What’s driving the vision for
the University of the future?
Navigating the skills gap, digital transformation
and a global pandemic
EEN BEGINNERSGIDS VOOR HET ONTWIKKELEN VAN COMPLEXE VAARDIGHEDEN
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Foreward from John Baker
As the owner of an educational technology company, I
often find myself in high-level discussions about the future
of work and learning, about the need to upskill, and the
digital transformation of the economy.
And as the parent of a daughter in primary school, I
also find myself crouched down to the floor to help glue
together a glitter-covered project for school, or curled up
in a chair reading to my kids.
When COVID-19 hit, those worlds collided. Suddenly,
the future of the workforce, the need to create a resilient
system of education in the face of a global pandemic and
beyond, and the need to quickly deploy technology to the
classroom were no longer academic or long-term issues
for me. Suddenly, they were immediate, real, everyday
concerns that reached right into my home and workplace.
I suspect I was not alone in that assessment. I’m sure that
there were thousands—probably millions—of parents just
like me, all over the globe, who suddenly realised that the
world of work and learning would never be the same again.
From an educational perspective, COVID-19 did two
things simultaneously: it showed us there is no substitute
for teacher-led, in-class learning, and it pulled the entire
education system decades forward in time, technologically,
in just a few weeks.
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Now that—in many countries, at least—the total number
of cases is subsiding, we have an opportunity to take a
breath, analyse the trends and the data, and—instead of
merely reacting—take a long, measured look at the future
of work and learning, derive some best practices, and try
to determine a course of action.
That’s what this whitepaper is all about. Thanks to the
team who pulled this together, we can begin to have
some informed and important conversations—at both the
30,000 foot policy level, and at the kitchen table, too.
John Baker, President and CEO
John founded D2L in 1999, at the age
of twenty-two, while attending the
University of Waterloo. A strong believer
in community involvement, he devotes his
efforts to supporting young entrepreneurs
who are developing and applying
technology to improve society.
Introduction
To remain relevant—and relevant—the University of the
future must focus on delivering a more personalised
learner journey. At the same time as giving each student
the best possible educational and cultural experience,
they must also bridge the widening skills gap that exists
between education and an increasingly competitive work
market. Added to this is a growing desire for universities
to strengthen their blended online and offline learning
capabilities, which enable them to cater to a broader
range of students. To achieve this vision, higher education
providers are having to make sweeping changes from an
organisational, technological and pedagogical perspective.
Many institutions have already outlined their vision for a
model where traditional campus-based learning can be
combined with a more blended or hybrid approach. This
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enables them to cater to a broader range of students—
incorporating distance or overseas learning or degree
apprenticeships, for example. Most either have or are in the
process of redefining their teaching delivery to ensure the
highest possible outcomes for every type of learner.
For some, plans to implement these strategies have been
set out over a three to five-year period. But the coronavirus
pandemic of 2020 has forced universities to accelerate
these plans, which has not been ideal for any institution.
And while some have coped with the enforced changes
better than others, the world will have changed for all
universities from this moment on.
Existing challenges, exacerbated by a
global pandemic
Universities face numerous challenges. Firstly, attracting
students remains competitive, in terms of both domestic
and international candidates. Overseas fees in particular
are vulnerable, with potential border controls postpandemic and the implications of Brexit still yet to be felt.
Add to that issues about student wellbeing, controversy
over senior level pay, a need to balance teaching with
research and an uncertain job market. These elements
combined are putting additional pressure on universities
and causing young people to question whether it is the
right route for them.
That is why universities must adapt. They must maintain
their relevance and attract a more diverse range of
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students. They must also meet the exacting demands of
the modern learner who wants to receive both excellent
teaching and the foundation of skills they need to enter
the workplace. Essentially, students want a return on their
investment.
Technology is playing a huge part in enabling change
in the Higher Education sector, but no-one could have
predicted how much universities were going to have to
rely on technology, and how quickly. The coronavirus
pandemic has accelerated what was already inevitable—
the need to adopt technology that can deliver a more
personalised learning experience wherever that student is
based and however they choose to learn.
The impact of COVID-19
“There has been a profound change in Higher Education
over a very short space of time,” says Richard Walker, Head
of the Programme Design and Learning Technology Team
at the University of York. “I wouldn’t equate this with a pivot
to distance learning—that was already happening—but no
doubt distance learning will be accelerated.”
Jason Last, Dean of Students at University College Dublin
(UCD) agrees: “COVID-19 has been a big challenge
and has required all members of our community to use
advanced technology to support educational provision.
Despite the speed of change, institutions have still
managed to deliver.”
This might sound like a given, but it should not be
underestimated. Such a monumental shift in such a short
period of time is unprecedented. While many universities
were using technology to support learning, it was not being
completely relied upon to deliver it. Coronavirus has
given universities a “shot in the arm, digitally” says Mark
Simpson, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Learning & Teaching at
Teesside University.
