On 13th and 14th August 2018, Deakin University hosted the 7th annual Australian InPlace National User Group Conference, with great support from the University of New England, Charles Sturt and James Cook Universities. The main focus for this year’s conference was peer-to-peer learning and user experience.
Over 115 InPlace users attended from all over Australia, welcomed by the sensational Organising Committee and 20 QuantumIT/InPlace representatives.
Presentations
InPlace users ardently participated in 15 plus sessions over the two days. These included: discipline-level breakouts, university-led product demonstrations, and partner integration demonstrations. In addition to these, agile working methods for enhancement projects co-funded by QuantumIT and university clients were discussed, along with new feature presentations by InPlace consultants. Not least, QuantumIT updated the delegates on the future of InPlace from a company and product perspective, and as a customer service provider.
Dr Elizabeth Johnson, Pro Vice Chancellor Teaching and Learning at Deakin University delivered the lead keynote. Professor Johnson thoughtfully set the tone for the two days by discussing the national importance of Work Integrated Learning and its growing significance in tertiary education in Australia.
QuantumIT CEO, Guthrie White presented on the vision for InPlace and the company’s ambitious product goals looking forward.
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and QuantumIT presented on their collaborative approach to product development, within the context of their Work Integrated Learning 2020 Project. This project has resulted in some great improvements to the Opportunities functionality. This included more flexible and functional request process templates to simplify interaction with providers of internships and projects for students. Furthermore, the interview management model in Opportunities has had a major overhaul.
Breakout Groups
Attendees had the choice to participate in a selection of interactive breakout groups and user presentations. The majority focused on specific functional areas of the system. These included best practice demonstrations from users, advanced backend settings, and integrated partner services. The peer-to-peer learning environment enabled users to glean some valuable insights in a relevant context, and sparked animated discussions throughout the two days.
Thoughts from our users
Users were invited to the QuantumIT HQ for some well-earned drinks and a chance to network in an informal setting. Most noteworthy, drinks were followed by an invitation to dine at European-inspired restaurant Epocha.
We received some great feedback from the delegates. Matthew Muller, Project Manager of the WIL2020 project at QUT shared:
“It was valuable to hear the innovative ways in which other universities are utilising the system, such as using the InSight Survey Tool to replace paper based agency assessment and feedback”.
Likewise, Stephanie Holden, Change and Training Coordinator for the WIL2020 Project, QUT also provided good feedback:
“The InPlace user group conference provided a valuable opportunity to share best practice and troubleshoot current pain points with other universities. It also provided insight into how QuantumIT is planning to further develop the functionality of InPlace into the future.”
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