In the next five years the UQ TEL strategy emphasises building an infrastructure for innovation at the level of the Faculties and Schools, creating “co-laboratories”, that is, test environments (or sandboxes) in which new, technology-enriched courses can be tried out and, through rapid, iterative prototyping within a fixed time period, piloted. While ‘in the sandbox’ special experimental assessment criteria will apply and technical/pedagogical help will be offered.  Courses and activities demonstrating learning gains can then be mainstreamed into the curriculum.

These opportunities for innovation should focus on embracing the reality of a UQ community composed of  ’students’ of all ages interacting with UQ delivered learning resources at all levels, from ad hoc community programs, skills training, professional development, certificate programs to full credit bearing discipline-based undergraduate and post-graduate degrees . This will necessitate creating learning plans and building mechanisms to capture and share the digital artifacts of learning that students create throughout their engagements with the University.

To achieve this degree of flexibility and fluid participation with UQ sponsored scholarly and professional activities learning opportunities must be accessible and discoverable to everyone, including current students, prospective students, and the public at large.
This is a tall order, one that will require broadening the modes of learning offered as well as the tools by which the co-creation of learning experiences are found and delivered.
These are goals worthy of a world-class university leading scholarship and research forward in teaching as well as invention.