RMIT University - Best Tech Awards 2025 Business Transformation
Digital Learning Environment Innovation Engine RMIT University Download the DocumentSAP Australia and New
Zealand Best Tech Awards
2025
Zealand Best Tech Awards
2025
Best Tech SAP
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
Higher Education
– Dual sector
university
www.rmit.edu.auEducation, research, vocational
training, online learning, industry
partnerships, innovation services.
WalkMe
Transforming Digital Learning at RMIT – Real Impact, Real Change
RMIT set out to solve a critical challenge: how to make online learning feel as connected, supportive, and engaging as being on campus. Students were frustrated by disjointed
systems and inconsistent experiences, and educators lacked a clear pathway to test and scale great ideas.
The Digital Learning Environments Innovation Engine (DLEIE) changed that. This lean, experiment-driven framework is redefining what a virtual campus can be, delivering
tangible results in just one year through rapid A/B testing, evidence-based decision making, and SAP WalkMe shoutouts in Canvas.
▪ Why it matters: This isn’t just a tech tweak it’s a blueprint for how universities can innovate faster, cheaper, and with real human impact.
▪ Students are saving time, feeling more supported, and engaging with resources when it matters most, improving wellbeing and retention.
▪ Educators and staff are reducing manual workload, redesigning courses faster, and finally have a clear, evidence-backed pathway to innovate.
▪ The sector gains a proven, scalable model that moves higher education from vendor dependency to agile, human-centred innovation.
The DLEIE is driving meaningful, ongoing digital transformation with both empathy and evidence to create the connected campus experience students need.
Digital Learning Environment Innovation Engine
RMIT University
Best Tech SAP Business Transformation
Industry WebsiteProduct and Services Featured SAP Solutions
Higher Education
– Dual sector
university
www.rmit.edu.auEducation, research, vocational
training, online learning, industry
partnerships, innovation services.
WalkMe
Transforming Digital Learning at RMIT – Real Impact, Real Change
RMIT set out to solve a critical challenge: how to make online learning feel as connected, supportive, and engaging as being on campus. Students were frustrated by disjointed
systems and inconsistent experiences, and educators lacked a clear pathway to test and scale great ideas.
The Digital Learning Environments Innovation Engine (DLEIE) changed that. This lean, experiment-driven framework is redefining what a virtual campus can be, delivering
tangible results in just one year through rapid A/B testing, evidence-based decision making, and SAP WalkMe shoutouts in Canvas.
▪ Why it matters: This isn’t just a tech tweak it’s a blueprint for how universities can innovate faster, cheaper, and with real human impact.
▪ Students are saving time, feeling more supported, and engaging with resources when it matters most, improving wellbeing and retention.
▪ Educators and staff are reducing manual workload, redesigning courses faster, and finally have a clear, evidence-backed pathway to innovate.
▪ The sector gains a proven, scalable model that moves higher education from vendor dependency to agile, human-centred innovation.
The DLEIE is driving meaningful, ongoing digital transformation with both empathy and evidence to create the connected campus experience students need.
Digital Learning Environment Innovation Engine
RMIT University
Best Tech SAP Business Transformation
Challenges
The Challenge: A Disjointed Digital Experience Limiting Student and Staff Success
RMIT’s digital learning ecosystem had grown in fragments over time, with tools and platforms added in response to immediate
needs rather than through a cohesive strategy. For students, this meant disjointed, inconsistent experiences and unnecessary
friction in their learning. For educators, it meant “tool fatigue,” duplicated effort, and time lost navigating systems instead of focusing
on teaching and learning.
Innovation was happening, but it wasn’t spreading. Great ideas lived and died in isolated pilots because traditional procurement and
adoption processes were too slow and risk-averse. There was no clear, safe space for staff and students to experiment, fail fast, and
iterate so many promising initiatives simply disappeared before they could make an impact.
Perhaps most importantly, students and staff were often positioned as end-users rather than co-creators of digital learning. The
people who best understood the day-to-day realities of learning and teaching had little voice in shaping the tools they relied on.
The consequences were significant. Students missed out on more connected, engaging learning experiences. Educators felt
frustrated, fatigued, and at times powerless to influence the digital environment they worked in. Institutionally, decisions about
digital investments were often based on vendor promises or anecdotal feedback, risking wasted resources and reinforcing a cycle of
reactive, patchwork solutions.
The urgency for action was clear: without a new approach, RMIT risked falling further behind in delivering the kind of seamless,
engaging, and future-focused digital experiences students now expect, and staff want to create. The Digital Learning Environments
Innovation Engine was designed to break this cycle, putting people at the centre, accelerating safe-to-fail experimentation, and
turning evidence into action.
