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Maturity model for digital transformation - knowledge development 

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Maturity model for digital transformation - knowledge development 

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Framework for digital transformation in higher education

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A comprehensive perspective on how the digital environment can support positive work, research and learning experiences, and promote a sense of belonging and wellbeing.

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The overarching purpose of this research is to support people involved in curriculum and learning design in HE institutions including, service and department leaders, senior managers, learning designers and curriculum teams. The research has involved a desk review, practice review, interviews, and feedback from workshops involving over 700 participants in total. It has learned from the collective experience of the sector during and after the pandemic, including from our 2022 digital experience insight surveys, and has benefited hugely from the input of an advisory group of 21 experts from across UK HE.

This report contains:

Challenges and transformations in learning and teaching

Definitions of blended learning

Four aspects of learning 'beyond blended': time, pace and timing, space and place, learning materials - print, digital and other media, and, groups, roles and relationships

Four modes of participation in learning that shape every session, activity and interaction

Key decision points for curriculum teams and teachers

Six pillars for designing 'beyond blended' with actions for curriculum design and for strategic planning

Designs for active student engagement

Links between the 'beyond blended' approach and existing design frameworks

Potential benefits of using 'beyond blended' in your institution

Supporting resources from the report are available below.

Key findings

All learning is now potentially blended

Digital technologies are now thoroughly embedded into learning and teaching as a matter of deliberate investment and policy from HE providers

New pressures such as the climate and economic crises and the surge of interest in generative AI are adding to an already complicated picture for curriculum design

Unless there is effective support for new approaches, and realistic workload modelling (both for teaching staff and for students), the risk is that online and blended learning will remain associated with the negative experiences of the pandemic and useful learning will not be consolidated

Contact hours, workload models, timetabling, allocation of spaces and facilities all constrain curriculum design

Support to develop relevant activities for different modes of participation is required to ensure student engagement and to support inclusion and diversity

What HE providers are saying about 'Beyond blended'

"The pillars and lenses devised by Jisc provide a framework in which to base our day-today conversations with academic staff and our students through to bespoke learning design interventions. Curriculum design is complex and needs to ensure that a myriad of approaches and considerations are made; the pillars and lenses encourage and facilitate this thinking by ensuring that all the relevant concepts are explicitly considered within an institutions design framework. This approach developed by Jisc will certainly be utilised by the University of Northampton to further enhance our curriculum design expertise."
Kate Coulson, head of teaching and learning enhancement, University of Northampton

"As we emerge from the pandemic, both students and educators are struggling to navigate their way through a world that presents a bewildering number of possibilities for how to learn. The Jisc Beyond blended report cuts its way through our bewilderment by providing six pillars for curriculum design, together with prompts to frame our thinking. Some of these prompts will help to inform decisions about how and where to deploy resources which will be useful to strategic planning in universities. Others will help educators to engage with students in designing meaningful learning activities that employ technologies that enhance the student experience. The Beyond blended report builds on a wealth of input that will help us to take a mature approach to learning in the 21st century."
Professor Katharine Reid, faculty of science associate pro-vice chancellor for education and student experience, University of Nottingham

"The Jisc 'beyond blended' project and associated report is a comprehensive analysis of the current state of play in a post-pandemic higher education sector. It sets out a practical and considered approach to developing blended learning activity within a University setting underpinned by a detailed approach to research and analysis. Even though every institution will take forward 'blended' slightly differently, this report acts as a robust starting point for localisation and draws upon experts and knowledge from across the sector to set out a strong foundation and is a 'must read' for anyone in a role supporting or leading a more strategic approach to blended learning."
Professor Simon Thomson, director of flexible learning, University of Manchester

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Researching digital experiences of international students studying in the UK

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Researching digital experiences of international students studying in the UK

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About the project

Building on 18 years of research into students' digital experience, including seven years of running the digital experience insights surveys, we wanted to take a deeper dive into the digital experience of international students coming to study in the UK.

To support the HE sector in providing an equitable student learning experience, we wanted to understand the previous experience of our international students in accessing and using digital technologies. However, we recognised this wasn't just about access; this was about considering cultural and digital expectations and differences.

Why is this needed?

International students constitute a significant proportion of the overall student population in the UK. In the academic year 2021/22, 680,000 international students were studying at UK universities. At the same time, our members told us the pandemic shone a light on the digital experiences of international students in particular.

