University of Canberra/Innovation


 * Guidelines
 * 1) Anyone can suggest and discuss innovative ideas for improving the University of Canberra.
 * 2) All ideas can and should be discussed.
 * 3) More promising ideas are escalated and promoted for possible implementation.

Bike-friendly campus
Bike-friendly campus for staff, students and community. This could include:
 * 1) Bike racks at Scrivener; Upgrade UC bike racks
 * 2) Showers
 * 3) On-campus transport bikes
 * 4) Improve cycle pathways to UC and between UC and Scrivener (lobbying)
 * 5) Cycling promotion e.g, UC cycleway map, UC pedalometer, UC bike expo

What are good examples of successful innovations you've seen work?

 * When processes are clear and easy this can facilitate innovation
 * Networking, ECAP, WGMP
 * Going out to Schools & students coming in, viracommunication, started with 3 Faculties on board then got 7 Faculties future tertiary students
 * Library being open all hours, people had to really change their thinking
 * Barbara’s outreach program, taking the message out to regional areas
 * Teaching commons, the concept of space
 * People allocation tool that captured how long it took to do jobs, then could negotiate needs and priorities going forward
 * Ed O'Daly's email of what events are coming up
 * Student liaison officers
 * Teaching commons, student commons area
 * Early career academic program and writing skills
 * Yammer
 * ROW (GD staff member) student competition
 * reduce paperwork by encouraging Pete to send electronically - eg USyd. academic self-service = ownership.  Saved time to central service
 * ADEs worked - created someone with explicit responsibility. Defining responsibility is always good.
 * devolved Lines of responsibility has reduced admin told from Deans office - ownership by heads of discipline. Put processes in place so we can manage ourselves. Is it the system or the people? Trust professionals? - as long as you know how they're going to do it?
 * Summer Book Club
 * Problem Solving Group
 * Job Share

Possible Projects - What opportunities can we see for new innovations and building innovation capability at UC?
o	People can often sit with problems and not share them, like yammer but in person o	Work related o	Yammer o	forum meeting other UC people as well o	learn how to use Yammer o	job share opportunities o	job swaps to learn new skills o	shared training across faculties o	spend less time but get more info out there o	Pivotal need o	Cosmic consciousness
 * Problem solving group
 * Job swaps across uni
 * Communication
 * Team teaching as job sharing
 * a bike-friendly campus for staff, students and community would be a great flagship project for community-innovation. sustainable transport options eg cycle system to get to Scrivener;
 * Build the foundations for innovation - communication, culture, attitude; multidisciplinary work
 * Only one building with photovoltaic panels - massive opportunity for more solar. We don't harvest water - money saving opportunities. Current bill is >$1m. Eg More efficient toilet flushing
 * Less paperwork. Why can't it be electronic? Travel forms. Contracts.
 * ICMS - online but still have to keep paper copies? Don't accept scanned receipts. Make ICMSICMS online easier to use. Too many people in acceptance process. travel approval & getting car process too wieldy. Much easier before - on campus vs Scrivener - could leave own car overnight
 * Challenge is for various faculties to consider themselves part of one university. Still siloised. Feel like we protect our own patch? What is the patch- UC or your org unit?
 * Personal achievement vs team mentality. More likely to be stand out and be promoted as individual. Driven by externalities eg PDR
 * Collaboration between teaching and admin – mix and match
 * Walking Group – wetlands, meet people across campus
 * Unit budgets – money saved on tutors to pay for plagiarism software

What are the emerging themes?

 * communicate our successes!
 * Key success factors - clarity, responsibility, accountability, trust
 * roadblocks (e.g., due process, risk aversion etc.)
 * communication (e.g., Yammer but the majority aren't engaged - yammer cuts across silos, as does this innovation group),
 * too much paperwork e.g., travel forms, iCMS, ITM are required to comply with ACT audit guidelines

Final personal insights shared in the group

 * What are the next steps?
 * A structure offering a way forward
 * shared frustration
 * pick one project and show/learn how to make it work
 * Good to talk with people from different areas (breadth of conversation) and find issues/ideas in common;
 * Avoid treating this as an innovation group (stays open to anyone)
 * Bridge gap between Scrivener and here;
 * improve bureaucratic business processes;
 * Integrated flagship projects (community, learning, campus, students, staff e.g., community garden - has to be done via community-engagement initiative);
 * Where do suggestions go?
 * How do we gather these?