THE PROFESSOR WHO SHOOTS FROM THE HIP
According to the global accountancy firm PwC, many universities do not have a clear vision on the way that digital is (and will continue to) disrupt the sector. This is due to a lack of understanding on how to engage with the new digitally savvy student, an inability to add new techniques, tools and capabilities to support new ways of working and maintaining a culture that inhibits the adoption of new technologies because of a lack of trust in digital services and cloud technologies.
So how can universities avoid being left behind by the rapid changes in digital technologies?
According to PwC, the first step is to understand that any digital transformation will affect the entire university and not just the IT department. In this respect, it is not just about buying new technology platforms and imposing it on staff and students.
More important is to understand the wider role of digital across the institution and ensuring that those that should benefit from the introduction of new technologies should be driving the change.
In fact, linking all digital activity into the university’s overall vision and strategy will ensure that all stakeholders buy into new strategic programmes to improve digital capabilities by understanding what their role will be in achieving the right outcomes and in developing a system that is simple, flexible and that can react quickly in a changing marketplace
Another key issue is having sufficient ongoing investment in digital technologies training for academics and other university staff, and ensuring that they are given the freedom and flexibility to try innovative new ways of working that can benefit the student experience and wider efficiencies within the university.
Finally, the changing dynamic between the university and its students with higher education becoming very much a consumer driven industry means that students expect far more from institutions than they would have done in previous years. In that respect, there needs to be an approach that is not about how the university is currently managed but rather what customers (i.e. students) actually need and how they want information, courses and services delivered.
With their personal lives being increasingly managed via their phones, many young people will expect the same for their education as well and universities must look beyond just emails (which many students shun) as a method of communication.
Therefore, as with all other industries, new digital technologies are having (and are going to have) a major disruptive effect on the higher education sector.
The question is whether universities will be left behind as Clayton Christensen has predicted or whether they will fully embrace the digital revolution to not only survive but to thrive in an increasingly fast changing global environment.