The challenges international students faced were not only in relation to access to technology, but also in terms of the expectations UK HE providers placed on its use in teaching and learning. With the pandemic accelerating the use of digital technologies, which can now be seen embedded throughout the student life cycle, there is a clear need to undertake research into the digital experience of international students.

What have we done so far?

The first phase of our research centred on reviewing issues and perspectives from:

UK HE providers

Policy-makers

Academic and grey literature

Advocates working in this space

In April 2023, we launched our phase one report.

Phase two has focused on direct consultation with international students in UK HE. From May to July 2023, we ran a cross-institutional survey with 14 UK HE providers, and made ten visits to undertake international student focus groups. The survey generated 2,067 responses and we spoke with 150 students. Analysis of this data, along with recommendations for the HE sector, are in our phase two report.

We have established a sector working group with over 50 members, which aims to build community around this work with membership comprising representation from our partner institutions, as well as sector bodies whose remits support international students in higher education. If you'd like to join this working group please contact Elizabeth Newall ( elizabeth.newall@jisc.ac.uk).

Next steps

We will:

Work with partner HE providers to support their use of survey and focus group data to inform service and curricula developments for international students

Produce and disseminate a set of briefing papers on dedicated themes, potentially including:

How to run focus groups with international students to better understand their needs and experiences

Considerations for institutional strategy

Considerations for future curriculum design

The relationship between global civil digital infrastructure and individual digital experience

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Researching international students' digital experience - Jisc

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Highlighting alternative perspectives and considering issues that might affect the digital experience of international students.

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Raising awareness (for students) of the skills they are learning, such as collaboration when we are using digital tools.

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Raising awareness (for students) of the skills they are learning, such as collaboration when we are using digital tools.

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Knowing where our student's digital capabilities are. What do they know? What do we assume they know?

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Knowing where our student's digital capabilities are. What do they know? What do we assume they know?

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Lecture capture (visiting speaker or academic staff) and how it is captured and disseminated.

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Lecture capture (visiting speaker or academic staff) and how it is captured and disseminated.

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Digital poverty, cost of living, we assume students all have access (outside of UW) in the technologies they require.

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Digital poverty, cost of living, we assume students all have access (outside of UW) in the technologies they require.

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Upskilling of staff and students - thinking about Gen AI but also 'the basics'

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Upskilling of staff and students - thinking about Gen AI but also 'the basics'

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Knowing what equipment and software we already have access to, and how to make the most of it.

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Knowing what equipment and software we already have access to, and how to make the most of it.

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Knowing what resources already exist to support the use of digital tools

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Knowing what resources already exist to support the use of digital tools

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Dealing with mixed messages internally regarding things like use of recorded lectures or online seminars etc.

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Dealing with mixed messages internally regarding things like use of recorded lectures or online seminars etc.

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student perceptions of the value of online learning 

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student perceptions of the value of online learning 

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How to embed the need to develop skills into the course - assessment linked?

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How to embed the need to develop skills into the course - assessment linked?

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Appealing to everyone, what works for one doesn't work for another.

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Appealing to everyone, what works for one doesn't work for another.

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Moving from a repository on the VLE to using it as a Learning tool.

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Moving from a repository on the VLE to using it as a Learning tool.

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Ask all courses to consider Graduate Attributes and how they will be continually developed and logged (portfolio e.g. Pebblepad) throughout the students time at Worcester.

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Ask all courses to consider Graduate Attributes and how they will be continually developed and logged (portfolio e.g. Pebblepad) throughout the students time at Worcester.

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IT and career support and how digital literacy plays into it.

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IT and career support and how digital literacy plays into it.

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Providing skills workshops for students before the course starts

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Students may have a device but it is 'old' and won't run certain pieces of software or require older versions.

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The digital experience insights survey for higher education students took place between October 2022 and April 2023. Participating universities were able to select their own survey period within these dates, typically a three to four week window.

There were 27,131 respondents from 40 different universities. 25 of these were based in England, seven in Scotland, six in Wales and two in Northern Ireland. These 40 organisations represent 13% of all higher education providers in the UK.

The highest number of responses from a single organisation was 3,882 students (11% of their total student population) and the mean number of responses was 678 per organisation (on average 4% of the total number of students in each organisation that participated). However, nine of the 40 organisations contributed fewer than 100 responses.