But now that the dust has settled slightly, many see this
as a huge opportunity to push forward with their plans for
change. “The acceptance of using digital tools to teach
has obviously grown enormously,” says Felix Kuijpers,
Programme Manager, Education Innovation with ICT at
Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.
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“So has our knowledge and experience of how to manage
remote teaching”.
Indeed, it is difficult to imagine how universities could have
maintained any semblance of business as usual through
the pandemic without having some knowledge of online
learning tools, or an existing Learning Management System
in place.
But it has not been easy, and it has taught the sector a
great deal about what constitutes quality teaching online.
Varying engagement levels have shown that simply
replicating a lecture over a video conference call, for
example, does not provide the standard that students
expect. If universities are to move towards a premium
quality blended or hybrid model, the lessons of 2020
will prove valuable in understanding how they can truly
deliver that.
“Many are facing this challenge with excitement. It
is giving institutions a chance to use their creativity
and innovation to good effect and reflect upon how
educational practices can change to make learning
even better.”
Tim McIntyre-Bhatty, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Bournemouth University
Attracting the modern learner
Traditional universities have long been able to rely on their
historical credentials to attract applications—their ‘red
brick’ status, their research bias, their location, for example.
With rising debt and more competition for graduate
jobs, however, all institutions are conscious of not resting
on their laurels when it comes to appealing to the best
students, although as Jason Last at UCD counters: “A good
reputation often points towards employability.”
More technical universities have always had to think of
innovative ways of enticing students to study with them.
All students at the University of Teesside are given iPad
tablets, for example, to encourage them to familiarise
themselves with technologies they will encounter in the
workplace—improving digital skills while enabling access
to their learning and collaboration tools at all times.
“We have to understand what future students will
want from their university experience.”
Felix Kuijpers, Programme Manager Education Innovation with ICT,
Avans University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands)
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“Students hold the power more than they ever have and
they quite rightly want a return on their fee investment. We
have to demonstrate that their learning experience will be
tailored, to deliver the best value to each student,” says
Felix Kuijpers at Avans.
Felix argues that, while institutions still want people to
choose university as an option, they should only do so if
they can clearly see that it’s the right option for them. This
is one of the reasons why the personalised learning journey
has become such a prevalent term—a more bespoke
offering has the potential to appeal to more people.
“There’s a sense of entitlement amongst learners,” adds
Richard Walker at York University. “Part-time learners are
beginning to feel empowered enough to study alongside
working, others are happy to learn almost exclusively off
campus. Some students still make decisions based on the
traditional reputation of a particular university but it’s no
longer enough. All universities need to be more inclusive.”
A future on and off campus
Some students will always crave the experience that being
on campus provides and this will continue to be at the
heart of how many will learn at universities in the future.
“University is a journey of self-actualisation,” says Jason
Last at UCD. “Education is just one part of that experience.”
Tim McIntyre-Bhatty also believes the campus experience
is paramount: “People and interactions are key; hence a
campus premium is a key part of our concept. I feel that
even more keenly after the coronavirus experience. Many
in the sector are now explicitly stating how important their
campus experience is for students.”
But, as Richard Walker argues, even traditional full time,
campus-based students are open to learning in new ways.
“Students are consumers,” he says. Choice is all important.
In order to attract and retain students their individual
requirements will need to be met.
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And for those choosing to spend more time learning
off-campus, both the teaching delivered and the learning
outcomes achieved have to be the same standard.
Due to the speed of change enforced by the coronavirus
pandemic, many institutions have been left exposed in
some areas for their off-campus teaching capabilities. It
has become even more evident that universities themselves
need to go on a journey to transform the provisions they
offer.
As Felix Kuijpers says: “It isn’t possible to completely
overhaul the student experience by just digitising what
universities are doing now. You have to change your
thinking completely.”
Bridging the skills gap
In the future, universities must produce more work-ready
graduates. A failure to do so may encourage more young
people to choose work over additional studies. Degree
apprenticeships are helping to bridge the gap in some
sectors, but there should be a way for students opting for a
traditional academic degree to acquire the skills they need
to apply their knowledge in the workplace.
“Society is changing, employers want an integrated set
of skills,” says Felix Kuijpers at Avans University. “Learning
is currently too siloed —we have to focus on being more
effective, at an individual student level.”
“We need to be more commercially minded and work
more closely with commercial organisations,” he adds. “We
have to narrow the gap between university and work.”
At Bournemouth University, 85% of students participate in
a work placement, and integration with industry is strong.
Tim McIntyre-Bhatty says this helps students to understand
the pressures of what is required in a work environment.
University College Dublin has been ranked number one in
the Graduate Employability Rankings since 2018. “The role
of university is broader than just knowledge acquisition,”
says Jason Last, its Dean of Students. “In addition to work
experience, there should be opportunities for students
to test themselves in wider roles during their time at
university—through membership and leadership of clubs
and societies, for example.”
