Navigating the realm of digital transformation in higher ed raises a multitude of questions - what do we digitize, who do we involve, do we have to, how does this change the way I teach, and, why do we need to do this at all.

There are several benefits to an institution transforming how it operates and delivers value to its most important stakeholder - the student.  Ease of access, learning mastery and improved outcomes are only a part .  Other benefits extend beyond the student and impact the whole operating model of the institution - demand generation and growth, lifelong learning and employability - factors that impact both the financial health of an institution, its ability to qualify for funds, and build its long-term reputation both for academic excellence and employability.

Most often transforming digitally for an institution focuses on how it delivers teaching and learning.  Long before Covid,  in the GCC and most developed education markets, every respectable higher ed institution utilized a learning management system (LMS) of some sort - mostly Moodle or Blackboard, but over time Canva, D2L, Sakai and others appeared on the market.  The LMS market itself is a competitive one.  Most institutions underutilized the capabilities afforded by an LMS to simply post assignments and readings in the forms of PDFs, and record student grades.  Essentially, this was a traditional delivery utilizing a very fancy digital platform.  Over time as integration capabilities improved publishers' Content Management Systems could seamlessly integrate into most LMSs.  The possibilities were now endless, but still dictated to an extent by the CMS capabilities and publishers' content.  There are interesting cases in this space, where a few institutions in the region, such as HCT, that worked early on to deconstruct traditional content and configure these platforms, we able to link content to specific learning outcomes and provide a full outcome-based approach to teaching and learning.  Digital transformation goes beyond the implementation of technology to fully utilizing its capabilities to design a meaningful learning experience that reflects how and where students today access content, how they engage with it, the type of formats that are best suited to their lifestyle, preferred device, and learning habits, and the various types of tools and assessment techniques used to reinforce that learning.  In other words, the point of any kind of digital platform is not to have the student log in, download and print a pile of papers.  But, to have a carefully mapped outcome-based approach that keeps students on the platform, measures their time spent, quality of answers, and time to mastery.  And if reporting and analytic capabilities are then able to use that data to tell an institution how an individual student is doing, a whole class, who is at risk of failing, and have those insights across all sections in the school / college, then that's technology used at its best.  It offers instructors and teachers the possibility to do what they love most - teach the fun stuff, remediate effectively, and ensure mastery, not just a passing rate.

Outside of learning, digital transformation can improve the institution's reach, ability to attract potential leads throughout the year, and to improve application drop out rates. Using data and analytics, enrollment campaigns can become more targeted to behavioral preferences, with the ideal student persona being attracted most effectively. This goes beyond great digital marketing and a website, but also a portal that caters to new applicants, moving them along the admissions process from application to acceptance, to deposit, visa processing (if relevant), travel to campus, dorm / residence arrangements, and course selection and access to the university learning portal. A pre-orientation of sort that ends with course enrollment and access to all relevant technology and course content. It certainly makes first week of school less hectic for everyone, but the impact on both top and bottom line can be measured, too by having increased reach that does not depend on roadshows, fairs and high school visits alone, improved student acquisition, and hopefully increased retention and graduation rate down the road.

And, finally, lifelong learning and employability.  Once they graduate, it's not goodbye.  Reputation is built upon great relations with industry and the private sector.  Today we all talk about the US$ 8.5 trillion gap by 2030 - referring to the lost revenue potential due to shortage of skills despite a growing number of graduates.  Ensuring that education does not stop when a degree is obtained means continuous improvement of the program offering, introduction of new courses and certifications beyond the traditional diploma type, and even allowing traditional degree programs to incorporate industry-developed courses and certification. These partnerships and certifications will be key to ensuring that great courses and learning have academic rigor, appropriate instructional design, practical applicability and welcome reception by the labor market. Keeping in touch with graduates and alumni, and catering to their future re-skilling or up-skilling requirements is already a whole new education market. One in which both employers and educational institutions will have a role to play. 

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