RMIT is now Australia’s leading School of Design; ranked 9th in the world. In 2016 the school was not globally recognised, however it was the department's goal to grow their reputation and create a best-in-class education that provided students with the practical skills to transition directly into industry.

I was brought in to help reach that goal. I developed an industry-based curriculum, explored new methods of teaching, and lectured on the topics of design, business, entrepreneurship, and professional development across Australia and China.
Opportunity statement
How might we reimagine the way we teach design and business
For non-design professionals and design students
So that they become in-demand and highly capable practitioners
Project Stages
CURRICULUM CREATION
Industry based education
To develop an industry-based curriculum I leveraged my academic experiences and
workforce learnings at organisations such as Deloitte and Isobar.
The resulting courses blend the best of these experiences with insight from other industry professionals to form a practice-based curriculum that teaches by doing. Every course positions students as capable professionals, providing them with a strong set of industry tools and offering deep academic knowledge when required.
EXPLORATION OF LEARNING METHODS
Participatory learning practices
Bringing Human- Centered Design principles into the education system has resulted in classrooms that operate as collaborative project spaces rather than traditional lecture theatres. Our students often learn outside of the classroom, engaging with the public, collaborating in groups, and applying tools to real-world outcomes. Forming a class culture that values diversity of thought and an environment where students can help each other learn and grow beyond the curriculum itself, has been pivotal to our success.
COACHING
Professional development  
Empathising with students was one of the most important parts of my role. It’s easy to forget how intimidating it is to be brand new to an industry or in some cases brand new to a workforce.
As much as possible I try to make myself available when it comes to supporting students on their journey into industry or academia; sharing my knowledge and perspective as to how others have realised their own form of success.
SCALE
Building an international reputation
I traveled to international institutions to teach and consult universities on our methodologies. Equally by sharing teaching practices with institutions from other parts of the world we were able to expand past our western education practices and learn how other cultures teach and learn.
These partnerships have provided a unique experience to improve education methods at RMIT, and allow practitioners to cater to a broader range of cultural learning styles.
Result
During my tenure, our school within RMIT has become ranked 9th in the world for design.
I’ve been fortunate enough to educate thousands of students across different countries and cultures whilst in this role and undertaken a short-term secondment to Yunnan University (in China) to help develop their curriculum and teach non-english speaking students.
Most importantly students from our curriculums don’t simply graduate with a piece of paper, they leave our program with a practical skillset and knowledge of how to apply it. We are creating the next generation of design and business leaders in Australia and overseas.