Webinar insights: Graduate Certificate in Investigations and Intelligence

Introduction and housekeeping

Maggie Hill: Hi everyone. My name is Maggie Hill, and I’ll be hosting this evening’s webinar on QUT Online’s Graduate Certificate in Investigations and Intelligence. This webinar is designed to provide an overview of the course from both an academic and practical perspective.

Before we begin, please note that this session is being recorded. The recording will be made available on the QUT Online website later, and we’ll also send you a link so you can watch it again after tonight’s session.

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we meet today, as well as the Turrbal and Yuggera people, who are the First Nations owners of the lands where QUT now stands. I pay my respects to Elders past and present and acknowledge the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to play in the knowledge, leadership, and care of communities.

Tonight’s webinar is designed to help you decide whether the Graduate Certificate in Investigations and Intelligence is the right fit for your goals. You’ll learn more about the academic content, learning outcomes, and practicalities of studying this course online.

We’re joined this evening by Dr Shannon Colville, who will provide a snapshot of the course and the careers and roles it supports. We’ll then hear from Alex Wilson, one of the course’s Online Learning Advisors, who will talk about the practical experience of studying online. We’ll also hear from Dr Danielle Miller, the academic delivery lead, who will speak about how the course has been designed to support students and ensure a meaningful and accessible learning experience.

Maggie Hill: We want to make sure everyone finishes tonight’s session with their questions answered. We’ll have a Q&A session where you can add questions to the chat, and our panellists will answer them. Feel free to add them at any time.

Introduction: Dr Shannon Colville

Maggie Hill: It’s now time to welcome our first speaker, Dr Shannon Colville. Dr Colville is a lecturer in QUT’s School of Justice. Her work focuses on ensuring students gain strong theoretical foundations and practical skills relevant to modern investigative roles. Dr Colville, thank you for being here.

Dr Shannon Colville: Thanks so much, Maggie, for having me. Hi everyone, it’s a pleasure to be here tonight.

Course overview and investigative capability

Maggie Hill: Let’s start by talking about the current landscape in investigations and intelligence. When people think about investigations, they probably think of policing or private investigators. Can you talk about how broad the field is, and the types of organisations that rely on investigative capability?

Dr Shannon Colville: Absolutely. When people hear investigation and intelligence, their minds often go straight to policing, crime scenes or private investigators. That is part of the field, but it is only one part.

Investigative capability is now needed across a wide range of organisations, including government departments, universities, banks, insurance companies, and aged care providers. Many organisations have teams or roles dedicated to investigating issues that arise in their specific context.

The types of matters are also broad, ranging from everyday workplace complaints through to more serious issues such as fraud, corruption or regulatory failures. At its core, investigation is about finding out what happened, making sense of the available evidence and helping organisations make decisions that are fair, accountable, and defensible.

Maggie Hill: That’s a good segue, because when we think about fair decisions and fairness, there are increasing expectations around due process and accountability. How does this shape the demand for skilled investigators in public organisations and private companies?

Dr Shannon Colville: Across public and private sectors, organisations are being held to a high standard in how they respond to investigations. It is no longer enough to say a decision has been reached. Organisations need to show how that decision was reached, what information was considered, why the outcome is reasonable, and that it is evidence-based and defensible.

This has increased demand for people who understand how to conduct investigations in a structured and professional way. Skilled investigators help organisations move beyond informal reviews or ad hoc responses by applying clear methods, assessing evidence carefully and producing conclusions that can withstand scrutiny.

This matters because poor investigations can create further harm for individuals and organisations. They can damage trust, expose organisations to legal or reputational risk, and leave people feeling the outcome is unjust or unfair. The demand for skilled investigators is being shaped by the need for processes that better support organisations and their decision-making.

Key skills for effective investigators

Maggie Hill: Investigations are often described as fact-finding processes, but they can be quite complex, as you’ve alluded to. Can you tell us what makes a strong investigator?

Dr Shannon Colville: Absolutely. Anyone who works in investigations, or has done an investigation, knows they are often messy. Information can be incomplete, accounts can conflict, records may be missing and different people may have different interests in the outcome.

A strong investigator can work through that uncertainty without jumping to conclusions. They understand how to identify gaps and make defensible judgments grounded in evidence rather than assumptions.

Investigators need to be fair, ethical and aware of the impact their work can have on others. Investigations often involve sensitive information, vulnerable people and power imbalances, and these matters can have serious consequences for individuals and organisations.

