Fueling digital innovation for a brighter future - UQ News

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The University of Queensland course prepares business students for future technologies and jobs yet to be invented by encouraging them to turn theory into innovative action.

More than 1600 Business school students have so far participated in a hackathon that used cloud or blockchain technologies to develop a digital tool to address one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The training program covers this topic annual UQ Teaching and Learning Week – Lifelong learning.

Dr. Christoph BreidbachSenior lecturer of the Department of Business Information Systems, He says the hackathon, held in conjunction with global technology company Oracle, is the best part of his semester.

“We are preparing our students for a future that we cannot predict,” said Dr. Breidbach.

“The jobs of the future, the technologies that our graduates will work on or develop or benefit from, may not have been invented today.

“In terms of learning, the hackathon is fantastic because it teaches students to innovate in a structured way, work on a real-life project and collaborate with industry partners.

“The hackathon shifts their experience from thinking about academic theories to using the methods and processes we give them to come up with something amazing, and it’s often something I didn’t expect,” he said.

Nimrod Claymansaid UQ’s head of entrepreneurship UQ Ventures Provided support to students during the hackathon, including sessions on how to effectively present ideas and apply design thinking.

“This is a great opportunity for students to learn entrepreneurial skills while working with a high-profile industry partner on real-world problems that create meaningful solutions,” said Mr. Klayman.

At the end of the hackathon, student teams presented their ideas to a panel of university and industry representatives.

Oracle Cloud Specialist Jason Lowe said the closing presentations were inspiring and thought-provoking.

“It was a great opportunity to work with students on this assignment in support of a social cause with global impact,” said Mr. Lowe.

The project won the 2021 UQ Business School Excellence in Evaluation Design Award.

“When we get feedback from students, we’re delighted to see that this is the best offer they’ve had at UQ, that working with Oracle has helped them understand new technologies and techniques,” Dr Breidbach said.

“This experience should give them the tools to develop digital innovation and new business models, no matter what the future holds.”

Media: Dr. Christoph Breidbach, [email protected], +61 (0)7 3443 1244; UQ Communications, [email protected], +61 (0)429 056 139.