The pandemic has forced a full-scale rethink about the role technology plays in daily operations for businesses of all sizes, the public sector, schools, and universities.

To continue building on that transformational experience, the University of Canberra has brought on Craig Mutton as Chief Digital Officer, a newly established position predominantly focused on “placing student digital experience at the heart of what we do”.

“We’re looking to create what universities call a personalised digital university, utilising technology to its fullest potential but prioritising a human-centred designed,” he told Canberra Daily.

“To do that we’ll get the perspectives of students and of faculty staff at the frontline teaching and researching to make sure they have the experiences and services they need from a modern digital university.”

Mr Mutton joins UC from a role in strategy and transformation at Victoria’s Environment Protection Authority, Mutton was at the forefront of the seismic shift that occurred at the onset of the pandemic, where a large professional workforce had to move to remote styles of working “overnight”.

“It goes beyond technology and becomes about how do you continue to provide meaningful touchpoints with staff and bring your team together,” he said.

New to the higher education field, Mutton sees a great deal of parallels between his experience and that of the sector.

“Universities had to pivot very quickly,” he said, “and that meant being able to provide that experience for students and staff when they were remote from the campus.

“For me, it’s about how can I now look back on the last couple of years and pick out where we’ve done really well and learn from areas where we can do better to build on the momentum that’s been built up,” he said.

“There’s a lot to learn from and celebrate from that time, so how can we keep that and how can we enhance that, that’ll be a big question for me in this role.”

The Chief Digital Officer role is brand-new for UC and a rare one within Australia’s higher education sector, Mr Mutton hopes to establish and then demonstrate the value of having someone in such a role.

“This a challenging position for the university to hire, because there aren’t pre-made models,” he said.

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