A major education precinct development
Deakin University has recently established a state-of-the-art teaching and research precinct at the Burwood campus worth $26 million*.
Teaching spaces
The School of Life and Environmental Science
Students now have access to three new teaching laboratories worth $5.7 million: an Environmental Science teaching laboratory, a PC-2 laboratory, and a multi-purpose biological science laboratory. These new spaces teach the next generation of bio-medical, ecological and environmental scientists how to solve global issues.
The School of Information Technology
Six new state-of-the-art laboratories in emerging technologies offer students a chance to develop industry-relevant skills in emerging areas of IT such as Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, Cyber Security and Virtual Reality. These new spaces have specialised equipment and infrastructure used in top-tier technology companies to explore design, development, and production.
The School of Nursing and Midwifery
New state-of-the-art simulation spaces at Burwood include responsive simulated patients, enabling access to facilities replicating the healthcare environment. Deakin’s nursing and midwifery students undertake simulation activities as part of their learning in the new spaces to develop skills and confidence in ensuring safe and quality patient care.
Real world experience
- Revising the School of IT course framework to increase focus on emerging trends, graduate resilience, and technical skillset.
- Nursing and Midwifery student learning experiences are authentic and evidence-based, undertaken in state-of-the-art facilities replicating the healthcare environment.
- The establishment of high-tech, quality teaching spaces in life and environmental science disciplines, coupled with passionate ecology and environmental educators as role models with real-world experience in the field.
The uplift of the Burwood precinct aims to attract students in all three fields of study with new state-of-the-art technology and teaching spaces, enhancing the job readiness of graduates by:
Research spaces
Health E‐technologies Assessment Lab (HEAL)
The Health E‐technologies Assessment Lab (HEAL) evaluates digital health technologies and applications. It creates a framework for Australian health providers to review, promote and support new digital health apps used by patients and the public.
Emerging and Educational Technology Innovation Lab (EETIL)
The Emerging and Education Technologies Innovation Lab (EETIL) houses large-scale, virtual reality infrastructure and immersive projection mapping facilities. The facility is focused on sensory immersion to solve accessibility challenges experienced by people living with a disability.
In the news
Highly skilled cyber security graduates in demand
Wednesday, 26 October 2022
The increasing frequency, scale, and sophistication of cyber-attacks on companies is increasing demand for highly skilled and resilient cybersecurity graduates.
Deakin University’s Head of School of Information Technology, Professor John Yearwood said the recent Optus and Medibank data breaches and surrounding publicity had resulted in more boards and companies reviewing cyber security measures. University first preferences for information technology and cyber security degrees across Australia are expected to increase in 2023 on the back of increasing exposure and awareness, he said.
Deakin has set targets to increase its cyber security graduate cohort by 50 per cent in the next five years with the aim to reduce the gap in skills shortage in this sector. “We are seeing more awareness about the risk of cyber-attacks at the CEO and board level, and companies of all sizes are increasingly turning their attention to being better prepared and protected,” Professor Yearwood said. During the 2020–21 financial year, over 67,500 cybercrime reports were made via ReportCyber, an increase of nearly 13 per cent from the previous financial year. One cybercrime report is made approximately every eight minutes in Australia.
Research shows that not only is there a significant rise in cyber-attacks worldwide, but there is also a substantial decline in skilled cybersecurity professionals. “In addition to this, employees don’t tend to stay in this specialisation for long; it is a stressful environment to manage continuously,” Professor Yearwood said.
“At Deakin, we have revised the three-year degree; redeveloped the more theoretical parts including mathematics and cryptography, increased the focus on emerging trends, and provide graduates with the resilience to excel in this difficult field. “We have just opened a newly constructed, state-of-the-art training laboratory that allows students to safely practice attack and defence techniques and examine malware, ransomware, and viruses in a completely isolated network.”
Professor Yearwood predicts Deakin’s cyber security degrees will continue to attract strong interest from prospective students as demand for cyber security expertise continues to grow.
The new cyber security teaching lab is part of a $4.9 million upgrade to Deakin's School of IT teaching spaces at its Burwood campus.
This project includes co-contributions from the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund (VHESIF).
For further information on our other VHESIF funded projects please visit the links below.
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