SuniTAFE’s Information Technology (I.T.) department has made a big impact by delivering a short course and promoting the skills development of students more than 8,000 kilometres away in China. 

Students from SuniTAFE’s partner college in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China spent two months completing the Internet of Things for AgTech Sensors and Controllers micro-credential.  

This short course, which was part of a Study Melbourne-funded program, was designed and delivered by SuniTAFE’s Information Technology teachers to 29 students.  

As a key part of the Victorian TAFE Network, SuniTAFE contributed to the Study Melbourne program which aimed to create a suite of 30 government-endorsed micro-credentials.  

Each of the short courses developed under the program will be available for all Victorian TAFEs to deliver internationally to give other countries a glimpse into Victorian TAFE training.  

The materials and resources supplied to students throughout the short course were written in English while SuniTAFE Information Technology Teacher Chris Zhong presented the content in Mandarin.  

“The course introduces the cutting-edge technology Internet of Things (IoT), contextualised in primary industry,” Chris said.  

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the network of interconnected devices that can communicate and exchange data over the internet. 

“This course was proposed to promote the learning and adoption of IoT. Then, the Business Studies team further developed the idea into a micro-credential, funded under Study Melbourne,” Chris said.  

“Beyond talking about IoT and its applications in the agriculture sector, this course helped new learners to establish a framework of learning to understand a variety of underpinning technologies for IoT, including networking, electronics, and programming. This will guide their future exploration.” 

Throughout the short course, Chris worked hard to bridge the geographical gap between himself and his students by making the learning as hands-on as possible.  

“These sessions were highly interactive, with hands-on demonstrations and more than 50 quizzes and friendly competition activities that kept students engaged,” he said.  

“Learning topics that involve hardware practices remotely was meant to be a challenge, but this has turned out to be a pleasant experience, thanks to the use of simulators and virtualisations. 

“Interactions during class time and the virtual campus tour have been a memorable experience for these overseas students, and many students expressed their desire to study with us in the future.” 

SuniTAFE is committed to being a destination of choice for both domestic and international students. Being involved in state-wide initiatives like this help the Institute to build connections.  

“We can use courses like this to promote our brand to overseas students and strengthen ties with overseas partners,” Chris said.  

“These students have a genuine interest in exploring different teaching styles without struggling with the language barrier and the costs of study tours.” 

A virtual graduation was held for the 29 students last month, with each student receiving a certificate to acknowledge their new skills.  

To see all courses on offer for international students at SuniTAFE, click here.  

Or, for a list of Information Technology courses, click here.