Sharing a whole institution approach to embracing and enhancing digital capabilities in a world of AI
Rob Howe, Head of Learning Technology, University of Northampton
The University of Northampton has maintained active developments to assist staff and student digital capabilities. This session will share the many different approaches which have been adopted since the advent of generative Artificial Intelligence. It will actively engage participants to reflect on the various approaches and consider how these are being approached in their own areas. This will included funded and unfunded activities which have allowed exploration and development. Not all initiatives have been successful, and this session will share these "warts and all" - these have encouraged us to reflect and enhance future delivery. Participants will take away models and approaches which will be useful in their own institutions. They will understand that not all initiatives will be successful, but this should enhance progress and not hold it back - as long as we learn from these.
Developing a shared understanding of digital confidence
Rachel Bancroft, Head of the Learning and Teaching Support Unit, School of Arts and Humanities, Nottingham Trent University
Digital confidence is an emerging term used increasingly in Higher Education, most often in conjunction with concepts like digital competence, skills, and literacies. In our staff support team we've long recognised digital confidence as a key piece of the puzzle for our colleagues when adapting to the ever and quickly changing use of technology for learning and teaching, and as such is something we have increasingly sought to nurture specifically.
We undertook a literature review (Bancroft, R., Challen, R. and Pearce, R., 2024), aiming to determine how the concept of digital confidence is being used in Further and Higher Education, and its perceived relationship to related concepts such as digital competence. While we found no clear, agreed upon definition of digital confidence, we did discover that a) digital confidence is widely considered to be distinct from digital competence even while the two are often conflated, and b) there is broad agreement on the importance of digital confidence to the digital transformation ambitions of educational organisations in FE and HE (Bancroft, R., Witham, B., Challen, R., Neylon. A., 2025).
This session will explore the findings of our review, as well as seek the perspectives of our attendees on how they view digital confidence in their own contexts. Finally, we will discuss where we're taking our research next to further our pursuit of a shared understanding of the concept.
Bancroft, R., Challen, R. and Pearce, R. (2024) “Searching for a shared understanding of digital confidence in a tertiary context: a scoping review”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (30). doi: 10.47408/jldhe.vi30.1061.
Bancroft, R., Challen, R., Neylon. A. Witham, B., (2025). "What digital confidence practice and research has taught us about supporting digital change." In Syska, A., Buckley, B., Sedghi, G. Grayson, N. (Eds.) Transformative Practice in Higher Education: Innovative Approaches to Teaching and Learning. Routledge.
From IDEAs to Impact: empowering faculty and engaging students at Imperial
Richard Banks, Director of Digital Education, IDEA Lab, Imperial College London
How the IDEA Lab at Imperial College Business School is finding new ways to inspire the leaders of tomorrow by collaborating with academics and experimenting with emerging technologies.
Topics covered will include:
- Working with faculty to deliver synchronous VR experiences in the class room
- Collaborating with academics to produce generative AI video avatars
- Using AI as a tutoring tool
- Building internal chat bots to help answer questions about policies and
- Creating 24/7 'digital twin' versions of module leaders to converse with students
- Providing guidance to academics on how to ‘AI proof’ assessments' or give students opportunities to engage with Gen AI as part of their coursework
Empowering our staff to embrace generative AI responsibly through discourse and exploration
Alicia Owen, Senior Digital Education Specialist, Manchester Metropolitan University
At Manchester Metropolitan University, Senior Lecturers in the University Teaching Academy and Digital Education Specialists have been working together to provide a safe space for colleagues to discuss the potential for and challenges of embracing Generative Artificial Intelligence in learning, teaching and assessment, and to develop critical AI literacies. The Centre for Learning Enhancement and Educational Development (LEED) have facilitated a series of ‘Let’s Talk AI’ discussion sessions, with an open forum in a safe space, and ‘Let’s Explore AI’ – practical sessions where participants are invited to explore some of the AI tools available at the University through guided activities. Engagement and feedback have been positive, and staff are encouraged to continue to re-attend: sessions are regularly updated to reflect updates to tools and emerging technologies, current topics of interest, as well as any changes to institutional guidance. This aligns with the University’s culture of lifelong learning; fostering a ‘digital mindset’ amongst staff to ensure we ‘future-proof' our staff, ensuring our educators are equipped with the fluency to develop and embrace Generative AI responsibly within the curriculum, preparing our students for an ever-changing graduate landscape.
An exploration of the tensions, and implications for professional practice graduate attributes when using Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education.
Charlotte Haines Lyon, Associate Professor, York St John University
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Higher Education is a contentious issue. While some view AI as a facilitator within education, others perceive it as a tool for cheating. This presentation will draw on the preliminary findings of a research project conducted with staff from the School of Education, Language, and Psychology at York St John University
Academic staff were asked to complete a series of tasks using AI to familiarise themselves with its potential applications. Following each task, they had the opportunity to participate in a research project by writing reflections on their experiences. These reflections focused on ethical considerations, personal values, professional identity, and the potential implications for professional practice and graduate attributes.
