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Newly engineered opportunities have opened the doors for Higher Education institutions to pioneer student, researcher, and funding recruitment. From deeper data applications to mass-scale live debates, the Higher Education sector is going through a digital transformation, with varying rates and approaches.

New data and accessibility regulations, as well as pressure on student recruitment from COVID-19, have required Higher Education institutions to accelerate these 'digital transformation roadmaps'.

Entire organisations have had to react and re-evaluate everything across technology implementation, face-to-face education, student recruitment, and community satisfaction.

The forces of change are drawing in at an unprecedented rate. But are universities equipped to make the quality, long-term adjustments needed?

Senior stakeholders from the University of West London, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Oxford Saïd Business School sat down with Paul Johnson, our Drupal and HE Specialist at CTI Digital to discuss their digital challenges and opportunities during a panel at DrupalCon Europe. We received a unique perspective on various UK organisations' challenges with differing cohorts, scale and complexity, age and legacy systems.

 

Watch the full panel here, and use the time stamps below to navigate:

 

00:00 - Introduction with:

  • Chair and top left: Paul Johnson, HE Specialist at CTI Digital
  • Bottom left: Adrian Ellison, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor & Chief Information Officer at the University of West London.
  • Top right: Nick Holland, Head of Digital at Manchester Metropolitan University.
  • Bottom right: Iain Harper, Head Of Digital Marketing, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

05:29 - Why The University of West London chose to upgrade and continue using Drupal.

09:50 - How Manchester Metropolitan University built the business case to move to Drupal.

13:29 - Oxford Saïd Business School's experience of using Drupal 8 for multiple years.

19:30 - Managing "HiPPO" (Highest Paid Person's Opinion) and different stakeholders' opinions.

22:20 - Data-driven decision making to changes of an existing platform at Oxford.

24:58 - Managing governance for an entire platform change at MMU.

26:58 - Managing change to projects and their teams over multi-year projects.

33:54 - Lockdown and adapting working with staff and students remotely.

37:04 - Content governance and consistency.

38:54 - Designing and building a website for diverse audiences.

41:22 - What features or capabilities for Drupal should Drupal develop for HE's future?

 

If you're looking for a digital partner to support your digital transformation. We're the team you're looking for. Our full-service team can take your through discovery and user research to plan and define the underlining requirements that meet your business goals. Our content strategy and development team will then be available to make your digital roadmap become a reality—all under one roof, with years of precedented success.

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