How Canberra Institute of Technology is transforming classroom learning
Faced with a fragmented IT estate and poor room utilisation, CIT partnered with Cisco to standardise the institute’s physical and virtual classrooms, boosting inclusivity and slashing on-site support
The Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) is the top Technical and Further Education (TAFE) provider in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), serving up to 20,000 students annually. Its chief technology officer (CTO), Craig Neiberding, joined the institute while work was already underway on a new vertical campus in Woden. The project, coupled with a footprint reduction across CIT’s four existing campuses, prompted a rethink of how classes are delivered and supported by technology.
“What I realised was that the technology design for the new campus was not going to achieve one of our key strategic priorities – namely, campus utilisation,” he said.
The original model had been co-designed with teachers, meaning every room was different. Having so many variations limited utilisation while teachers couldn’t readily use one room one day and another the next because they weren’t familiar with the layout or audio-visual (AV) equipment.
“There wasn’t a digital transformation strategy,” Neiberding observed. While the institute had a strategic direction, he added: “I felt there was a significant missed opportunity that wasn’t going to achieve the actual outcomes we were looking for. So, I surveyed CIT’s software and looked for opportunities.”
CIT had historically taken a largely departmental approach to choosing hardware and software, resulting in a mix of Microsoft Teams and Zoom, along with different brands of video projectors. “You name it, we used it,” Neiberding said, despite the ACT government already having a significant technology investment with Cisco.
Although the Woden building was already under construction, there was still an opportunity to adopt a standardised design. The goal was to maximise utilisation while keeping students at the centre of CIT’s operations, removing barriers to maximise learning opportunities. This last point was especially important to Neiberding, who serves as the executive sponsor for inclusion at CIT and has three children with neurodivergent needs.
CIT subsequently partnered with Cisco to explore what was possible. “We didn’t have a complete end-state design in mind, and I believe this is what’s different between a partnership and a vendor relationship,” Neiberding said.
“The difference is having someone who’s at the table during that design phase, and who’s still at the table when things get complicated. When you’re doing a massive transformation like we are at CIT, things will always get complicated. With that Cisco partnership, we were able to co-design what a future classroom looks like and make it standard across the board.”
Traditionally, teaching staff had their own dedicated classrooms. Walking into a familiar space meant they knew the layout and how to operate the room’s specific technology. However, this model hindered utilisation, as classes were not always matched with appropriately sized rooms.
Under the new model, no one “owns” a particular room unless it is a specialised practical space, such as those used for hairdressing, hospitality, graphic design or cyber security. Instead, teachers are allocated the right room based on class requirements, with each offering a standardised environment.
Inclusive, hybrid-first learning
Neiberding had a lightbulb moment when he visited a room on the Bruce campus used for physiotherapy practicals and noticed a webcam connected to the teacher’s laptop. He learned it was set up to support a student who struggled to attend in person but still wanted to participate.
Realising there was an opportunity to standardise efforts to support inclusivity, he noted: “What we have done at Woden is try to remove the barriers that exist for all learners, whatever their needs are, as we move through this next skills uplift.”
The resulting environment integrates with various systems to account for which class is scheduled for a particular room and time, which students will be attending, and to help teachers create content for hybrid delivery.
Each classroom now features a standardised layout of screens: a fixed panel, an interactive panel, and a rear screen displaying students attending online, allowing the teacher to see them and integrate them into the classroom conversation.
We have five computer labs at Woden, and I can see their utilisation runs at around 95%, which tells me we are hitting capacity. Those insights and intelligence enable us to make decisions that improve outcomes and access to the right resources at the right time
Craig Neiberding, Canberra Institute of Technology
“We haven’t just put communication and collaboration devices on the wall and walked away; we’ve actually taught the workforce how to use them and how to make them engaging,” he said. “We've removed the walls from the classroom. You can get a learning experience remotely that is similar to being in the classroom.”
Those physically present also benefit. For example, students can turn on live captions, allowing them to read rather than listen to the teacher if that better suits their learning needs.
Zero on-site support and improved security
The classroom equipment was designed to largely eliminate the need for on-premises technical support. It is remotely monitored, and equipment cannot be easily unplugged – a common issue in uncontrolled environments. This approach has proven highly successful: “We moved from our traditional two facility support staff to zero,” said Neiberding.
Security was another major consideration. “I used to say our environment was so secure because I could never even find anything across it; it was all disconnected, disaggregated and secure by obscurity,” he explained. During the transformation, “security was at the forefront, and using Cisco technology ensures we conform with protected-level data standards”.
Previously plagued by shadow IT, CIT now employs active monitoring along with a standardised system that controls classroom admittance – both virtually and physically at the Woden campus. The system also manages platform access and generates alerts when unauthorised devices are plugged into the network.
“It’s also enabled us to fix our identity systems,” Neiberding said. Trying to unify four separate identity systems had previously been a significant challenge, but adopting Cisco’s identity platform resolved the issue. Our integration layer ensures that a student or teacher has access to the right room at the right time.”
This capability extends to other resources, such as lockers. For instance, a fashion and textiles student might require a locker for an entire semester to store a mannequin, whereas other students may only need temporary storage while on campus.
The need for integration showed the importance of the CIT-Cisco partnership. CIT uses the Moodle learning management system and the TimeEdit academic operations platform. In response, Cisco prioritised changes to its Moodle integration, ensuring it worked harmoniously alongside these applications rather than attempting to override room management and virtual classroom links.
“We have seen that we can influence a multinational like Cisco through this partnership to really support the outcomes of our students,” Neiberding observed.
Harnessing telemetry for space utilisation
The technology changes have also led to unexpected safety and accessibility improvements. In the commercial kitchen, for example, students previously had to crowd around a teacher’s bench to observe techniques. Now, a 360-degree camera zooms in on the demonstration, allowing students to watch the screens safely from their own workstations. “It’s quite incredible what the technology has enabled in this space,” added Neiberding.
Additionally, the institute has abandoned lapel microphones, which Neiberding noted “teachers hate”. Instead, directional microphones in the rooms focus on the speaker and filter out background noise.
Furthermore, the Cisco hardware provides valuable classroom telemetry. While it monitors air quality and noise, the key metric for CIT is occupancy. “We need to maximise utilisation,” Neiberding said, noting that real-time visibility into actual class attendance is valuable.
This telemetry is particularly advantageous when upgrading older campuses that lack dedicated building management systems. With built-in sensors, CIT gains occupancy insights without needing staff to conduct manual audits.
Rooms are initially scheduled based on expected enrolment numbers, but ready access to actual attendance data means classes can be dynamically relocated to more appropriately sized rooms.
“We have five computer labs at Woden, and I can see their utilisation runs at around 95%, which tells me we are hitting capacity,” Neiberding said. By contrast, some general learning spaces operate at around 40%. “Those insights and intelligence enable us to make decisions that improve outcomes and access to the right resources at the right time.”
As CIT aims to help upskill Australia’s workforce in response to changing job roles, Neiberding believes the Cisco partnership will play a key role. “Wouldn’t it be great not to have to come onto campus to do the AI basics skills uplift or [learn] how to supplement your current work using the right AI tool?”
