Byron Wilson is a reformed consultant with a passion for education and engineering, he is working towards a future where a student is motivated by learning not marks.

With a background in engineering, business improvement and enterprise database implementations, Byron is interested in how big data approaches can be used to provide students with a level of personalised foundational learning support so that teaching can focus on helping student build procedural knowledge and break down misconceptions. Therefore, a student’s time on campus is spent participating in teamwork to solve authentic problems from local industry and producing high quality engineering deliverables.

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(1) In a nutshell, my job is to…
Know the curriculum and its implementation inside and out. Whether providing study planning advice to students or measuring the impact of schedule changes, I help unpick issues in the curriculum and maintain our accreditation with Engineers Australia.

(2) The question I hear most often in my work is…
(From students) Can I graduate yet?
(From academics) This student wants to graduate, can you help them?

(3) The thing I find most rewarding in my role is…
Dropping into classes that have implemented recent changes to see how students are responding.

(4) This year I want to…
Map the curriculum to within an inch of its life. I am all about data and spreadsheets. (I know.)

(5) The bravest thing I’ve done is…
Leaving my graduate job that I was in for five years.

(6) My mother/father always told me…
Go to bed!

(7) I’m scared of…
Letting people down.

(8) My guilty pleasure is…
Single Malt Whisky with dark chocolate, preferably Haigh’s.

(9) My hidden talent is…
Container gardening from seeds and propagation. My wife has now banned the purchasing of more pots so each spring I give away lots of seedlings.

(10) A moment I’ll always remember is…
Holding my daughter for the first time.