Victoria University (VU) in Melbourne, Australia, stands as a beacon for equitable education, serving over 40,000 students, many from underrepresented backgrounds. With a high proportion of students from regional and remote areas, Indigenous communities, and those with disabilities, the university is committed to providing robust academic and personal support systems. VU’s Learning Hub, a cornerstone of its student services, underwent a significant revamp to enhance its effectiveness. While the university had been using Symplicity CareerHub for almost two decades (since 2005), the platform’s potential remained largely untapped. A collaborative effort in 2024 transformed the system, moving to four units and activities to housing everything in the Learning Hub all in Career Hub. This unified user-friendly solution has streamlined services and improved outcomes for both students and staff.
Streamlining operations to improve efficiency
Before the overhaul, student services were fragmented, with workshops, appointments, and drop-ins spread across multiple platforms. This lack of centralisation of The Learning Hub’s activities created inefficiencies for staff and confusion for students. Symplicity CareerHub’s calendar and scheduling features became a game-changer once used effectively.
“We were really struggling to understand who was doing what, where. And that was partly a function of there was no centralised place for all that roster to take place,” said Erica Gibbs, Coordinator of Academic Support Programs. “So that's been one of our big game changers… Having the calendar centralised means we can now easily track and manage our 13 staff across six campuses.”
The ability to consolidate data and streamline operations has also reduced administrative burdens. “Scheduling that used to take up to a week now takes just 20 minutes a day,” added Nicole Carrie, Learning Hub Manager. This efficiency has allowed the team to shift focus toward more impactful initiatives, such as targeted student engagement and resource development.
Enhancing the student journey
At VU, many students face barriers to accessing support, such as low digital literacy or limited time. By redesigning the platform’s interface and simplifying booking processes, the team made services more accessible and intuitive.
“Our students, especially recent high school graduates struggling with assignments, want help just in time,” explained Carrie. “With CareerHub, they can log in, book an appointment, and quickly meet with an advisor in a matter of hours.”
The new system also reduced barriers to rescheduling and cancellations, ensuring seamless student experiences. Gibbs highlighted, “If an advisor is unavailable, we can reassign the appointment with minimal disruption. Students get an email notifying them of the change, and they don’t have to rebook.”
Leveraging data for evidence-based decisions
The revamped CareerHub platform has enabled VU to harness data for strategic decision-making. The team now uses engagement metrics to identify trends and optimise services, in particular the various workshops the Learning Hub organizes.
Using the data within CareerHub, has been particularly helpful to the workshops the Learning Hub conducts each year. “Last year, we ran over a thousand workshops, but many had no attendees,” shared Gibbs. “This year, we halved the number of workshops but increased attendance by tailoring offerings based on data insights.”It’s in one platform, so we have all the activities and we're tracking them all in one space. In the past, I'm not sure for whatever reason, at times we were recording engagement or attendance using separate Excel sheets that were then sent to a different data and administrator officer who would then combine them and provide reports. So, it was really challenging to get real-time data, especially if that person wasn't available on the day. Transitioning all activities… onto the one platform means my job is 10 times easier.””
Nicole Carrie
Learning Hub Manager
Victoria University
Now with real-time data, Gibbs, Carrie, and their colleagues can tailor outreach and programming to better engage with students, “We’re now making evidence-based decisions to ensure our services deliver the most impact,” noted Carrie. “The data that CareerHub has provided has enabled us to really make those evidence-based decisions, which means now we're moving towards the new year to be able to structure our services a little bit more effectively. We are a small team in the context of VU, there's 13 people, but we operate around across six campuses, servicing 40,000 plus students.”
Data has also allowed the team to identify underutilised services. For example, metrics showed low uptake of maths support during drop-in sessions, prompting a reallocation of resources to one-on-one appointments.
Finally, with CareerHub, Carrie and Gibbs can make sure they are providing valuable impact to students, whereas before, there was much anecdotal evidence on what was happening with students. “But when you actually look at the engagement metrics, that's often not the whole story, which has meant that we've been able to make quite drastic changes within the team and get fairly good and positive uptake when we've been able to back those decisions up with student engagement numbers and what's been actually happening within the libraries and our on-campus and online services as well,” said Carrie.
We’re now making evidence-based decisions to ensure our services deliver the most impact.The data that CareerHub has provided has enabled us to really make those evidence-based decisions, which means now we're moving towards the new year to be able to structure our services a little bit more effectively. We are a small team in the context of VU, there's 13 people, but we operate around across six campuses, servicing 40,000 plus students
Nicole Carrie
Learning Hub Manager
Victoria University
Building a unified, student-centric platform
A critical part of the transformation was rebranding and unifying the platform to align with VU’s digital ecosystem. The redesigned interface, now known as the Student Hub, integrates seamlessly with the university’s website, providing a consistent user experience.
“The old site was visually terribly outdated and confusing,” said Mark Garro, Digital Design and Projects Officer. Visually, on the student page everything looked the same. When Gibbs and Carrie joined the team, their first project was to tackle the student interface to ensure their services were accessible and conveyed the Learning Hub’s resources accurately. “We cleaned it up, aligning it with the university’s branding to ensure continuity,” said Garro. “We wanted to make sure that with as few clicks as possible, the user would get to where they need to go. Students now know they’re in the right place, whether they’re accessing library services or booking a Learning Hub workshop.”
This branding consistency, coupled with fewer navigation clicks, has resulted in higher engagement rates. “Students are no longer closing tabs out of frustration,” added Carrie. “Engagement this year has been through the roof.”
Conclusion
Victoria University’s transformation of Symplicity CareerHub exemplifies how leveraging technology effectively can enhance student outcomes and operational efficiency.
VU’s journey with CareerHub offers a compelling case for the platform’s potential. The Learning Hub now serves as a one-stop shop for academic support, delivering a cohesive and streamlined experience for students and staff alike. “CareerHub has given us the capacity to focus on what really matters—helping students succeed,” concluded Gibbs.
Symplicity CareerHub can assist your institution with managing your student success, please contact our team today.
