Act now: building digital capability to support success ahead of TEF 2027
Start now to strengthen the teaching, learning and employability outcomes that will matter most for future TEF assessments, beginning with your next student intake.
Author
Dr Becki Vickerstaff
Higher education senior consultant, Jisc
As universities begin preparing for the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2027, one message is becoming increasingly clear. Strong performance across teaching quality, learning environment and student outcomes will remain critical. At the same time, expectations around digital capability, student experience and employability continue to grow.
This creates both a challenge and an opportunity. Institutions that invest early in understanding and developing digital capability will be better placed to support students and staff, improve outcomes and demonstrate a commitment to continuous enhancement. Those that delay risk missing opportunities to identify needs and target support.
Our building digital capability service, and in particular the discovery tool, offers a practical and trusted way to support this work. Used by more than 65 higher education providers, it enables universities to gather structured insights into the digital confidence and development of both staff and students.
The key question now is not whether to use tools like this, but when to begin.
Digital capability sits across the whole TEF landscape
Digital capability is no longer a standalone consideration. It underpins all three TEF aspects.
For teaching quality, the ability of staff to design inclusive, engaging and effective digital and blended learning is critical. The discovery tool includes sector-developed question sets such as Teaching in HE, Effective Online Teaching and Accessibility and Inclusion, helping institutions understand how staff capability is developing over time.
Digital capability is no longer a standalone consideration. It underpins all three TEF aspects.
For learning environments, student confidence in navigating digital systems, engaging with online learning and accessing support services is fundamental. Question sets for new students, current students and essential digital skills provide valuable insight into how institutions support learners from the moment they arrive.
For student outcomes, digital capability is closely linked to employability. Question sets focused on employability and AI-related skills can help institutions understand how students are developing capabilities needed for a changing labour market.
Taken together, these insights help institutions better understand the factors that influence teaching quality, learning experiences and graduate success.
Using insight to drive improvement
TEF is ultimately about the quality of students' experiences and outcomes.
The strength of the discovery tool lies in the insights it generates to support enhancement activities. Institutions can draw on:
- Longitudinal data showing changes over time
- Aggregated and anonymised insights across staff and student groups
- Benchmarking against the wider sector
- Detailed reporting that supports targeted interventions and enhancement
These insights can help institutions identify strengths, address challenges and evaluate the impact of their digital capability initiatives.
TEF is ultimately about the quality of students' experiences and outcomes.
Importantly, digital capability data is not a substitute for national metrics, student surveys or other evidence used within TEF. Instead, it helps institutions understand the factors that may be contributing to their performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
However, there is a practical reality. Meaningful trends and improvement take time to demonstrate.
Why starting now matters
For many institutions, the next major opportunity to understand students' digital confidence and support needs is the start of the new academic year.
The new student question set, for example, is most effective when embedded at induction, helping universities understand students' readiness for digitally enabled learning and identify opportunities for early support.
By running this from the point students receive their credentials in September or October, providers can:
- Establish a clear baseline of digital confidence and capability
- Identify early barriers to engagement
- Deliver targeted support and interventions
- Track progress throughout the student lifecycle
These insights can help institutions strengthen learning environments and better support student success.
Similarly, launching staff question sets alongside the new academic cycle allows institutions to align digital capability development with teaching priorities, professional development and curriculum design from the outset.
For many institutions, the next major opportunity to understand students' digital confidence and support needs is the start of the new academic year.
Building a stronger enhancement story over time
Institutions that begin running question sets now will be able to demonstrate:
- Early-stage support for new students
- Ongoing development of student digital fluency
- Structured, institution-wide staff development
- Improvements linked to targeted interventions
- Alignment with digital transformation strategies
Critically, they will be able to show not just what they planned to do, but how insight informed action and improvement.
This is what turns data into meaningful enhancement.
A clear next step for institutions
The institutions that will be best prepared for future TEF assessments are likely to be those that invest early in understanding and improving the student experience.
By starting now, and embedding the discovery tool with new students at the start of the next academic term, universities can establish a baseline, identify support needs and track progress over time.
Those that wait risk missing that critical starting point.
Take the next step
- Download our TEF guide: practical advice on strengthening teaching, learning and student outcomes through digital capability initiatives
- Book a demo of building digital capability: explore how the discovery tool can be implemented quickly so you are ready for your next student intake
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