the agile university

Beyond Digital

The Agile University

Higher Education is continually changing.

[ Student information system ]

[ Web portal ]

[ Data warehouse ]

[ Business planning ]

[ Research intelligence ]

[ Collaboration ]

The “performance culture”

Increasing public scrutiny as a response to increasing

scale and complexity of the HE sector.

The “consumerisation of education”

Greater variety of delivery models as a response to

tertiary education becoming a value for money route.Sustained focus on

Widening Participation

1992 re-definition of HEI

landscape

Increasing “freedom” in

revenue generation

Introduction of market

forces

Increase in

scale and

complexity of

students and

courses

Shift from

research to

fees as

primary

“manageable”

funding

stream

Increased scale of

transnational education

Increasing links between

HE & enterprise

Over the last few decades, Higher Education has had to

react to sector-reshaping policy decisions…

Next?

Nearable technology?

Open learning?

3-D visualisation?

Flipped classroom?

Expand transnationally?

Industry collaboration?

Cut courses / schools?

Add courses / schools?

Collaborate with other unis?

Virtual Learning Environment?

Implement CRM?

Agile delivery skills?

Two speed IT?

Attendance recording?

Social media engagement?

Digital tours?

Open day app?

Marketisation of

Higher Education

will not be reversed

and will accelerate The continued

emergence of

substitutes will start

to materially impact

demand for

traditional degreesDigital will disrupt

every part of the

institution

Introduction of the

‘Teaching Excellence

Framework’

The pressure to respond to change is set to continue…

Niall Lavery

Director, Innovation, PwC

Dan Babington

Higher Education Digital Lead, PwC

[ Digital is not about technology, it’s about people. ]

IT-alone-led approach to solving

business problems

can be like ‘laying train tracks’

Great for getting places – but only

certain places

If your stakeholders want to go

somewhere different,

you need a more flexible approach

Digital programmes are

created by the right

departments, not just IT

All digital activity is

linked to the university’s

overall strategy

The end user is fully

involved in all the

decisions about digital

Academics, staff and students

receive the right training

and ongoing support

Benefits-focused approach to

project delivery

Common IT function capabilities

required by all HEI functions…

Structured programme & project

delivery lifecycle

Digital literacy by default

(supported by L&D)

User-centricity and willingness to

change

Common IT function behaviours

required by all HEI functions…

Structured problem-solving

(“project thinking”)

Digital adoption and comfort with

new ways of working

Software licensing & vendor

management

Common IT function activities to

leave in the IT function…

Systems maintenance &

deployment

Hardware & network design and

management

• Planning staff seconded to the project: none.

• Academic / college involvement: minimal.• Training approach: eGuide.

• Good technology platform delivered: yes.• Business impact: slightly different monthly report now

used for SMT reporting.

• Project over-ran by £500k.

One simple example: the impact of under-investment in business change

• Ambitious Russell Group University.

• Invested ~£1m in a new web-based Business

Intelligence platform.

• Objective was to “join up disparate data” and

enable “performance reporting”.

• Project led by the Planning team.

Project context

• Finance staff seconded to the project: two.

• Academic / college involvement: regular, structured.

• Training approach: User involvement in development, testing and formal training with follow-on support.

• Good technology platform delivered: yes.• Business impact: game-changing long- and short-term

planning capability.

Same software Same University Same IT team Same supplier Very different outcomes

• Ambitious Russell Group University.

• Invested ~£1m in a new web-based modelling

and analytics platform.

• Objective was to allow colleagues from different

teams to collaborate in business planning.

• Project led by the Finance team.

Project context

“Thinking digitally means taking a whole

institution approach – this is the only way

that the levels of innovation and cultural

change required to become a digital

university can be achieved.”

The 2018 digital university: staying relevant in the digital age, PwC 2015

[ Digital is not about technology, it’s about collaboration. ]

You don’t need a digital strategy, you needa business strategy fit for the digital age.

Securing

employment

(Continuous) Self-

development

Scientific &

humanitarian

advancement

Contribute to the

community &

economy

Generate income

Provide fulfilling

careers

Purpose of an

Agile University

• Design and implementation of a new Directorate: The

Office for Digital Learning.

• Academic-led strategy development

• A new “ecosystem” approach to the learning

environment delivered by IT and the ODL.