A survey indicating the digital experience of further education learners is run simultaneously and results can be found on our 2022/23 FE learners report page.

Through Jisc's digital experience insights service, organisations can gain valuable data to inform strategic, operational and digital investment decisions, evidence year-on-year improvements and demonstrate return on investment. Organisations that take part have access to their own data to assess their unique situations as well as benchmarking data. Full information about the digital experience insights surveys is detailed on our information page.

Executive summary

Our 2022/23 digital experience insights survey for students in higher education explored some of the key aspects of learning using digital technology. Students continued to receive positive benefits from the digital technologies provided as part of the learning and teaching experience in universities. Most students experienced at least some form of learning using digital technology and it is clear that it now forms an integral part of the HE learning experience. Universities generally provided a good online learning environment and satisfaction with online learning is now higher than it was before the pandemic. However, the reality of the hybrid learning experience is that the many positive roles technology plays are accompanied by persistent negative aspects that disadvantage or hinder the ability of some students to learn.

Student preferences for learning using technology are variable, and organisations should continue to offer and improve the range of platforms and modes of learning that can cater to these preferences. Some key elements, such as the quality and timeliness of online learning resources should be addressed. Organisations also need to assess the support offered for students throughout the academic year for a range of digital skills relevant to their course and digital capabilities relevant to their future workplaces. Digital and data inequity remain major issues for many students, who struggle with private places to work, with reliable internet connections, mobile data costs, and with access to digital devices and tools. These issues have become more problematic since last year's survey, and are likely only going to become more acute with the continuing cost of living crisis. Within their capabilities, organisations should look at how they can address some of these issues.

Organisations have a significant amount of work to do in improving how they make students aware of data collection practices as many students were unaware of how their data was collected and used. Students also tended not to be involved in the decisions about their digital experience. However, the student voice should be valued: our survey highlights their positive and negative experiences and their thoughts on the use of digital technology. By responding to the issues they raise, organisations will be able to provide a more responsive and supportive learning environment for them. In turn, they will be able to more equitably develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed beyond university.

Access to technology devices and tools for learning

The online learning environment in higher education

Learning realities and learning preferences

Students were positive about the quality of their course's online learning provision (80% rated the quality as above average: best imaginable, excellent or good; only 5% rated the quality as below average). This is now higher than the pre-pandemic high (77%)

Students preferred to learn flexibly and in a range of locations:

Most used technology for learning at home (88%) or on campus (79%), but a significant number of students learned in public spaces such as cafes (40%) and at work (18%). Very few students only learned on campus (1%) or only at home (10%)

Classes tended to be mainly (64%) on campus (10% mainly online, 26% a mix)

This broadly matched students' preferences for taught classes: 53% preferred mainly on campus teaching, 11% preferred mainly online and 36% preferred a mix

Preferences for learning are skewed slightly more towards inclusion of at least some online approaches: 45% preferred mainly on campus learning, 14% mainly online and 41% a mixture

However, students experienced a range of difficulties in learning using digital technology, both on campus and off campus:

58% of students experienced some sort of issue that made it difficult to learn

Over half (54%) struggled with wifi connections, with problems almost equally experienced on (33%) and off (32%) campus

Around a third (34%) of students had problems with mobile data costs

A quarter found it difficult to access university systems off campus and just over a quarter (27%) struggled with no suitable computer or device

A significant number of students (36%) had no private area to work either on (23%) or off (16%) campus, with 19% of students feeling they had no safe area to work

Only 44% of students agreed that they had the chance to be involved in decisions about their digital experience (15% disagreed)

Experiences with digital technologies in learning

Students engaged with a wide range of activities using digital technology as part of their learning:

Most engaged with online course materials (85%) and online lectures (70% live, 82% recorded) and most undertook digital assessments (55%) and quizzes (56%) as part of their learning. Less common were the more interactive activities such as collaborating online (31%) and online text-based discussion (24%). Very few (3%) engaged with emerging AR or VR technologies as part of their learning

Students were asked about the online learning resources provided to them as part of their course:

49% of students agreed online learning resources for their course were engaging and motivating (11% disagreed), 58% agreed that they were at the right level and pace (8% disagreed), 78% agreed that learning resources were accessible (3% disagreed), and 62% agreed that they were made available in good time (8% disagreed)

In a wide range of areas, students generally agreed that digital technologies aided their learning:

83% of students agreed that using digital technologies is convenient (3% disagreed), 67% agreed that it allows them to contribute in ways they prefer (7% disagreed), 71% agreed that it helps them progress in their studies (4% disagreed) and 62% agreed that it allows them to be assessed fairly (6% disagreed). However less than half (44%) agreed that digital technology made them feel part of a community (20% disagreed)

Students were asked to expand upon what they felt were the most positive and negative aspects of learning using digital technologies. Some of these contradict each other but this points towards a need to take different preferences for learning into account.

