Leading the Next Wave of Innovation in Education: Swinsburne University of Technology

Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne Australia is globally recognized for its focus on industry engagement, innovation, and high-quality research in technology, design, and business. The university's work-integrated learning approach, which connects students with industry partners for real-world experience, contributes to its standing as one of the top 1% of universities worldwide and leads to its high graduate employability rate (93%).

Swinburne is also an Adobe Creative Campus, and the first Australian university to achieve this and the Adobe Creative Campus Innovator designation. With a vision to ensure students have the latest sets of AI features that are transforming how creative work is produced in industries today, Swinburne recently upgraded to Adobe Creative Cloud Pro Plus.

Professor Llew Mann, pro vice-chancellor of Educational Innovation at Swinburne, is committed to engaging and empowering students with Adobe tools. Mann is driven by a singular focus: learner success. He is passionate about enabling human-centered innovation, recognizing student capabilities, and building a cohesive, AI-enabled digital ecosystem that makes learning transformative.

To Mann, the Innovator designation underscores Swinburne’s partnership with Adobe, which gives students and educators access to technology that expands their capabilities while preparing them for the real world. “These tools do more than enhance learning,” said Mann. “They unlock new modes of expression, support AI-enhanced teaching practices, and give learners the freedom to explore, design, problem-solve, and be creative at a professional level.”

A Strategic Vision: Ad Astra_2030

A key initiative is to execute Swinburne's five-year strategic plan is Ad Astra_2030, a blueprint for student-experience transformation focusing on three key areas:

● Education transformation, to create flexible, future-ready learning.

● Recognition of capabilities, to credit students for what they already know and can do.

● 24/7 personalized support, to ensure students receive academic, wellbeing, and administrative help whenever they need it.

As part of the strategic initiative, digital capability will be embedded across all courses, supported by industry-endorsed credentials, and strengthened with high-value experiential learning that prepares students for an evolving workforce. All courses will be transformed and aligned to Swinburne’s new course architecture to be flexible, stackable, and modular.

“Coursework will be underpinned by capabilities that enable students to be co-designers of their own learning and will integrate AI to deliver real, university-wide transformation,” said Mann.

Introducing the "Constellations of Capabilities"

A key initiative under Ad Astra_2030 is the launch of the Constellations of Capabilities, a set of interconnected qualities, skills, and experiences that help academics and students visualize how clusters of capabilities relate to one another—helping provide a clearer picture of what success looks like in real-world contexts. This is an evolution of traditional graduate attributes, moving away from tidy lists of isolated skills.

With this shift, Mann believes Swinburne educators and graduates will become confident digital and tech-fluent pioneers, adept at using and adapting emerging technologies across professional, social, and disciplinary contexts.

Scaling Success: The Evolution of RISE

Swinburne’s strategic plan builds on previous initiatives, including RISE (the Rapid Incubator for Swinburne Educators). The program empowers educators to solve learning and teaching problems at the unit and course level, significantly advancing professional learning and digital literacy.

Launched in March 2022, RISE has engaged 71 educators who have completed 31 projects, impacting over 4,000 students across disciplines. Swinburne is now exploring new ways to scale

the program and create physical spaces where students and educators can directly engage with modern technology to continually transform the student learning experience.

RISE participants and other educators who want to embed Adobe tools into learning design and assessment can get help through Swinburne’s on-campus Adobe Hub. The Hub employs current students as Adobe Digital Coaches who provide one-on-one bookable coaching, drop-in support sessions, and in-class workshops. “The program continues to grow in reach and influence, demonstrating the value of Adobe’s creative ecosystem,” said Mann.

Partners on a Path to a Promising Future

As Swinburne advances its five-year plan, the university will scale global partnerships and expand micro credentials that build technical fluency. Adobe will continue to play a key role as a technology accelerator, as it has with the adoption of generative AI. “When GenAI became widely accessible to students, it was reassuring to know we already had Adobe tools that align with our commitment to the ethical use of digital technologies,” said Mann.

Mann and his team want to expand international engagement and collaboration with other Adobe Creative Campuses, to share best practices and spur greater digital exploration and adoption.

It’s clear that Adobe has been and will continue to be a trusted and valued partner in Swinburne’s educational innovation. “Our partnership with Adobe empowers us to stay ahead of the curve, giving students and educators access to cutting-edge technology that strengthens their capabilities and equips them to thrive in an evolving industry landscape," said Mann.