A strong investigator approaches their work with care, protects the integrity of the process and ensures their judgment remains respectful and grounded in evidence.

Communication is also a key capability. Strong investigators ask clear questions, listen carefully, document information accurately and explain their findings in ways that are logical, evidence-based, and easy to follow.

For me, a strong investigator is someone who can think clearly in uncertain situations, assess evidence carefully, remain impartial, and produce findings that others can trust.

The role of intelligence in investigations

Maggie Hill: Fantastic. And final question: What role does intelligence play in all of this, and why is it important for professionals in this space to interpret and apply intelligence in their work?

Dr Shannon Colville: Intelligence and investigations are closely connected. Investigations usually focus on establishing what happened in relation to a specific event, while intelligence helps professionals understand the broader context around that matter.

Issues are rarely isolated. What may appear to be a single incident may actually be linked to a wider pattern or emerging risk within an organisation. Intelligence helps investigators see those connections, consider what they mean and interpret them in an evidence-based way.

Intelligence is not just about collecting information. It is about turning information into insights that support better investigations, better prevention, and better decision-making.

Maggie Hill: Fantastic. Thank you so much for joining us, Dr Colville. I really appreciate the insights you’ve shared. If anyone has questions for Dr Colville, please add them to the chat and we’ll get to them during the Q&A segment.

Dr Shannon Colville: Thanks, Maggie.

Introduction: Alex Wilson

Maggie Hill: I’d now like to welcome our second speaker, Alex Wilson. Alex is an Online Learning Advisor who supports students through their study journey. He also has professional experience across defence and the private sector, where he has applied investigative and intelligence skill sets in real-world contexts. Welcome, Alex.

Alex Wilson: Thanks very much for having me. I’m excited to be here.

Online Learning Advisor perspective

Maggie Hill: To begin, can you tell us about your role as an Online Learning Advisor? It would be great to hear what you do in this role and how students interact with you day to day.

Alex Wilson: There are three broad themes in my role as an Online Learning Advisor. The first is helping students navigate and understand the learning material in their units. That includes answering questions, explaining concepts and helping students work through the material.

Part of that also involves providing contemporary examples from professional workplace experience to help highlight and explain the content.

The second part is assessment support. This includes providing advice on assessments, marking assessments, and giving feedback to help students understand and improve their learning.

The third component is general support with the administration of studying. Many students have busy lives and unexpected things come up, so we help them navigate those challenges and support them through the units as best as possible.

Applying intelligence experience to student support

Maggie Hill: Fantastic. As I mentioned in the introduction, you’ve worked across a range of industries where investigations and intelligence play a role. Can you tell us about your professional background and how this experience shapes the way you support students in this course?

Alex Wilson: I’m in my 17th year working in intelligence. I’ve worked across the national intelligence community, primarily in defence, across a range of subjects and areas of interest. Over the last few years, I’ve worked in the private sector, continuing to do intelligence work for government and other companies.

That diverse background helps me link what students are learning in the course to real-world practice. It also helps reassure students that what they are learning is contemporary and currently being applied in the field and workplace.

Maggie Hill: Fantastic. Can you tell us about the kinds of backgrounds you see in students completing the Graduate Certificate in Investigations and Intelligence?

Alex Wilson: One of the pleasures of being an Online Learning Advisor is the diversity of students’ backgrounds. We see students with long careers in intelligence and investigations who are looking to upskill or add academic rigour to their practical experience.

We also see people looking to change careers, people starting out in their careers, and people studying out of intellectual curiosity and interest. That full spectrum is one of the real pleasures of the role, because we support people with different perspectives, experience levels, and backgrounds.

Maggie Hill: Many students may already be doing investigative work without formal training. How do you see them building confidence and structure in their approach through the course?

Alex Wilson: Part of it is bringing academic rigour to skills that may have come from practice or instinct. Students can think more deeply about where those approaches come from and the research behind them, which can give them more confidence.

The course also gives students an opportunity to discuss and consider different approaches. They may have been exposed to the same way of doing things for some time, so it can be useful to explore different concepts and ideas.

When you’re in a role, you do not always have the opportunity to sit down, reflect and understand what you’re working on, where it comes from, and how you might consider it differently. The course gives students that space to add extra layers to how they think about the work.