• Ambitious Post-1992 University.

• Recognised need for new educational approach.

• Project sponsored by SMT.

Project context

One simple example: collaboration to deliver better education

“Dissatisfaction reduces steadily in line with increasing amounts of contact.”

The academic experience of students at English Universities, Bekhradnia, 2012

The nature and volume of time spent with learners is critical.

1

“~40% of students say managing to balance working hours and study hours is having a negative effect on their education.”

Student Experience Report, National Union of Students, 2008

The timing and flexibility of learning activities is important.

2

“It is obvious to students where blended learning is implemented as an add-on. It needs to be planned.”

Student Expectations and Perceptions, Kandiko, Mawer, 2013

Pedagogical change is complex and it can go wrong.

3

[ Digital is not about technology, it’s about me. ]

The HE landscape is getting more and more competitive, and each and

every stakeholder in your University will be getting more demanding.

Agile Universities need to have the ability to engage with each and every

one of them on a personal basis – whatever the channel of engagement.

Gaining a clear understanding of who these stakeholders are, and be

responsive to their needs is a critical success factor – and current systems

and processes generally don’t support this.

The University’s stakeholder community is complex and constantly changing…

Stakeholders’ needs will change as their relationship with the University progresses

Exceeding stakeholders expectations requires a joined up approach…


Which types of prospective students do I want to target?

• Do I know which location, language, socio-economic group, gender, academic field,

learning style, social behaviours, etc. represent a student that I want to attract?

• Similarly, do I know which students are most likely to be successful at my University?

How do I convert them?

• How do these students decide which University to apply to?

• How do I honestly compare against my competitors against these criteria?

• What can I do to improve this performance and effectively communicate that?


Proximity to home is the primary decision making criteria for 31% of prospective

students….but:

• In socio-economic group A, it is only 22%; and

• In socio-economic group DE, it is 53%.

Many students will decide on criteria that the usual “attraction” techniques won’t

influence:

• 81% of students at Russell Group Unis chose their University based on academic

reputation.

• 71% of post-1992 HEIs chose their University because it provided the specific course

they wanted.



However – there are many criteria that you can use to engage prospects very

effectively. What are the top 3?

1. Will I get value for money…specifically how will you educate me?

• Maybe by combining digital tech, academic input and clear policies and

processes to enable prospects to participate in SPOCs before applying.

• Maybe by providing a richness of narrative that can avoid misunderstandings

around SSRs.

• Can I see evidence that you have thought about, and care about, how you will

educate me in the best way possible?



However – there are a bunch of really important things that you can use to

engage prospects very effectively. What are the top 3?

2. Will I be able to feedback to the Uni on my experience, and will it be acted on

in time for me to benefit?

• “Feedback” is a very broad subject, and the perceived priority of this within

prospective and current students is something that surprises many unis.

• Students nowadays are used to instant communication, followed by immediate

action – which is not really compatible with how most Universities are currently

set up. This can be a real differentiator….



However – there are a bunch of really important things that you can use to

engage prospects very effectively. What are the top 3?

3. Once you convert me, then what – will you still value me?

• Whether or not everyone agrees, students perceive themselves to be a

University’s greatest asset, and they need to be convinced that they will be

valued – publishing a toothless student charter is no good – can I see evidence

that you’re living the principles it contains?

• Also, students are now wary of the “attention gap” following conversion – how

are the various parts of the university collaborating to provide a high quality,

“seamless” student experience from first contact forevermore?


How to win?

TECHNOLOGY METHOD PARTNERSHIP+ +

Platform approach

Integrated student journey platform

Student Info

CRM

CMS

Registry

Welfare

Exams

Lecture capture

VLE

Collaboration

Performance reporting

Student analytics

Social media

Improved attraction, retention, attainment

Coverage across the entire student journey

in a single integrated platform

Identify Attract &

Convert

Engage, Educate &

Enrich

Collaborate, Innovate

& Reward


Data-driven responsiveness, delivering a

truly personalised experience for all

Increase student satisfaction by acting on

feedback in real-time

Predict and resolve

retention issues


Designed from the ground-up for

the Agile University

100%

cloud-based

100%

open

100%

blended learning

100%

partnership

We want help!