Shaping the Future of Higher Education Data: Ingenuity Partners at THETA 2025
- Kyle Dunsire
- Oct 1, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 30
At this year’s THETA 2025 conference, Ingenuity Partners joined sector leaders to explore one of the most pressing questions in higher education: How can we build data foundations that enable innovation, not inhibit it?
Presented in collaboration with MortarCAPS, CAUDIT, and Navitas, our session, “Higher Education’s Next Era: A Pathway to Innovation through an Industry-Aligned Data Standard”, unpacked how the MortarCAPS Higher Learning Data Standard (MCDS) is unlocking new possibilities for institutional agility, connected student experiences, and system-wide collaboration.
We’re proud to be founding partners of the MortarCAPS Higher Learning Data Standard (MCDS), and even prouder to now support institutions across Australia as they move from concept to implementation.
MCDS: A New Standard for a New Era
The MortarCAPS Higher Learning Data Standard (MCDS) provides a shared, vendor-neutral model for managing core student and institutional data. It was developed by and for the higher education sector — not imposed from outside.
In our THETA 2025 session, Kyle Dunsire (Ingenuity Partners Founder) joined:
Charlsey Pearce (CEO, MortarCAPS)
Greg Sawyer (CEO, CAUDIT)
Warwick Calkin (Navitas, MCDS Working Group Chair)
Together, they outlined:
How MCDS helps institutions break down legacy data silos
How it creates interoperability across platforms and vendors
How it prepares institutions for AI-readiness, automation, and national initiatives like the Skills Passport
And how real adoption is already underway, not just theorised
From Standard to Strategy
At Ingenuity Partners, we bring the standard to life.
Because we don't just understand the standard, we built it. That means we are experts in:
The rationale behind each data element
The architectural implications across student systems
The governance shifts required to embed it
And how to manage vendor alignment at scale
We’re currently working with institutions on:
Readiness assessments
MCDS-aligned data architecture
Phased implementation programs
Governance and operating model updates
Vendor and platform enablement strategies
Why MCDS Matters Now
Digital transformation in higher education doesn’t start with a platform, it starts with data clarity.
The MCDS enables:
Faster, cleaner migrations
Simplified integrations
Improved reporting and compliance (e.g. TCSI)
More consistent student experiences
Sector-wide alignment around a shared framework
This isn’t just a “nice-to-have”, it’s an enabler of the next decade of change across the sector.
Learn More
Whether you're exploring adoption or already planning alignment, Ingenuity Partners can support you with the technical, strategic, and delivery expertise needed to implement MCDS confidently.
Contact us to book an MCDS discovery session or learn more about what implementation looks like at your institution.
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