does Victoria University offer that is unique compared to more established, traditional universities?
Teresa: Supporting the community in the West of Melbourne is our primary focus and mission. Traditionally, these communities may have been more disadvantaged, but they are incredibly aspirational. Victoria University has a great tradition of focusing on these needs. We ensure we provide a warm, targeted, and personalized service experience. We truly care for the student as an individual. That warmth and understanding is what we bring to the table.
John: What does the explosion of online learning tools mean for the way education is delivered?
Teresa: It is amazing to see how much has changed. If you look at young children today, you see two-year-olds on iPads learning to speak, spell, and understand complex words like “invention.” This translates to universities because expectations are changing. People can access information much more easily now. Consequently, the role of the academic and the institution is shifting toward facilitating and inspiring learning. You can Google almost any basic fact, but universities provide something more. We provide a love of knowledge and the ability to expand, analyze, and apply that knowledge at a higher level. While we are still doing what we have always done, the emphasis and delivery have changed. In the digital space, content must be interactive, visual, and collaborative. At Victoria University, we also use peer-to-peer interaction through student mentors to support this.
John: Many managers feel anxiety about keeping up with new technologies. How do you stay in touch with what is possible, and how does the university orient itself for this new world?
Teresa: It is challenging because the speed of change is incredible. Some universities are still debating how to use Facebook effectively, while others note that younger generations are already moving elsewhere. It is difficult for universities to move quickly and adopt these technologies while maintaining existing systems. Personally, I keep up by scanning the landscape and hoping for the best. There are moments where I hope I can “leapfrog” over a certain technology because it might just be a passing phase. However, as an institution, we must find smart ways to keep up. Moving toward cloud-based services and software-on-demand is helping because it focuses less on hard infrastructure and more on flexible services.
John: What keeps you awake at night?
Teresa: I’m actually a pretty good sleeper! But what keeps me motivated is the desire to truly respond to our students in a tailored, personalized way throughout their entire journey—from prospective students to alumni. I’m constantly thinking about how to understand a student’s needs at different points of their degree and how to maintain that connection after they graduate. I don’t think any university has completely mastered that yet, and that keeps me interested.
John: Finally, do you have three top tips for navigating and surviving in this age of rapid change and disruption?
Teresa: First, you have to accept that you won’t know everything. The day of being the sole “master” or font of all knowledge is gone. Second, you must learn to collaborate. Find good partners internally and externally. Some of your best partners might be your own students; work with them and learn from them to create value. Third, be agile and resilient. You have to be able to move fast, fail occasionally, recover quickly, and just keep bouncing back. So: realize you don’t know everything, work with others, and if you fail, get back up.
John: Teresa, thank you very much for sharing your considerable wisdom and knowledge with us this afternoon.
Teresa: It was a pleasure.