Maggie Hill: Fantastic. Final question. Can you share an example of how a student might apply what they learn in the course directly to their workplace?

Alex Wilson: One of the things we focus on is making the course applicable to a wide variety of workplaces. It is not focused only on law enforcement. We try to make the learning contemporary and relevant for people from different backgrounds and industries.

Many people conduct investigations or similar processes in the workplace. Applying structure can help them manage complex issues. Critical thinking and analytical techniques can also help people make better decisions in a wide variety of contexts.

Students also learn how to manage and understand multiple sources of information. That includes how to filter, prioritise, and weigh different sources so they can support better outcomes, better decision-making, and fairer processes for the people affected by those processes.

Maggie Hill: Thanks so much for sharing those insights, Alex. If anyone has questions for Alex, please add them to the Q&A and we’ll get to them at the end of the session.

Introduction: Dr Danielle Miller

Maggie Hill: I’d now like to welcome our third speaker, Dr Danielle Miller. Danielle is the academic delivery lead and plays a key role in ensuring students are supported throughout their learning journey. Welcome, Danielle.

Dr Danielle Miller: Hi, great to be here.

Course design and student support

Maggie Hill: To begin, can you talk about how the course has been designed to support students who may be new to online learning or returning to study?

Dr Danielle Miller: We know many students may not have studied for a while, and when they did study, it may not have been online. Returning to study or coming into a new environment can feel daunting, so we have designed the course to be easy to navigate.

Students get access to their units one week before the teaching period starts so they can look around and find where everything is. We also have a module zero in all units, which helps students get started and understand what they need to do to be successful.

All units are organised in a similar way, so once students complete one unit, the next one feels familiar. For example, readings are in the same place in every module. We also provide clear scaffolding for assessments, so students know what they need to do, how to approach it, and how they will be marked.

Practical and industry-relevant learning

Maggie Hill: Fantastic. How do you ensure the course content is practical, engaging and relevant to real-world investigative work?

Dr Danielle Miller: The program has been designed in consultation with industry. In some units, students will see references to industry voices, and we try to make the learning very real-world.

Students complete practical activities such as engaging with real investigations, writing risk management plans, and delivering intelligence briefings. We also seek out highly qualified teaching staff with real-world experience in both the private and public sectors. They provide students with relevant, up-to-date information and advice.

Support structures for online students

Maggie Hill: For students who may face challenges while studying, what support structures are in place to help them succeed throughout the course?

Dr Danielle Miller: We have many resources inside our units and outside the specific units. Students have access to support materials such as the Academic Skills for Success program, which is designed specifically for online postgraduate students.

That program includes resources on getting started, planning your time, note-taking techniques, writing different types of assignments, researching assignments, referencing and academic integrity.

Students also have access to the student hub, which provides practical information about enrolment and managing studies. It also includes extra support resources, such as the Connect and Regulate wellbeing program, which offers tools to help with nerves and stress.

More personalised support is also available through the coaching team. They work with students to understand their goals and what else is happening in their lives, including work and caring commitments, and help them develop effective study plans.

We also have a peer support network through the Study Buddies program, where students can connect with their peers, work together, and build a support network.

Maggie Hill: Fantastic. Final question. How do you help students feel confident applying what they are learning in professional settings?

Dr Danielle Miller: The most important thing we do is provide opportunities to practise practical skills. There is scaffolding through the weekly modules, activities, and real-world assessments.

For example, students complete a live intelligence briefing. Alex’s students have just finished a live briefing on ethical issues in intelligence. Students also experience software that many staff have used in the workplace, which helps them develop practical skills in a safe and supportive environment where they can receive feedback.

Maggie Hill: Thanks so much, Danielle. Please stick around, because we have some great questions coming through for the Q&A portion of this evening.

Audience Q&A

Maggie Hill: The first question might be one I’ll throw to Shannon first, and Alex might add some extra thoughts. This person is currently completing a double degree in accounting and justice. They are wondering if this course would complement a career in forensic accounting or risk advisory.

Dr Shannon Colville: That’s a great question, and I think it would absolutely complement your current foundations. It would extend your knowledge base. It sounds like you already have financial knowledge, and this would add an extra layer of investigative skills.

In forensic accounting, there are pathways into areas such as fraud, asset misuse, and false invoices. Risk advisory is also a strong pathway where this course could support your career development.

Maggie Hill: Alex or Danielle, did you have anything to add?

