Building self-efficacy for digital transformation
Helen Darlaston, TEL Team Lead, York St John University and Annette Webb, DCG Chair
In a constantly moving digital world where staff and learners are having to adapt to new technologies, how are York St John University staff supporting academic staff and students to build resilience and confidence for digital transformation?
Helen Darlaston and Annette Webb will showcase best practice from both the academic and students’ perspective building transferable digital literacy and capability skills.
Empowering Digital Fluency - A Collaborative Approach to Building Capabilities
Sarah Grayston, Learning Technologies Manager and Jacqueline Huynh, Queen Margaret University
At Queen Margaret University, we have adopted a holistic and flexible approach to building digital capabilities across our staff and student population, underpinned by the JISC Digital Capabilities Framework and closely aligned with the development of our new Learning, Teaching, and Assessment Strategy.
This session will share practical examples of how our initiatives, which are still in their early stages, have empowered staff to feel confident and equipped in their use of digital tools while fostering cross-departmental collaboration. Through targeted engagement sessions with both staff and students, we have ensured that their voices inform the strategy development and helped shape the delivery of tailored workshops and initiatives. These include our Digital and Teaching Empowerment (DATE) events and AI workshops, which create critical safe spaces for staff to explore and reflect on emerging technologies.
By embedding digital capabilities across institutional teams—including academic departments, the library, careers, academic development, and with support from the senior leadership team—we have not only started to enhance staff confidence but also reinforced their role in equipping students with the digital skills and critical thinking required for their future success. This collaborative approach ensures that digital capabilities are integrated into teaching, learning, and assessment practices, supporting students to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
Attendees will leave with insights into designing initiatives that align digital fluency with institutional strategy, enhance collaboration, and empower staff and students alike. Additionally, we invite participants to engage with us by offering comments, questions, and ideas to help refine and shape our approach as the project develops further.
Networking lunch with optional tours of the Google Accessibility Discovery Centre
You are invited to a tour of Google’s Accessibility Discovery Centre - a space where people collaborate, co-design and learn with the accessibility and disabled communities. The centre was built with local partners like the RNIB, the RNID and Everyone Can, and Google’s internal Disability. Alliance employee resource group. You will be able to explore the research lab, assistive experiences, workshop and discovery arcade.
Fostering digital innovation through the use of immersive technologies: Strategies for academic engagement
Helen Claxton, Digital Creativity Project Manager and Richard Walker, Associate Director, Digital Education, University of York
This presentation explores the impactful work of the University of York's Creativity Lab, a vibrant hub for promoting digital creativity and innovation. Through hands-on engagement with immersive technologies, the Lab fosters a digitally forward learning environment, equipping staff and students with practical skills and the confidence to integrate these tools into their teaching and learning practices.
We will showcase case studies from academic departments, demonstrating how immersive technologies have been effectively embedded into curricula to enhance teaching effectiveness and student engagement. A core component of this effort is the Lab's comprehensive evaluation strategy, which identifies and shares best practices across the institution.
Additionally, we will reflect on the progress made in scaling up academic engagement with immersive tools, exploring the challenges and opportunities encountered along the way. Highlights from our strategies to empower staff in adopting new digital pedagogies will be shared, providing delegates with ideas for driving institutional adoption of immersive technologies.
This session invites participants to join a broader discussion on sector-wide developments, strategies for fostering academic innovation, and the future of immersive technologies in education.
8 Out of 10 Cats does Digital Education: Findings from the 2024 UCISA Digital Education survey
Julie Voce, Head of Digital Education, City St George’s, University of London and Richard Goodman, Learning Technology Team Manager, IT Services, Loughborough University
Come along to a special UCISA edition of 8 Out of 10 Cats does Digital Education. Based on the popular UK TV show 8 Out of 10 Cats (“8 Out of 10 Cats”, 2024), join two panels of digital education and digital capabilities practitioners to explore these questions and more!
The UCISA Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) Surveys (UCISA, 2024b) and Digital Capabilities Surveys (UCISA, 2024a) have been researching institutional approaches on the use of the technology enhanced learning, tools and digital capabilities for over 20 years. The COVID-19 experiences and the emergency shift to remote learning and teaching have prompted a review of both surveys, with attention to the interdependence between TEL tools adoption and the associated digital capabilities that are required to support blended, hybrid or fully online delivery.
In 2024, we launched the new Digital Education survey which explored the range of tools, services and practices that organisations are supporting and deploying to support digital transformation related to education. The survey took place between January-April 2024 and received responses from 59 UK higher education institutions.
This will be an interactive workshop to review the 2024 survey findings and consider the longitudinal trends. The format will include a mixture of gameshow style panel discussions, with two panels of three digital education and digital capabilities practitioners. In between the panel discussions, there will be opportunities for the audience to discuss themes in small groups. Delegates will learn about the key challenges for higher education institutions in supporting digital transformation, with a focus on supporting digital education and digital capabilities, and will have the opportunity to reflect on the findings in their own context.
