What do we mean when we talk about the future of digital education?

To design the future of digital education we need to think about the future of education more generally and only then consider where digital might fit in.

When we talk about designing ‘the future’ of something, we instinctively jump ahead and think about long-term visions.

But there is value in pausing and designing the design process itself.

Similarly, when we’re asked to think about the future, there’s often an assumption that it's about technology, and the question is typically framed as: “What does the future of digital education look like?”

But by using the word 'digital' we're already narrowing our view, and the possible responses.

Using human-centred design to explore the future

Universities are on a permanent mission to increase the resilience of their institutions while surrounded by a whirl of never-ending change.

Using human-centred design (HCD) to explore future visions helps them create breathing space and supports them in taking the long-term view.

It also allows for the emergence of a shared vision of the future we want so we can bring together short cycles of change which contribute to meeting that goal.

It helps design and delivery teams connect opportunities together into a joint strategy and align their vision and values.

HCD also provides a tested framework for universities to hold a sustained conversation with students – how do they envision education developing in the future?

This conversation needs to steer away from the traditional top-down and technology-led approaches and be accessible and inclusive.

Adopting this approach creates something like a collective mind with innovation capabilities that exceed the sum of its parts.

Which humans are we centring?

Designers love a ‘how might we question’ and, for me, this prompted a whole list:

• How might we integrate future students, academics, and staff in the conversation?
• How might we involve the policymakers and administrators?
• How might we collaborate with accreditors and professional bodies?
• How might we craft a role for employers and industry influencers?
• How might we challenge technology partners to deliver short cycles of change?
• How might we map out impact across institutions to make sure no one is left out?

Today’s reality, constraints, and opportunities

Future vision projects often fail to have the intended impact when they are not rooted in the realities of the present.

Our only assets for ideating the future are today’s resources. Instead of considering constraints as unwelcome limits, they should be seen as a springboard to innovation.

We need to be able to listen to the inevitable gripes about today’s practical problems while steering the conversation towards what might be possible.

Resolving smaller issues often creates goodwill and makes bigger, more challenging future change easier.

We can also use today’s reality to prototype, test and evaluate the ideas and concepts born out of the emerging vision.

Creating space for meaningful conversations

The challenge of designing the future of digital education is that it:

1. Reaches across the whole higher education institution and its constituent parts.
2. Touches on learning, teaching, research, support, estate, and business functions.

Co-designing the future vision with people from across that landscape is vital to create a common knowledge and language around digital education.

• Who learns?
• Who teaches?
• Where are they?
• When do they interact?
• How do they interact?
• What is digital?

The number of communication channels is a challenge. It’s easy to feel that you’re shouting into a void, while others get the impression that decisions that affect them are made without consultation.

It’s important to involve people who traditionally don’t participate, as well as those who are ambivalent about change. We need to open ourselves to challenge, and hearing those voices requires effort, training, support, and resources.

In a sector that has embraced digital interactions there is a place to be reclaimed for in-person human conversations. As my colleagues Jo Kilcoyne and Karen McIntyre have written:

“Face-to-face research is making a comeback... having been near impossible due to Covid-19 restrictions... Engaging with people's facial expressions, body language, and emotions gave us deep personal insights into their experiences.”

Beyond talk and into participation

Taking the time to find the right tone of voice to talk about the future of digital education is critical to enabling meaningful cross-disciplinary participation.

We need to mobilise the energy and intellectual power that resides in universities. We need to demonstrate that we’re truly interested in people’s contributions. And we need to make it easy to participate.

This will require us to clearly articulate the intended outcomes and limitations of our work and consider what people will gain from participating in the short term, and in the future.

Challenges in designing the future of digital education

For a while now I’ve been taking notes on the challenges universities say they experience when they’re designing the future of digital education.

I’ve heard these problems articulated at events, through one-to-one conversations, and in publications.

Below is my personal attempt to group and summarise them, with solutions.

Across the higher education sector in general human-centred design is well established, but it is unevenly distributed.

For some institutions and teams HCD still relatively new and, as I wrote recently, is a culture change challenge.

So, people need the support of experienced practitioners, with well-developed tools and resources.

An effective way to provide this support, and build HCD capability, is by drawing on multiple sources:

• Within the team.
• A central team in the organisation.
• External organisations.

Support for your higher education institution

I’d love to speak to you if your HE institution is somewhere on the digital transformation journey or curious about the future.

I’m active on LinkedIn so feel free to connect with me there and send me a message.

Or you can reach me through the contact form on this website.

Written by Anne Dhir - Creative Strategist