The Challenge: A Disjointed Digital Experience Limiting Student and Staff Success
RMIT’s digital learning ecosystem had grown in fragments over time, with tools and platforms added in response to immediate
needs rather than through a cohesive strategy. For students, this meant disjointed, inconsistent experiences and unnecessary
friction in their learning. For educators, it meant “tool fatigue,” duplicated effort, and time lost navigating systems instead of focusing
on teaching and learning.
Innovation was happening, but it wasn’t spreading. Great ideas lived and died in isolated pilots because traditional procurement and
adoption processes were too slow and risk-averse. There was no clear, safe space for staff and students to experiment, fail fast, and
iterate so many promising initiatives simply disappeared before they could make an impact.
Perhaps most importantly, students and staff were often positioned as end-users rather than co-creators of digital learning. The
people who best understood the day-to-day realities of learning and teaching had little voice in shaping the tools they relied on.
The consequences were significant. Students missed out on more connected, engaging learning experiences. Educators felt
frustrated, fatigued, and at times powerless to influence the digital environment they worked in. Institutionally, decisions about
digital investments were often based on vendor promises or anecdotal feedback, risking wasted resources and reinforcing a cycle of
reactive, patchwork solutions.
The urgency for action was clear: without a new approach, RMIT risked falling further behind in delivering the kind of seamless,
engaging, and future-focused digital experiences students now expect, and staff want to create. The Digital Learning Environments
Innovation Engine was designed to break this cycle, putting people at the centre, accelerating safe-to-fail experimentation, and
turning evidence into action.
Solution
The Solution: The Digital Learning Environments Innovation Engine (DLEIE)
The Digital Learning Environments Innovation Engine was created to break the cycle of
fragmented, reactive change and put people students and educators at the centre of digital
innovation. Rather than relying on vendor-driven promises or one-off pilots, the DLEIE provides a
structured, evidence-based way to innovate at scale, turning local successes into institution-wide
improvements.
Inspired by startup innovation models, the engine works through rapid experimentation. Short,
focused sprints allow new ideas to be prototyped, tested, and refined quickly, using real student
and staff feedback. This approach reduces risk and cost, while ensuring that only proven, high-
impact interventions are scaled.
Every idea is tested against four human-centred experiential pillars flexibility, personalisation,
identity and connection, and wellbeing alongside pedagogical integrity, technical optimisation,
and alignment with RMIT’s strategic priorities. This clear, repeatable process ensures that
innovation doesn’t just chase novelty; it delivers tangible improvements to learning and teaching.
The engine leverages tools that make validation faster and easier. Using SAP WalkMe prompts in
Canvas, new interventions can be tested directly with thousands of students in real time.
Behavioural analytics and feedback loops provide rapid insights into what works and what doesn’t
without requiring costly or disruptive system changes.
What makes the DLEIE different is its shift in mindset. It moves RMIT away from reactive, vendor-
led change towards proactive, human-centred innovation. By giving staff and students a structured
way to co-design, test, and influence digital decisions, the DLEIE builds trust, reduces wasted
investment, and creates a sustainable, scalable path for ongoing transformation of the digital
learning experience.
The Solution: The Digital Learning Environments Innovation Engine (DLEIE)
The Digital Learning Environments Innovation Engine was created to break the cycle of
fragmented, reactive change and put people students and educators at the centre of digital
innovation. Rather than relying on vendor-driven promises or one-off pilots, the DLEIE provides a
structured, evidence-based way to innovate at scale, turning local successes into institution-wide
improvements.
Inspired by startup innovation models, the engine works through rapid experimentation. Short,
focused sprints allow new ideas to be prototyped, tested, and refined quickly, using real student
and staff feedback. This approach reduces risk and cost, while ensuring that only proven, high-
impact interventions are scaled.
Every idea is tested against four human-centred experiential pillars flexibility, personalisation,
identity and connection, and wellbeing alongside pedagogical integrity, technical optimisation,
and alignment with RMIT’s strategic priorities. This clear, repeatable process ensures that
innovation doesn’t just chase novelty; it delivers tangible improvements to learning and teaching.
The engine leverages tools that make validation faster and easier. Using SAP WalkMe prompts in
Canvas, new interventions can be tested directly with thousands of students in real time.
Behavioural analytics and feedback loops provide rapid insights into what works and what doesn’t
without requiring costly or disruptive system changes.
What makes the DLEIE different is its shift in mindset. It moves RMIT away from reactive, vendor-
led change towards proactive, human-centred innovation. By giving staff and students a structured
way to co-design, test, and influence digital decisions, the DLEIE builds trust, reduces wasted
investment, and creates a sustainable, scalable path for ongoing transformation of the digital
learning experience.
Impact
10% of students giving actionable course
feedback accelerating course redesign
cycles by ~30%.
2,624 targeted wellbeing interactions
boosting support service engagement by
40% and reducing stress-related
attrition.
+71 points in ease-of-use scores for
academic calendar access saving
students thousands of navigation hours
each semester.
