Day 2 Plenary abstracts

 

Wednesday 19 March

 

Embedding an empowered values focused culture in order to support team workplace health and wellbeing
Alison Harding, Executive Head of Library and Learning Resources, University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Within higher education the standard approach to staff wellbeing is often around isolated short term solutions, usually developed at a senior university level without broader staff engagement. In addition, the staff experience is very rarely seen in the context of student experience and wellbeing, even though research tells us that they are closely linked.

In embedding a values-based reflective learning culture within a departmental leadership leadership group I would like to explore how this has supported the longer term wellbeing of the wider team, and also strengthened the talent management and succession planning priorities of my own leadership journey.

 

Are you ready for Generation AI?
Michelle Craig, Director of Marketing, AppsAnywhere

Four years from now the first Generation Alpha students will join the ranks of your institution. Born in 2010, the year the iPad and Instagram were launched, today’s 14-year-olds are the most digitally connected generation.

While not everyone can agree on what the future brings for Gen Alpha, as some of them are yet to be born, and 1 in 5 are still in nappies, what is certain is that their world is online. Gen Alpha use ChatGPT as their main search engine, are tech-savvy, and spend more time socialising online than face to face.

To remain attractive and relevant to what will be the largest generation in history, higher education institutions must adapt or risk disengaging them. Join this session to learn more about the profile and expectations of Gen Alpha, and the areas you need to address now, to prepare for welcoming the new generation of students and support their future success.

 

Lessons from a University Merger in Australia: Putting curriculum management first
Professor Carol Miles - Project Lead, Curriculum Management System Implementation and Clare Forde - Senior Project Manager, Curriculum Management System Implementation, Adelaide University (Australia)

As Australia’s first major new university established in this century, Adelaide University will open in 2026 representing a merger between South Australia’s two largest universities. Delivering Australia’s most accessible and contemporary curriculum to over 70,000 students, it will be one of Australia’s largest. The new university has bold ambitions to ride high in the top echelons of the world rankings as a global education and research powerhouse.

When the decision to merge the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia was made in mid-2023, the first strategic action was to determine the core technologies required. Acknowledging the development of a brand new, contemporary curriculum, a digitised curriculum management system was given the highest priority. The core CMS was rapidly implemented to enable the University’s official web presence at the University's launch in July 2024.

This session will address:

  • Why a CMS was the foremost critical system deployed for the new university
  • The impact of implementing the CMS first over other core university systems
  • How this strategic technology decision delivered strategically aligned curricular innovation
  • Key outcomes for staff and students
  • Challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned along the way

 

What's happening in UK higher education, and what does it mean for IT professionals?
David Kernohan, Deputy Editor, WonkHE

We're in an era of financial constraints, and of ever increasing demands placed on data and infrastructure. Regulatory and institutional priorities are shifting, and plans for collaboration and even mergers are under active discussion. David Kernohan, deputy editor of Wonkhe, offers an up-to-the-minute analysis of what is happening in the UK's higher education sector - and what might happen next.

 

Thought Leadership Roundtable Discussion
Chaired by Emma Woodcock, CIO, York St John University

  • Boosting productivity through AI
    Led by Dan Roberts, CIO, SOAS, University of London

    AI is seen as the key enabling technology to realise significant gains in productivity from staff; gains that haven’t necessarily arisen as a result of increased investment in Digital and Data platforms. Will AI be the key in unlocking the promise of productivity gains? Will AI provide these benefits alone or do we need to address other shortfalls in capability at the same time? If so how do we define the value proposition from AI in terms of the staff experience? What is the approach to AI adoption for the objective of increased productivity?

  • Shared services – innovation or erosion of independence?
    Led by Russell Boyatt, Director of Enterprise Architecture & Innovation, University of Warwick

    As universities face mounting financial pressures and increasing demands for efficiency, there is consideration once again of shared services as a solution. But is this model a strategic innovation or a quiet compromise? We’ll explore the potential for shared services in higher education - examining how collaborative models can cut costs, enhance operations, and foster inter-institutional partnerships, while also addressing concerns about job displacement, loss of institutional identity, and service quality. This session will be a candid conversation about whether shared services and shared products are an innovative step forward or a subtle erosion of autonomy.

  • Are collaboration and AI the route to Lifelong learning?
    Led by Richard Michel, Chief Information & Digital Officer, University of London

    As Universities face declining student numbers, we need to consider alternative education offers to support lifelong learning such as stackable microcredentials. Do our traditional Student Records & VLE systems stack up? What is the role of AI in lifelong learning? How can we collaborate across institutions to create truly personalised student learning offers?

  • Sector in crisis – what's the way out?
    Led by Adrian Ellison, Pro Vice-Chancellor (People and Digital), UWL

    Long term digital strategies are fine but where are we to find the investment given the budget cuts and staff redundancies flooding the sector in response to the financial crisis affecting many of us. Are there quick wins? Are there more things we can do between us to ease the pain? Are we really leveraging the collective power of the sector?

  • AI in Academia – menace, nuisance and opportunity
    Led by Paul Westmore, CDIO, Swansea University

     

    The media and vendors are telling us that AI will transform our world, much of this is hype but not all. Where do we see real risks to our institutions and real opportunities to improve our student experience and re-invigorate research innovation?