Positive aspects included:

Negative aspects included:

Support for digital skills development

Students generally (71%) rated the support offered to learn effectively as above average (best imaginable, excellent or good). Only 7% rated the support offered as below average

However, when looking more closely at the support offered to students in a range of digital skills areas, percentages were surprisingly low. The only area where more than half (58%) of students said support had been offered was around plagiarism. Less than half (46%) were offered support for learning online and 36% were offered basic IT skills support. Percentages were low in a range of other support areas: specialist software (26%); digital assessments (21%); data analysis (21%); behaving safely online (20%); data security (18%); information, data and media literacy (16%); coding/scripting (14%); online publishing (10%); and, managing social media and webpages (8%)

Just over half of students (54%) agreed that guidance about the digital skills required for their course was provided by their organisation (11% disagreed). Only 36% agreed that assessment of digital skills and training needs was provided, 42% agreed that time was offered to explore new digital tools and approaches, 28% agreed that formal recognition or accreditation for digital skills was provided and 39% agreed that digital skills development for future employment was provided

Most (61%) students turned to other students for help with online and digital skills. Other sources of support included: online videos and resources (54%), lecturers/tutors (50%), friends and family (35%), IT staff (30%), library/learning resources staff (29%), and teaching and learning staff (13%)

Students were asked what one thing their organisation could do to help them to use digital technologies effectively. Responses were diverse but students wanted:

More opportunities to develop their digital skills (eg basic training as well course-specific and workplace skills throughout the academic year)

Improved IT support

Better user experience on online learning platforms and improved availability of course and support resources

More support for using a variety of software and applications (eg general productivity tools as well as specialist software)

Improved wifi and hardware provision

Access to both on campus and online lectures, with better audio and visual quality where lectures are streamed or recorded

More opportunities to interact with tutors, lecturers and support staff online.

Full report

Download our 2022/23 UK higher education (HE) students digital experience insights survey findings [pdf].

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2022/23 UK higher education students digital experience insights survey findings

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The digital experience insights survey for higher education students took place between October 2022 and April 2023. Participating universities were able to select their own survey period within these dates, typically a three to four week window. There were 27,131 respondents from 40 different universities.

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Digital capabilities of students and staff

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Digital capabilities of students and staff

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The following short animation from the University of Derby explains why it is important for people to think about developing their digital capabilities ( download animation transcript) (pdf).

Building digital capabilities framework: the six elements defined

What it means to be digitally capable will vary for each person. It will depend on the requirements of their role, their subject specialism, career choice, personal and other contextual factors. Our Digital capabilities framework looks more closely at what this means for individuals.

The six elements of this framework are:

Digital proficiency and productivity (functional skills)

Information, data and media literacies (critical use)

Digital creation, problem solving and innovation (creative production)

Digital communication, collaboration and participation (participation)

Digital learning and development (development)

Digital identity and wellbeing (self-actualising)

Download our individual digital capabilities framework

Role profiles

In addition to our overall digital capabilities framework: the six elements defined, and to recognise the different needs and ambitions of individuals, we have developed a series of role profiles for roles typically found in colleges and universities. These role profiles are used in the customised versions of our discovery tool. They provide a useful tool for reviewing skills individually or across teams.

See our role profiles for:

Find out more

See also our briefing papers for senior leaders and practitioners on digital wellbeing

Our series of narrated PowerPoint presentations provides a more detailed overview of the digital capabilities framework for individuals, how it came about, how it has evolved, how it is structured and our focus on how digital capabilities relate to educational settings.

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The following short animation from the University of Derby explains why it is important for people to think about developing their digital capabilities ( download animation transcript) (pdf). What it means to be digitally capable will vary for each person. It will depend on the requirements of their role, their subject specialism, career choice, personal and other contextual factors.