University leaders’ long-term vision for technology

Covid-19 is inspiring a new approach to digital strategy in higher education

The Covid-19 crisis has accelerated digital adoption across the global HE sector, leading to what may have been the world’s largest experiment in rapid digital transformation.

To understand the real impact of Covid-19 on university digital strategies over the next decade, we are speaking to vice-chancellors and senior executives at more than 40 universities in the UK. This project was launched by Emerge Education, Universities UK and Jisc in partnership with Salesforce. Led by David Maguire (Interim Vice-Chancellor, University of Dundee) and Graham Galbraith (Vice-Chancellor, University of Portsmouth), it also a part of Jisc’s sector-wide Learning and Teaching Reimagined programme. In autumn, we will publish a framework to help long-term digital strategy planning.

Today, we share key takeaways from two roundtables and dozens of individual conversations that explored what university leaders learned from the pandemic — and how it has changed their view of technology. Startup founders looking to work with universities will find at the end of the piece strategic questions to help them make the most of the coming digital transformation of universities.

TL;DR:

• The Covid-19 crisis has been a catalyst for rapid change and there is little appetite for a return to ‘business as usual’
• Perceptions of technology are changing: what used to be seen as a source of risk will now be key to mitigating existential threats
• There will be no single approach to digital transformation — digital strategies will be shaped by each university’s mission and USP
• Digital solutions that align with their customers’ core proposition and help them achieve their promise to students will see their stock rise among universities

The Covid-19 response has given universities confidence that they can move fast without compromising on the students’ best interests

Not too long ago, if you asked most university leaders how long it would take to move their operations online, their answers would range from years to decades. And yet, this March, the sector moved mountains in a matter of weeks — sometimes days. This shift was about far more than teaching over Zoom — assessments, careers support, recruitment activities and all manner of professional services went through a rapid-fire digital transformation. What made this possible was dedication to students’ wellbeing and interests, and we heard from many universities about the largely positive feedback that students have given on their experience.

Contrary to expectations, this rapid response showed that university staff are more than capable of adopting new technologies, tools and ways of working, at pace. Across the sector, there is now more confidence.

Where previously leaders used to ask ‘Is this at all possible?’ when faced with a decision about digital, they now know: ‘It absolutely is’.

As the first lockdown recedes into memory, thoughts are turning to lessons learned, and to what else can be achieved with this new-found confidence. At the senior leadership level, there is little appetite to reverse course and go back to the way things were. More than one university executive told us that the sector achieved in weeks what they thought must take years. Now, attention is turning to capitalizing on this new-found momentum and confidence.

Over the next decade, digital strategy will be central to de-risking the university model

The pandemic crisis shone a harsh light on the biggest risks to the dominant model of higher education. With financial sustainability a growing concern, the past decade has seen the expansion of the campus university, sustained by international student presence and, in England, the removal of student caps. In many cases, the result was a less-than-virtuous cycle: new buildings went up to meet the growth in student numbers; to pay for the buildings, student numbers needed to grow; and so on.

By contrast, investment in technology (‘bricks vs clicks’) has lagged — as one roundtable attendee put it, universities spend billions on buildings but millions on IT.

Why? Risk aversion is often seen as the culprit. If IT is perceived as a source of risk — of data loss or security incidents, of system failure or subpar user experience, indeed as a risk to the university model itself — there is little incentive to invest. What this spring’s experience, difficult as it has been, shows is that a coherent approach to digital technology is a source of resilience, not risk.

The current crisis is not over, with future flare-ups and lockdowns widely expected. Digital tools and ways of working will be as central to managing these as they were in spring. Beyond the pandemic response, university leaders are now taking a strategic view of how digital can help address other existential risks.

In the next decade, digital strategy will look at how technology can help expand into new markets for recruitment and for delivery, internationally and domestically (for example, in lifelong learning). It will see new opportunities for revenue diversification approaches that go beyond a ‘lift-and-shift’ of existing activity online. It will build on network aggregation effects of digital platforms to massively scale collaboration with employers to better meet changing student needs and policy priorities.

Broader strategic consideration will shape each university’s approach. For some — especially big brands with face-to-face interaction at the core of their proposition — changes might be incremental. Some lectures will go online and library services will be less dependent on the reading room, but digital will largely be a safety net for future catastrophes. The focus here may be on resolving legacy issues and creating a more pleasant and coherent digital experience for students and staff.

Others will move towards ‘mode-free’ delivery that will continue to emphasize the community aspect of the university experience while providing parity of experience for students on and off the campus. Success will require a seamless transition between face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online learning. Done well, this will be a more inclusive university that meets the needs of a diverse student population, with significant changes to pedagogy and a rethink of the role of estates. And some may look at reinventing what it means to be a successful university in 2030 from scratch.

No matter the direction, it is clear that universities can no longer afford to treat technology as an afterthought — and a long-term outlook is required.

Founders, ask yourself:

• How is my product uniquely positioned to help a university deliver on its own particular promise to students? Without a deep understanding of a potential customer’s mission, student population and USP, you will struggle to get a foot in the door.
• Can my product become core to a customer’s digital strategy, or is it merely supplemental? Many edtech products focus on workflow optimisations (eg content), but the greatest growth opportunities (and significant spend) are in creating pedagogical, operational, retention and recruitment efficiencies.

If you are a founder with good answers to these questions and you’re building a business to addresses the $8.5tn global skills gap, we want to hear from you. Visit us to get in touch and to learn how we help founders with market-specific insights powered by our network of the world’s foremost education leaders and entrepreneurs.

Stay tuned for the second post in the series, where we look at what university leaders can do to deliver on the strategic promise of technology and what role startup founders can play in this. This series is based on conversations with dozens of university leaders, with special thanks to:

• Alec Cameron, Vice-Chancellor, University of Aston
• Alison Johns, CEO, Advance HE
• Andy Chalklin, COO, University of Surrey
• Anne Carlisle, Vice-chancellor, Falmouth University
• Anne Trefethen, Pro Vice-Chancellor (People & Gardens, Library and Museums), University of Oxford
• Ashley Wheaton, Principal, University College of Estate Management
• Brian Fleming, Vice President, Innovation and Strategy, Southern New Hampshire University
• Chris Husbands, Vice-Chancellor, Sheffield Hallam University
• Craig Mahoney, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of the West of Scotland
• Geoff Layer, Vice-Chancellor, University of Wolverhampton
• Gideon Shimshon, Associate Principal — Digital Learning and Director of QM Online, QMUL
• Heidi Fraser-Krauss, Executive Director of Corporate Services, University of Sheffield
• Ian Dunn, Provost, Coventry University
• Julia Clarke, DVC (Student Experience), University of Wolverhampton
• Julie Lydon, Vice-Chancellor, University of South Wales
• Justin Cooke, Content and Partnerships Lead, Future Learn
• Katie Bell, Chief Commercial Officer, Middlesex University
• Liz Barnes, Vice-Chancellor, Staffordshire University
• Mary Curnock Cook, Network Chair, Emerge Education
• Nic Beech, Vice-Chancellor, Middlesex University
• Nick Braisby, Vice-Chancellor, Buckinghamshire New University
• Nick Leake, CIO, Kings College London
• Nick Petford, Vice-Chancellor, University of Northampton
• Quintin McKellar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Hertfordshire
• Simone Buitendijk, Vice Provost for Education, Imperial College London
• Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor, University of Exeter
• Tim Blackman, Vice-Chancellor, Open University
• Vicky Gosling, Head of Digital Experiences and Information Services, Falmouth University