Alex Wilson: If you come from an accounting background, one of the great things is exposure to complementary methods that can support you in a forensic accounting role. You are exposed to collection methods and investigative techniques that can support your work and help you understand the broader context. The background is helpful because it involves a similar mindset.

Maggie Hill: The next question asks how easy or difficult it is to land a job in this field if you are transferring careers. This person has seen several roles asking for significant experience in investigations and intelligence, and they have a background in governance. Alex, did you want to jump in first?

Alex Wilson: In my career across the intelligence community, I’ve seen people from many backgrounds work in intelligence. Some are career changers, and some come straight from university.

When I’m recruiting and interviewing people, I look for qualities such as curiosity, a willingness to learn, an interest in solving problems, and the ability to work towards outcomes that do good for people. Communication, teamwork, open-mindedness, and trainability are also critical skills in intelligence and investigative fields.

Some roles do require specific intelligence or investigative experience, but many roles, particularly in government, focus on broader capabilities and qualities. There are absolutely opportunities for people changing careers, and I’ve met many people in the community who have done that.

Maggie Hill: This question is for Alex, but I might also bring Shannon in. How similar is the core skill set across the national intelligence community and the private sector, and is this course more relevant to one or the other?

Dr Shannon Colville: Alex is probably the best person to answer that question. I’ll hand it over to you, Alex.

Alex Wilson: The skills are the same, but they are applied in different contexts. Critical thinking, analysing information and structuring investigations in a deliberate, effective and efficient way are useful across both the national intelligence community and the private sector.

The course does not lean more towards one sector than the other. Students find value in the transferable skills, which can move between both contexts.

Maggie Hill: Danielle, this question might be best for you. This person is trying to understand what the timetable is like for the course. Is it a standard structure or is it compressed?

Dr Danielle Miller: We have four teaching periods in a year, and each unit is around 10 weeks. Students first get access through module zero, then there are four weeks of content, followed by a consolidation week, where an assessment may be due.

After that, there are another four weeks of content and an assessment week at the end. The units are compressed, and students can choose, depending on their schedule, to do two subjects at once or one subject at a time. The student advisory team can help students work out the best plan for them.

Maggie Hill: This question is about the real-world scenarios used in the course. Are students expected to source these from their employer, or are they provided as part of the course?

Dr Danielle Miller: They are generally provided. For example, students may be given public sector investigations to critically engage with, or a particular scenario where they need to develop an investigation plan. One current example relates to childcare fraud. These scenarios are generally provided to students.

Maggie Hill: Someone has asked whether the course would be relevant to someone working in aged care auditing. Can someone speak to that?

Dr Shannon Colville: Absolutely. It is highly relatable. Aged care auditing usually involves checking policies, assessing whether services meet particular standards, and looking at whether risks are being identified and managed.

As Alex and Danielle have discussed, the skills developed in this graduate certificate can be used in many different roles, organisations, and sectors.

Maggie Hill: Final question. This person is wondering if OSINT, or open-source intelligence, is part of the course.

Dr Shannon Colville: Yes, we do talk about open-source intelligence, but Alex can probably say more about that.

Alex Wilson: It is something we cover, but I would not describe it as a specialist OSINT course. Some courses are solely devoted to advanced OSINT techniques and their application.

In this course, we explore OSINT as one capability and tool. Students gain foundations in how to understand and approach OSINT, whether they are conducting it or using it as a consumer.

Closing remarks and next steps

Maggie Hill: Thank you. We’ve had lots of great questions, so thank you to everyone who submitted them. I hope you’ve had your questions answered today.

We’ll send an email after this. If you have any other questions, please send them through and we’ll do our best to answer them. We want everyone to have the information they need to make a decision about this course.

If you are considering the Graduate Certificate in Investigations and Intelligence, we recommend heading to the course page and downloading the brochure. This is available at online.qut.edu.au. You can also call our team on 1300 104 196 during business hours, and they will be happy to answer any questions.

That brings this evening’s webinar to an end. A big thank you to all our panellists for joining us and sharing their insights. Thank you to everyone who came along to learn more about this course. We hope to see you studying with QUT Online soon.

Thanks so much, everyone.

 

This transcript is based on a recorded webinar and has been lightly edited for readability, clarity, and conciseness. We’ve removed filler words, false starts, and repeated phrases (such as “um” and “ah”) without changing the meaning. All information remains accurate to the recording.