We spoke to Liam to discuss Jisc’s contribution to UCAS’ Journey to a Million, digital transformation and why partnerships are crucial to success.
How might the predicted increase in student numbers impact institutions and their staff?
Digital transformation is an essential part of the solution to the predicted increase in student numbers, with far reaching implications to academic and professional services staff. At Jisc, we believe that digital is crucial for institutions responding to the projected changes to student numbers, both the increase and the subsequent decrease. But it is a little more nuanced than that…
For this to be successful, implementation must be carefully thought through and planned. Embedding digital into an institution isn’t just about the technology itself. It requires strategic planning and rollout, staff need to be included in the process and supported in exploring new ways of working, or it will never succeed. An example would be that leaders will need to ensure that staff have been supported to develop the digital capabilities needed as they reconsider the pedagogic impact of digital on their learning and teaching practices. Training teaching staff may sound obvious, but it often isn’t sufficiently factored into plans, leaving staff feeling like it is yet another task on their already overwhelming to-do list.
