Demonstrating digital transformation - future ready: empowering people to drive impactful digital change

Speakers:

• Wendy Appleby, vice-president (operations), University of Southampton
• Heidi Fraser-Krauss, CEO, Jisc

Why digital transformation matters now; people, process, technology alignment and how Jisc frameworks support the University of Southampton journey.

Introducing the three themes we will explore throughout the day and while continuing our journey - people and culture, service and student experience and data, technology and ways of working

Speaker: Wendy Appleby, vice-president (operations), University of Southampton

A provocation: we don't have an AI skills gap. We have a communication clarity gap that AI has made visible. Prompting is not a new technical skill but a direct descendant of capabilities universities already develop clear instruction-giving, context-setting, evidence evaluation, and critical judgment. Evidence from the University of Southampton shows that when professional services staff develop structured prompting skills, the benefits extend beyond AI into clearer briefs, better-specified projects, and improved human-to-human communication. In this hands-on workshop, participants experience the difference between vague and precise prompting in their own domains, map prompting onto existing capability frameworks, and design approaches that improve both AI effectiveness and student-facing service quality simultaneously.

Speakers:

• Cato Rolea, head of digital innovation and AI, (iSolutions) University of Southampton

A) People and culture location: breakout room 1073

Embedding digital capabilities through partnership: staff culture and the curriculum​​

Embedding digital capabilities works best through partnership, shared ownership, and open conversations. In this interactive workshop, we share how we have embedded digital capability discussions and self‑assessment across staff culture and the curriculum, while continuing to learn alongside sector colleagues.​

Drawing on our work at the University of Southampton, we show how we collaborate with academic colleagues, professional services, and students to integrate digital capability within programmes, modules, and staff development. We focus on how self‑assessment can support reflection, confidence-building, and meaningful action.​

Alongside sharing our approach, we will invite participants to reflect on their own contexts, explore challenges, and contribute ideas. We also highlight cross-institution collaboration, drawing on our partnership across the sector.​

• The session combines short input, discussion, and networking.​
• You will leave with practical examples, ideas for self‑assessment, and clear next steps.

Facilitators:

• Tamsyn Smith, senior learning designer team lead, iSolutions
• Alison Ormesher, learning designer, iSolutions
• Peter Boorman, learning designer, iSolutions
• Fran Richards, learning designer, iSolutions

B) Service and student experience location: breakout room 1023

Co-creating digital transformation in student experience and services

This interactive breakout room will get participants thinking about AI through the lens of students. We will first recap how UoS engages with students to co-design our digital transformation, and then pose two core questions to the group, getting them to think like students and see the every-changing AI narrative through their eyes. First, we'll ask participants to explore how students currently navigate AI and their typical use cases, then we'll get participants talking in their groups about what concerns students might have about AI. After sharing with the group, finally we will reveal what our students actually said during our co-design panels and digital focus groups, and see how closely this aligns to what our groups suggested. This activity is useful in reframing your mindset to think about the student experience and attempting to explore AI on the other side of the coin. It will also reveal just how closely our perspectives as educators are aligned to those we educate.

Facilitators:

• Cato Rolea, head of digital innovation and AI, (iSolutions) University of Southampton
• Will Baker, business analyst, (iSolutions) University of Southampton

C) Data, technology and ways of working location: breakout room 1029

Building scalable foundations and operating models to support transformative digital services

Explore how UK universities can turn digital ambition into delivery in this focused breakout on data, technology and ways of working. We’ll look at pragmatic data governance, aligning technology to institutional strategy, and the core delivery capabilities needed to sustain change. ​

The session brings an operational model approach -  connecting empowered people, trusted platform architecture, and effective working practices to enable genuinely future ready institutions.

Facilitators:

• Abbie Orton, senior project manager, (iSolutions) University of Southampton
• Dan Adams, principal architect, (iSolutions) University of Southampton

This session explores how the University of Southampton used agile delivery to accelerate the development of the new student app -shifting from traditional, long delivery cycles to a rapid, student‑led approach.

Through a short visual presentation and interactive discussion aligned to the Jisc model, the session highlights the key drivers behind the app, including the need to simplify how students navigate multiple digital systems. It will cover the early vision and minimum viable product, the transition from a project-based model to a product mindset, and how governance evolved to support ongoing improvement.

Attendees will also learn how success is measured through engagement metrics and feedback, and how student voice has directly shaped the development backlog - ensuring the app continues to meet real user needs.

Speaker:

• Kelly Weber, director of digital strategy, (iSolutions) University of Southampton

This session explores why accessibility is essential to digital transformation and how inclusive design from the outset improves experiences for everyone. It covers disability trends, future needs, and the university’s work to strengthen accessibility maturity, showing how strategy turns into meaningful change. Through practical examples such as the new student app, accessibility‑first procurement, and innovative uses of AI, the session illustrates what good accessibility looks like in practice. Lived experience from the co‑chair of the Disability Equality Steering Group and the SUSU VP Education highlights the impact accessibility can have across learning, teaching, and everyday digital interactions.

Speakers:

• Matthew Deeprose, accessible solutions architect, (iSolutions) University of Southampton
• Dr Ben Whitburn, associate professor of education at the Southampton education school and co-chair of the disability equality steering group
• Joshie Christian, SUSU vice president education, University of Southampton

• Professor Andrew Atherton, vice president international and engagement, VC office
• Kieron Broadhead, deputy vice-president (operations)

This joint session connects University‑level leadership with frontline student services, exploring how digital transformation delivers real impact for students and staff. Professor Andrew Atherton will outline the strategic intent for digital transformation and its role in enabling engagement, scale and institutional impact, while Kieron Broadhead will reflect on what this looks like in practice across student services – from joined‑up journeys and accessibility to evolving service expectations. Together, the session highlights the importance of leadership sponsorship, service ownership and people‑centred design in turning digital ambition into meaningful, sustainable change.

Speakers:

• Professor Andrew Atherton, vice president international and engagement
• Robin Ghurbhurun, UK managing director further education and skills, executive director tertiary leadership and transformation, Jisc

A chance to meet and network with the speakers and senior leaders who have participated in the event. Join us for some light refreshments before your journey home.