Empowering students with next gen learning: Swinburne University of Technology renews Adobe Creative Campus partnership

As the first Australian university designated as an Adobe Creative Campus in 2020, Swinburne University of Technology has been leading the way in preparing its students and staff for a digital-rich future.

The engagement from staff and students throughout the first three years has shown the significant reach of the Adobe program across the University. Swinburne and Adobe have renewed their partnership agreement for 2023-2025, continuing to build on the benefits that have been embraced by students and staff, focusing on improving digital literacy and innovation across all areas of learning and teaching at Swinburne.

This growth is a testament to the engaging environment that Swinburne and Adobe have co-created, equipping students with the necessary skills and capabilities to thrive in a digital future.

“With 23% of jobs expected to change by 2027, the intersection of creative skills, effective communication and digital literacy has never been more important for those entering the workforce,” said Professor Tara Magdalinski, Senior Deputy Vice-Chanceller and Chief Academic Officer (Acting) at Swinburne University. “As an Adobe Creative Campus, we are not only equipping our students to meet the demands for the careers of today, but we are also preparing them for the critical skills needed for success in tomorrow’s workforce.”

Some initiatives driving digital literacy at the university include a digital literacies Adobe hub designed to support students with workshops, one-to-one student drop-in sessions and resources on Adobe Creative Cloud tools. Staff and students have also utilised the Adobe Education Exchange (EDEX), which established the First Global Creative Cloud curated page, offering free lessons, activities, and projects that cater to various fields of study. The Student Engagement program, supported by Adobe Digital Coaches, saw over 3,400 students enrolled. Adobe Digital Coaches have run 156 drop-ins and had 479 student attendees in workshops over the 3-year partnership.

The Swinburne team saw the faculty resources on EdEx engaged up to 45,000 times by higher ed faculty and instructors globally. Additionally, staff and student engagement programs have supported educators and students in building confidence and new skills with Adobe programs. The Staff Engagement Program supported 5,934 educator registrations in workshops and sharing sessions. Swinburne staff reported feeling braver to experiment with Adobe programs. With the help of free lessons, activities, and projects across a range of disciplines, students and staff were encouraged to practice, learn and play.

The Success of Adobe Digital Coaches

Swinburne’s Adobe Digital Coaches have played a key part in delivering our student engagement program across the university and have continued to raise awareness on how they can use the Adobe Creative Cloud to enhance their learning.

Proud Gumbaynggirr/Barkindji woman Emily Gittins joined as an Adobe Digital Coach in 2021 and has since been instrumental in the program.

“What I really like is the student engagement part of the role. I love collaborating with students, seeing what they have to offer and helping elevate their knowledge and skills,” Gittins says.

“A lot of jobs require digital skills, so being a coach has given me the confidence to apply my skills through presenting and facilitating workshops for students. I think this will help me in my teaching Adobe career.”

Fellow Adobe Digital Coach Rohan Gerrard joined from the conception of the Adobe Hub and has seen how the program has evolved.

“In the first year that I was an Adobe Digital Coach, at least half of the questions we were getting was how to sign into an app or tool and how to get a general sense of what the Adobe tools can do and why [students] should use them.” said Gerrard.

“Now, we’re getting questions from students with a particular project in mind, wanting to bring it to life with Adobe apps, and helping them innovate through the software. Seeing this change has been the best part of being a coach.”

The Future of Adobe Creative Campus

Digital literacy is broad, and the necessary skills students will need to succeed in the future are evolving. In today’s job market, the demand for diverse digital and non-digital skills is significant, and by partnering with Adobe, Swinburne is providing its students with essential skills to thrive in the digital economy.

The suite of initiatives under the Digital Literacies program has undergone further development. The launch of latest grant offering - the Curriculum Innovator Program –incorporates digital literacies at the course level and supports collaborative teams to embed digital literacies at the course level. The cross-disciplinary grant program will support innovative approaches to delivering digital literacies in the curriculum, designing a Professional Learning program to enhance digital literacies and capabilities of academic and teaching staff, and quality-assuring that Swinburne courses and curriculum include the development of digital literacies.

The program will continue to offer drop-in sessions, workshops, and events for both students and staff, tailored to meet the needs of the Swinburne community, ensuring that learning opportunities remain relevant to everyone’s needs and experiences.

For more information on Adobe Creative Campus, visit https://adobecreativecampus.com/.