We will present our initial findings and examine the tensions that arise when staff engage with AI. Rather than emphasising the potential possibilities and benefits of using AI, this presentation will explore how academics might navigate the various challenges and critically reflect on their engagement with AI and the implications for their pedagogy. We will discuss the need to reconsider our values and professional identity in this 'brave new world' and offer recommendations for approaching the use of AI in academia.
Working across the institution: supporting Digital Transformation through collaborative relationships.
Laura Milne, Head of Digital Education, University of Chester
At the core of our transformation work, we have fostered powerful working relationships; collaboration between and across teams has allowed us to develop a powerful impetus for positive change, where digital transformation activities can take root and thrive. Without this human factor, transformation projects struggle to gain traction. The panel from the University of Chester includes senior colleagues from Learning and Information Services and the Centre for Academic Innovation and Development, representing IT, Libraries, Digital Capabilities, Digital Education and Education and Curriculum Development. Our work spans the whole institution: by tying our activities to key strategic focuses, we embed transformational activities at every level. In this panel, we will share how our digital transformation journey has included large strategic projects alongside small, grassroots continuous improvement. We will discuss the importance of senior stakeholder engagement, collaborative working patterns that have worked for us, shared governance, and community engagement. We will also discuss overcoming challenges, including resource allocation and resistance to change.
The panel aims to share our insights into how we’ve made it work for us, creating and cultivating a culture of innovation and inclusivity and building a more responsive approach to the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) environment in which we operate. We aim to inspire attendees to leverage collaboration between functional groups as a catalyst for meaningful digital transformation.
Google for Education and the University of York: utilising Google technologies to develop the workforce
Steph Jesper, Teaching and Learning Advisor, University of York; Phil Bainbridge, IT Specialist Support Advisor, University of York and Fiona Law, Partnerships Lead, Google for Education
Google for Education is committed to developing educators and students with the digital skills that they need to ensure they thrive in the work places of the 21st century. Through Google Workspace for Education, the cloud-based productivity suite that includes a free-of-charge version for all education organisations, millions of learners utilise creative and collaborative tools for learning such as Gemini AI, Google Classroom, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Sites and Vids.
We will share how we support educators and learners through various training, communities and certification programmes. Google offers a continuing progression route such as the Digital Garage, Google Cloud Career Launchpad, Google Certified Educator Level 1 and Level 2, Google Trainer, Coach and Innovator. We also support users to become self-sufficient by knowing where to seek help and support.
We will be joined by Phil Bainbridge and Steph Jesper from the University of York. They will share their case study of how their team develops their staff with crucial digital and IT skills. They will share their Digital Skills Framework, self-assessment tools, and the range of methods used to support and enhance inclusion, creativity, presentation, research and AI.
Cultivating collaboration for strategic change - building digital confidence and adaptability using Jisc’s framework and maturity model for digital transformation
Helen King, Director of Learning Innovation, Development & Skills, Bath Spa University and Sarah Knight, Director of Digital Transformation and Dr Becki Vickerstaff, HE Senior Consultant, Jisc
UK universities are facing significant disruption due to the economic crisis and limited resources, along with the lasting impact of the pandemic on staff and student wellbeing. One of the ways the sector is responding is by revisiting or in some cases, developing their digital transformation strategies. The path to successful digital transformation is not without challenges. It demands targeted investments, digitally aware leadership, robust and secure infrastructure, engaged stakeholders, uniform data practices, digitally proficient staff and students, and, perhaps most crucially, a cultural shift towards digital adoption.
Over the past year, Jisc has been collaborating with 24 UK universities and a French university, who have been adopting and adapting Jisc’s framework and maturity model for digital transformation. Universities have been self-assessing their digital maturity across academic, professional services, and IT departments to baseline their existing practice, highlighting gaps in previous approaches, and to identify priorities for investment and development. One of the key areas which has emerged is the importance of ongoing support for developing the digital capability and confidence of staff, students and leaders.
As growing technologies such as AI impact the education sector, we will discuss the importance of digital adaptability and how this can be achieved by developing an underlying confidence in digital capability across an institution.
In this session we will draw on our collaborative work with the sector and share common themes and barriers into developing digital confidence and capabilities with staff and students. We will share with participants proven methods of engaging and embedding digital confidence with staff and students by utilising institutional data and implementation methods.
UCISA DEG-DCG Achievement award
Richard Goodman, Loughborough University, Digital Education Group
The DEG/DCG Achievement Award recognises an individual working in a UCISA member organisation who has made a significant contribution over the past five years to the support of digital education and/or digital capabilities in one or more of the following areas: Promoting and supporting the use of digital education and/or digital capabilities Research into the use and support of digital education and/or digital capabilities. Leadership in digital education and/or digital capabilities.
