2025
SKILLBRIDGE WAS BORN OUT OF A REAL-WORLD PROBLEM OBSERVED WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY ECOSYSTEM: A PERSISTENT DISCONNECT EXISTS BETWEEN ACADEMIC LEARNING AND WORKPLACE EXPECTATIONS, LEAVING MANY WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING [WIL] STUDENTS UNSURE OF HOW TO TRANSFER THEIR SKILLS EFFECTIVELY
THIS INTERACTION DESIGN PROJECT WAS INITIATED BY TWO LEADING RESEARCH PROFESSORS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY SYDNEY — DR. FRANZISKA TREDE, PROFESSOR OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE, AND DR. SIMON BUCKINGHAM SHUM, PROFESSOR OF LEARNING INFORMATICS.
OUR TEAM WAS TASKED WITH DESIGNING A SOLUTION TO ADDRESS THE COMMUNICATION GAP BETWEEN THREE KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN THE STUDENT JOURNEY: STUDENTS, PROFESSORS, AND EMPLOYERS. WHILE THE BROADER GOAL WAS TO SUPPORT BETTER COLLABORATION ACROSS ALL THREE, OUR DESIGN PROPOSAL FOCUSED ON THE NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS AS THE PRIMARY USERS.
A CORE REQUIREMENT WAS THE INTEGRATION OF AI AS AN INTERACTIVE LEARNING PARTNER — NOT TO REPLACE EDUCATORS, BUT TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ ABILITY TO BECOME REFLECTIVE, COLLABORATIVE PROFESSIONALS.
WHAT'S SKILLBRIDGE ?
Skillbridge is an AI-powered platform that helps work-integrated learning students build the skills they need to succeed through personalised quizzes, real-world workplace scenario simulations, and real-time feedback from mentors.
It bridges the gap between classroom learning and workplace readiness.
Understanding the tools of the job is step one
SkillBridge begins with a role-specific software assessment, tailored to the platforms students will use in their future workplace.
