Highlights from the Provost Portfolio

It’s been a month of achievements for ACU faculties and schools. I’d like to share some of these highlights with you and celebrate the work of our academic staff.

Short course grant to enhance nurses’ COVID-19 skills

ACU’s School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine in Victoria has been awarded the Safer Care Victoria (Department of Health and Human Services) contract to develop and implement a short course for Victorian nurses working in subacute areas.

Congratulations to Associate Professor Elisabeth Jacob, Dr Sandra Leathwick and Ms Mandy El Ali for developing this program. It is designed to support nurses who don’t traditionally work in the acute environment to develop knowledge and confidence in caring for patients with COVID-19.

Information Technology research and engagement

Led by Associate Professor Haifeng Shen, our Information Technology discipline is pursuing projects that will make a measurable contribution to enhance Australia’s defence capability. It is particularly focused on helping military personnel make better and informed decisions in time-critical missions.

Two competitive grant projects funded by the Defence Science and Technology sector have already been secured, and an ARC LIEF grant project on a digital twins’ lab is currently under ARC review.

ACU signs SaaS agreement with OpenLearning

ACU has just signed a three-year deal with software-as-a-service provider OpenLearning. This builds on an existing partnership and will help us develop world-class online courses, with a focus on the health and education sectors.

Digital education is a critical element of ACU’s innovation agenda. I am looking forward to this promising partnership, which will enable nimbleness and improve our reach into an ever-expanding market of short courses and micro-credentials.

ABDC Executive Committee appointment

Congratulations to Professor Therese Joiner, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law and Business, who has been appointed as a member of the Australian Business Deans Council Executive Committee.

I acknowledge the achievements and positive efforts by all staff at ACU, and I look forward to seeing you back on campus soon.

Best wishes,
Professor Zlatko Skrbis
Acting Provost

Pictured below: OpenLearning's Adam Brimo and Cherie Diaz with ACU's Zlatko Skrbis