Impact: Measurable Change for Students, Staff, and RMIT
Within just a single semester, the Innovation Engine delivered tangible, measurable improvements to student experience. Small but carefully
tested interventions made a real difference students reported easier navigation through digital systems, a stronger sense of connection to
support services, and a more consistent, reliable learning experience across their courses. These changes didn’t just improve satisfaction; they
translated into better engagement, higher academic success, and noticeable boosts to student wellbeing.
For educators, the benefits have been equally powerful. The Innovation Engine has created a clear, data -driven pathway for testing and adopting
new approaches. This has dramatically cut down the time spent on manual troubleshooting and reduced course redesign cycles by around 30%.
Staff now have more time and energy to focus on what matters most: teaching and supporting their students.
Beyond individual projects, the Innovation Engine has sparked a wider cultural shift at RMIT. Agile practices like A/B testin g, rapid iteration, and
evidence-based scaling are now embedded in the digital ecosystem. This marks a fundamental move away from slow, vendor -led change toward
a more responsive, human-centred approach to digital transformation.
The impact has exceeded expectations. Adoption rates and student engagement have soared, positioning RMIT as a leader in agil e digital
innovation within higher education. More than that, the Innovation Engine offers a sustainable, cost -effective alternative to traditional vendor
dependency showcasing a future where institutions can own and shape their digital learning environments with confidence and c are.
10% of students giving actionable course
feedback accelerating course redesign
cycles by ~30%.
2,624 targeted wellbeing interactions
boosting support service engagement by
40% and reducing stress-related
attrition.
+71 points in ease-of-use scores for
academic calendar access saving
students thousands of navigation hours
each semester.
Impact: Measurable Change for Students, Staff, and RMIT
Within just a single semester, the Innovation Engine delivered tangible, measurable improvements to student experience. Small but carefully
tested interventions made a real difference students reported easier navigation through digital systems, a stronger sense of connection to
support services, and a more consistent, reliable learning experience across their courses. These changes didn’t just improve satisfaction; they
translated into better engagement, higher academic success, and noticeable boosts to student wellbeing.
For educators, the benefits have been equally powerful. The Innovation Engine has created a clear, data -driven pathway for testing and adopting
new approaches. This has dramatically cut down the time spent on manual troubleshooting and reduced course redesign cycles by around 30%.
Staff now have more time and energy to focus on what matters most: teaching and supporting their students.
Beyond individual projects, the Innovation Engine has sparked a wider cultural shift at RMIT. Agile practices like A/B testin g, rapid iteration, and
evidence-based scaling are now embedded in the digital ecosystem. This marks a fundamental move away from slow, vendor -led change toward
a more responsive, human-centred approach to digital transformation.
The impact has exceeded expectations. Adoption rates and student engagement have soared, positioning RMIT as a leader in agil e digital
innovation within higher education. More than that, the Innovation Engine offers a sustainable, cost -effective alternative to traditional vendor
dependency showcasing a future where institutions can own and shape their digital learning environments with confidence and c are.
“”These anonymised student quotes strongly validate the feature’s usability and value:
▪ “I love it! Thank you so much :)”
▪ “Clearly shows information”
▪ “This was very smart, thank you”
“The success of these experiments shows exactly why the Digital Learning Environments Innovation Engine
works we test, we listen, and we iterate quickly. When over 3,000 students tell us standardised course
navigation makes their learning easier, or thousands connect with wellbeing resources because of a targeted
prompt, that’s validation that these changes are making a real difference to the student experience.” – Gareth
Livingstone, Associate Director, Education Technologies RMIT University
“Our work in tracking interactions and gathering feedback proved incredibly promising. The valuable
qualitative insights we gained are directly shaping our Learning Design approaches for both current and future
projects. This is a testament to the innovation engine’s unwavering commitment to helping improve the overall
learning experience for students and making the content refinement process more agile and efficient for our
teams.” - Pete Fernandes and Benedict Ciantar - COBL Learning Design Team RMIT University
▪ “I love it! Thank you so much :)”
▪ “Clearly shows information”
▪ “This was very smart, thank you”
“The success of these experiments shows exactly why the Digital Learning Environments Innovation Engine
works we test, we listen, and we iterate quickly. When over 3,000 students tell us standardised course
navigation makes their learning easier, or thousands connect with wellbeing resources because of a targeted
prompt, that’s validation that these changes are making a real difference to the student experience.” – Gareth
Livingstone, Associate Director, Education Technologies RMIT University
“Our work in tracking interactions and gathering feedback proved incredibly promising. The valuable
qualitative insights we gained are directly shaping our Learning Design approaches for both current and future
projects. This is a testament to the innovation engine’s unwavering commitment to helping improve the overall
learning experience for students and making the content refinement process more agile and efficient for our
teams.” - Pete Fernandes and Benedict Ciantar - COBL Learning Design Team RMIT University