QUT to stand up digital experience platform next year

QUT will stand up a digital experience platform next year that will allow it to contextually communicate with learners as they interact with the university.

The platform is one of two being implemented under a broader program of work called 'digital connections'.

The other platform that falls under digital connections is a "digital engagement platform" - effectively a customer relationship management (CRM) system, that is based on Salesforce for Education.

"The two are quite complementary initiatives, but we're moving at speed with the digital engagement platform, and then the digital experience is all about improving the digital interface with QUT," program manager for digital connections James Rail told iTnews.

"Our focus really is on introducing two enterprise technologies that will affect every aspect of QUT business in one way or another, in ways that allow us to harness the data we know about the prospective, current or past student and get them the experience they need, depending upon where they are in the journey, so the online experience when they log in or when they're browsing information, is better connected."

QUT expects to select a technology partner for the digital experience platform by the end of the year.

Rail said the university is “very much focused” on improving "lifelong learning" - and creating "lifelong relationships" with learners. 

The aim of the digital connections program is to establish QUT as "a career partner" for people, that can meet their evolving needs to learn new skills over the course of their careers.

The program is being delivered over three "horizons". It is expected to conclude in 2024.

Rail said the digital connections program “will impact our entire current, prospective and alumni learner cohort” which roughly comprises of 53,000 enrolled students, 10,000 prospective students and 250,000 alumni.

Single view of student

Falling under horizon one, QUT recently went live with its Salesforce-based "digital engagement platform", which created a single view of each student across QUT.

The Salesforce platform is currently in use by QUT's professional and executive education group, and its digital marketing group.

QUT is now expanding the digital engagement platform to capture prospective students through improved study options, and to assist them in creating learning goals and career aspirations.

The forthcoming digital experience platform will build on this work, and is about “connecting the dots” in the student lifecycle, Rail said.

"It brings together the customer relationship management activity within the digital engagement platform and uses that data so that we can provide [learners] with a digital experience that is aligned to where they are - so, surfacing the relevant information in the right context, at the right time, so when they're interacting with our digital channels," he said.

"It's connecting the dots, if you like, of what we understand their journey to be and where they're heading, so we can ensure that whether they're searching for course information, or they're searching for support services when they've enrolled into QUT, that we are proactively giving them that information so they don't have to get lost in the 'busyness' of university practice, and are better positioned to access the information they need as quickly as possible."