Prahran Campus: Student Profiles

“ It is still amazing to think that something I worked on in my Diploma of Information Technology: Software development at TAFE is being used by research companies over Europe,” says Shaun Ervine.

He is talking about the Crystallography Laboratory Information Management System (CLIMS) software program that was developed in a TAFE classroom and is now used by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, the Pasteur Institute in France and the European Molecular Biology Lab in Germany.

“ I started out doing a Network Engineering course at Swinburne and one of the modules was programming. I really enjoyed this module so I talked to some teachers and switched courses half way through to pursue computer programming.

“ The course was great. It gave me a lot of practical experience, particularly the six-month project we undertook at the end of the year. It gave me a chance to work with real clients and gain valuable experience that I was able to take into the workforce.”

Shaun was the team leader for the CLIMS project during his final year in 2003, when a team of six students worked closely with their client to create a computer program that could instantly analyse huge volumes of data unique to protein crystallography, which analyses the structure of proteins – the building blocks of human life.

Shaun says working on the CLIMS project taught him how to make compromises with the client on which parts of the application were feasible and which were not.

“ Having exposure to such a great application like CLIMS has been a serious advantage in my career. Being able to work on a real life application, with real clients was a great experience!”

Shaun is now working for boutique IT consultancy Shine Technologies with clients including Fly Buys, AGL and Sensis.

An innovative course with plenty of career options is what attracted Laura Madden to study e-commerce at Swinburne. First studying interactive multimedia as a VET subject in Year 11 and 12, Laura initially enrolled in the TAFE Advanced Diploma of eBusiness.

“ I liked the fact that the program combined business and technology into online business operations. It seemed other courses either did one or the other. E-commerce is also an emerging field with plenty of career options.”

After completing the TAFE Advanced Diploma, a solid grade average meant she was able to transfer across to the Bachelor of Business (eCommerce)program.

Her enthusiasm for the course scored her a unique opportunity, as one of five Victorian delegates, to attend the E-ducation without Borders conference in Abu Dhabi this year and present a joint paper responding to the official conference theme: ‘formal and informal online learning and technology-delivered instruction’.

Bringing together more than 500 students from over 70 nations around the world, the conference will explore the impact of new technologies and the concept of ‘e-learning’ at work.

“ The opportunity to visit an online university and see how it operates will be invaluable as well as meeting new people and hearing international perspectives on the topic.”

Laura says much of the team project work she will undertake at the conference mirrors the interactive groupwork that is a feature of the Swinburne e-commerce program.

“ As part of the course, I’ve worked in cross-campus teams with students, and a lot of the work has been project-focused. We’ve developed e-marketing strategies, and looked at ways that new technologies could be implemented for different businesses.”

“ I’ve also had experience in developing websites as part of the studies – it’s a practical course.”

With the applications of e-commerce stretching to a wide variety of industries including retail, healthcare, government and education, Laura says her plans for future careers are always changing.

“ I discover a new area or application of e-commerce in my course all the time, but I would really like to set up a successful online business which is basically at the core of this course.”

If you would like to read more profiles visit our student eNewsletter @ http://www.swinke.com