Co-authored by Rachael McCallum and Kat Fardian
The Australian Government’s Department of Education’s recent Microcredential pilot initiative was an opportunity awarded to the University of Technology Sydney’s (UTS) Faculty of Engineering and IT in developing an unconventional microcredential; Digital Engineering for Infrastructure and Facilities. Digital Engineering is a field that up until now, has often gone unnoticed – but the potential for digital technologies to better manage large-scale engineering projects has made this a “national priority”.
The pilot has been as much about supporting the digital transformation as it has been about ‘catching up’ and stabilising digital capabilities (and competencies) in industry. It is now expanding to a Digital Engineering Professional Education program of a suite of microcredentials developed in partnership with Transport for New South Wales with supporting funding from the Federal Government Higher Education Microcredential Pilot program.
As a result of the need to build smarter and more sustainable cities, we require more digital champions in decision-making roles that can change mindsets and ensure that the integrated enterprise data management capabilities now enabled by government agencies are implemented on infrastructure projects. Upskilling in digital engineering competencies through stackable and flexible university microcredentials is key to meeting the education and training requirements of government digitalisation roadmaps.
Julie Jupp, Associate Professor, University of Technology Sydney
Engineering the future together
One of the greatest favours you can do yourself if you are wishing to get involved in digital engineering is to make the mind shift from an isolated, independent provider to a collaborator.
Paul Haines, Lecturer, Degotardi, Smith and Partners
The initiative was sparked by Devon Middleditch, Executive Director of Digital Engineering Services at Transport for New South Wales, and spearheaded by Associate Professor Julie Jupp, our lead academic at UTS. We began with a proactive industry consultation including project directors, project managers, design managers, technical managers, engineers, digital engineering managers, surveyors, architects, modellers, and IT professionals. All of us shared a common goal – identifying and addressing the challenges to mobilising digital engineering on vertical and horizontal infrastructure projects.
Their collective insight highlighted a pressing need for education that moves beyond awareness, builds digital literacy and develops role-specific proficiencies in the development, governance, and assurance of deliverables. This feedback became the cornerstone of our course design, influencing everything from the workshop content to the assessment methods and choice of software vendors.
Tackling industry challenges
Our recent projects for federal defence assets are adopting a very similar DE framework to provide the data delivery that is now becoming expected on significant scale asset works. This will almost certainly find its way in some form to the private sector.
Paul Haines, Lecturer, Degotardi, Smith and Partners
One of the most significant hurdles in digital engineering is the issue of information (data) management—the dreaded silo effect that hampers collaboration across institutions and contractors—and utilisation of master and metadata management methods. Jupp’s approach integrates an ecosystems perspective, blending knowledge from Data Management, Project Management, and Asset Management, and aligns with domestic and international digital engineering standards.
Learning design: building the blocks
As one of the program’s largest courses, Digital Engineering for infrastructure and Facilities isn’t your typical microcredential. Spanning 20 weeks and offering 12 credit points, it’s UTS’s most ambitious micro yet – usually a UTS microcredential is only 3 credit points and spans about 3 to 6 weeks. This extensive upskilling was broken into four discrete topics, which became distinct sub-microcredentials, or ‘Blocks’, delivered in succession. In the future, students can choose which Blocks to study, accumulating stackable, industry-recognisable credits that pave the way towards a Master of Digital Engineering.
The sheer level of discussion that came from the students makes the course so much more valuable not only for them, but for the lecturers.
Aaron Traylen, Industry Fellow and Lecturer, Aurecon
Every Block was developed by a different industry partner, who not only supported the creation of written materials, objectives and tasks, but also personally delivered the materials! This allowed for genuine exchanges from experienced professionals who are the leads in their field, and brought a beneficial networking dimension to the live sessions. One of the greatest advantages of working with such a rich pool of industry partnerships was the opportunity for the use of de-identified real-world case study. Not just a story – but all of the 3d models, project data and background materials that you would receive when working in industry, to such a scale that meant no student work was the same. This gave an element of free choice and hands-on practice, allowing for the students to develop expertise in use of the software as well as theory.
Digital Engineering is a field of service that illuminates a new pathway for enabling complex, data-driven, and model-based systems. It harnesses the power of data management and technology integration, crafting digital models that mirror every intricate characteristic of assets in our built environment.
Jenny Tseng, Industry Fellow and Lecturer, Mott MacDonald
Our learning designers were all too aware of the potential for waning engagement amongst the students, many of whom are busy professionals. So, we’ve designed the course to be accessible, flexible and delivered fully online for learners at all levels. Throughout the course, we built in touchpoints for feedback to get a sense of whats a manageable student-load of content. With careful design catering to cognitive overload concerns, fundamental concepts are introduced in a manner that allows novice learners to grasp the basics, while more seasoned professionals can skip ahead to the more complex materials that take centre stage on the page.
A strategic blended delivery
With a view to the hybrid working environment as a part of our ongoing future, the blend of asynchronous online (on Canvas) and synchronous (online, live workshop) elements of the course isn’t just a logistical choice—it’s a strategic one. Each live session (complete with activities, tutorial handout and workbook) is intricately scaffolded to connect directly with assessment tasks (submitting those workbooks as part of the assessment), meaning that students can progress towards their qualifications by simply engaging fully in these workshops. This design ensures that every interaction within the course directly supports the course intended outcomes.
Building a future with digital engineering
At UTS, this new microcredential suite is more than just an educational programme; it’s a visionary response to the real-world needs of the engineering and construction professionals that will help stabilise the digital capabilities of the industry. By aligning academic content with industry standards and professional tools, and by considering the diverse needs of our learners, we’re not just teaching; we’re transforming how education meets practical, professional requirements.
This project is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation in higher education—a true partnership between academia and industry that not only anticipates the future of digital engineering and industry transformation but actively shapes it.
As we navigate the complexities of modern infrastructure, the demand for advanced digital skills has never been more critical … These micro-credentials equip professional with the knowledge and tools necessary to harness the power of digital technologies, ensuring our infrastructure assets are built to be more resilient, efficient and future-ready. Embracing this digital evolution is essential for creating smart and sustainable cities that can meet the challenges of tomorrow.
Ryan Townsend, Industry Fellow and Lecturer, Mott MacDonald