British universities are working hard to embrace remote working technologies amid mounting pressure to offer their students consumer-grade digital experiences. In recent years, higher education has become a commercial marketplace commanding high fees. In return, students expect digital interactions and pervasive connectivity to be the default so their learning experience can extend beyond campus.
Wanting to know more, Citrix recently asked universities across the UK about their flexible education services (via a Freedom of Information request). On the face of it, the findings look very optimistic:
- UK universities say that 80 percent of their students and 79 percent of staff are able to manage their own devices and schedules through access to apps and information from anywhere, on any device
- 60 percent of responding universities say they have a bring your own device (BYOD) strategy for staff and students
- A further 21 percent of responding universities say they are developing a BYOD strategy
What the survey doesn’t tell us, however, is how far these remote learning strategies extend and how well students and staff are utilizing the technology. Are UK universities delivering a work-from-anywhere culture that is inclusive, secure, and cost-effective and that meets the expectations of today’s technology-savvy students?
To answer this question, you have to make measurement a critical part of your adoption strategy. But we found that 17 percent of universities are not monitoring or measuring the technology experience they offer. By my estimation, that amounts to 500,000 UK students.
To ensure BYOD and remote working is sustainable and successful for universities over the long-term, there are three considerations universities should prioritise.
Creating Choice and Inclusivity
Creating “access for all” is a critical part of the BYOD conversation. It is important that universities focus on establishing a level playing field where all students have the freedom to work how and when they like, from their chosen device. Flexible education policies need to be inclusive of everyone, irrespective of an individual’s economic or social background.
Additionally, universities must consider what “working from anywhere” truly means. Is access enabled across any network, and is it truly free and open? Increasingly, universities are investing in a device for every student. But they also need to ask whether the device ensures an equal experience for everyone. Where possible, devices should be fully inclusive and interoperable with other platforms, or students should have the freedom to choose their own device.
Ensuring Cost Efficiency
Amid proposals to cut tuition fees for students in England to a maximum of £7,500 per year, from the current £9,250, universities must consider whether they are approaching their remote working strategies in the most cost-effective way. Ensuring a non-siloed approach across different departments is important, along with a clear understanding of how well the technology is performing for them. At every stage, universities should gather analytics that will show them how their investment is performing and the ROI it is delivering.
Additionally, if universities are growing their international student population, which is a must to bridge their funding deficit, they need to know that they can cost-effectively scale their flexible education strategy across the globe. If they are also purchasing a device for every student, their choice of device must be a sustainable option.
Citrix and cloud compute represent a sensible, cost-effective choice for the university market due to the students’ existing use of the Google infrastructure. Universities that partner with an alternative vendor must be confident that they can take advantage of cloud in a cost-efficient manner.
At Citrix, we are working with some of the largest and most prestigious higher education facilities in the world, whilst also delivering for some of the smallest colleges in the most deprived parts of the UK. These relationships have come about because we focus on providing excellent value in a way which is scalable and affordable.
Reaping the Benefits
There has been much research globally to demonstrate that employees who have choice in how they work and from where they work are more engaged, achieve higher levels of productivity, and are better at problem solving. Combined, these benefits lead to faster business growth and higher profits, helping businesses to achieve a clear advantage over their competitors in the industry.
The same is true of students, who represent workforce of the future. Any technology initiatives and investments within the university sector must reflect as much as possible what is happening within industry. For university students to be attractive workforce candidates, they need to be engaged, productive workers and digitally competent. Universities must ensure that the technology they offer both on and beyond campus enables this.
Additionally, remote working in higher education is important to the Green Agenda. In the future we may see universities becoming less campus-based. By investing in technology now that enables remote working, the need for students to travel to campus every day will be reduced.
The digital workspace and remote working are transforming education as much as they are industry. With the war for talent set to intensify further, the winners will be the universities who are successfully creating the next generation of workers.