“Employability has to be part of a student’s pedagogy,”
agrees Richard Walker from the University of York. “From
developing a portfolio, to raising their profile on LinkedIn,
students have to gain an understanding of what an
employer might like to see.”
As well as providing opportunities in the workplace
throughout their studies, many universities have also
embraced cross-discipline collaboration to focus on skills
such as teamwork and accountability.
Teesside University, for example, recently ran a project to
enhance
an unpopular student accommodation building. The
project team consisted of students from departments
including health, criminology and interior design — all
working together on a strategy to breathe new life into the
building.
“We need to break down the academic silos,” says
Teesside University’s Mark Simpson. “We are so used
to teaching in discipline areas, but in the world of work
everything is much more project focused.”
“Everything is merging in the world around
us. Shouldn’t we bring our academic
disciplines together to reflect the world we
live in? There’s no doubt that employers
would respond well to this.”
Felix Kuijpers, Programme Manager Education Innovation
with ICT, Avans University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands)
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Technology to facilitate change
Technology will not completely replace quality face-to-face
time with a subject specialist, nor will it guarantee that all
students will graduate with the digital skills they need to
enter the workplace. But it can match and often enhance
learning processes that have previously taken place faceto-face because there was no alternative. In this sense, it is
facilitating the vision for the university of the future.
In terms of teaching and learning, the emphasis is on
quality. Universities have an opportunity to focus on those
elements of
learning that are enhanced by personal interaction and
use technology to support all other course delivery and
assessment components.
This is a chance to rethink what can deliver the best learner
outcomes. “You could argue that delivering a one-hour
lecture in a theatre is not
the best way to teach,” says Mark Simpson at Teesside
University.
“I think for many this has become evident when they’ve
tried to replicate it on a screen.”
In theory, could a larger proportion of course content be
delivered virtually, freeing up time for more one-to-one
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sessions with students and giving tutors the freedom to
tailor content to the needs of individual learners, thus
helping with that more personalised experience?
Virtual classrooms and Learning Management Systems
are expediting the ability to deliver personalised learning
through the levels of engagement and feedback they offer
between tutor and student.
But both staff and students need to be on board to get the
most out
of the technology available and there needs to be a focus
on training
to support lecturers, as well as students, on this journey.
“Teachers rely on their knowledge, and transferring that
knowledge is their value,” says Felix Kuijpers. “It can be a
big change management exercise to initiate new ways to
transfer that knowledge.”
“This will be a huge shift for lecturers,” adds Richard
Walker. “They will need the right competencies to use the
technology plus the pedagogical skills to support active
learning.”
Using analytics to improve
the learner experience
As many institutions have learned during the coronavirus
pandemic, it is harder to engage students online if there is
no personalisation element to the content.
Triggers within Learning Management Systems enable
course leaders to create highly personalised pathways and
to intervene where necessary. For example:
Student x is only logging onto the LMS once per week
They also scored less than 70% on their previous
assignment
They have only engaged with 50% of the content that has
been shared over the past term
Based on any combination of insights, personalised
support can be offered to the student. This can include
delivering more of the types of the content that they
have engaged with previously or initiating a face-to-face
meeting to provide additional tutor time. Having access to
this data makes it much easier for course leaders to focus
on learning outcomes on an individual level.
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Conversely, students who are working through modules
more quickly, or are exceeding expectations in certain
areas, can be fed additional content and higher-level tasks.
“Personalisation has to happen on the back of the data”
says Mark Simpson at Teesside University.
Configuring these triggers is quick to do. Universities that
tailor feedback and course delivery based on analytics can
add huge value to the traditional ways of assessing work
and delivering feedback, regardless of whether they are
providing on or off-campus teaching. “Technology helps
us with personalisation and tailoring,” says Tim McIntyreBhatty, “so we know what our students are engaging with
and how we can make improvements.”
Conclusion
The impact of coronavirus will no doubt speed up the
Higher Education sector’s vision of attracting and engaging
different types of learners, and to deliver a personalised
learner journey. To convince potential students that they
will receive a premium quality, tailored learning experience
regardless of how they choose to study, institutions are
undergoing organisational, technological and pedagogical
change. Rather than fear this change, staff and students
are embracing the opportunity to reimagine the university
of the future.
“While the pandemic accelerated the use of technologyenhanced learning for all, this has really been about
becoming more tech enabled,” says Tim McIntyre-Bhatty.
“It has brought into focus how much work everyone has to
do to move to a truly blended model. But our sector has
vast experience, both in delivery and the quality of that
delivery. We now simply have to ensure that it is based
upon best practice everywhere and for the benefit of
everyone.”
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With thanks to
our contributors:
Felix Kuijpers
Programme Manager Education Innovation with
ICT Avans University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
Jason Last
Dean of Students
University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland
Mark Simpson
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching)
Teesside University, UK
Richard Walker
Head of the Programme Design and Learning Technology
Team
University of York, UK
Tim McIntrye-Bhatty
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Bournemouth University, UK
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