Shaping human-centred innovation in tertiary education

AI and other emerging technologies offer significant opportunities to improve access, participation and experience. But innovation is moving quickly, and institutions are having to make decisions about technologies whose accessibility, evidence base, risks and longer-term implications may not yet be clear.

This project will bring together students, practitioners, researchers, suppliers and other sector partners to understand how tertiary education can make better decisions about emerging technology in tertiary education.

We will focus on innovation that is useful, inclusive, responsible and grounded in the experiences of the people who will use it.

What do we mean by human-centred innovation?

Being human-centred means putting the needs, rights and experiences of learners and staff at the centre of how technology is designed, selected, introduced and governed.

In this project, innovation doesn’t mean inventing entirely new technology. We will look at identifying, developing, adapting or applying existing technologies, ideas and practices in new ways to create better outcomes for people.

Why this work is needed

Tertiary education providers are being asked to innovate while responding to rapid developments in AI, changing student expectations, financial pressures and evolving regulatory requirements.

At the same time, members face practical challenges. Emerging technologies like robotics, extended reality, and neurotech can be difficult to evaluate before they become embedded in teaching and support environments.

Supplier claims about accessibility or AI capabilities can be difficult to verify and staff may have limited capacity to investigate the implications of new technologies themselves.

There is also a wider opportunity. Technology can help create more flexible, personalised and inclusive experiences, particularly when the people affected by it are involved from the beginning. There is tremendous power in involving students as partners in innovation rather than simply recipients of new technology.

We want to help the sector capture the benefits while anticipating problems early.

Building on accessible digital futures

This work also provides a route for taking forward recommendations from accessible digital futures, a collaborative project led by us and the Glenlead Centre.

Accessible digital futures explored how higher education, technology companies and policymakers could work together to ensure that rapidly developing digital and AI technologies are accessible from the outset.

It highlighted areas including accessible procurement, student-centred approaches, collaboration with industry and the need to anticipate the implications of emerging technologies.

Human-centred innovation moves some of that work from recommendation towards practical action. The project will explore approaches including student-led innovation, stronger accessibility expectations in procurement and supplier engagement, and better ways of identifying emerging accessibility, policy and technology issues.

What we will explore

Rather than concentrating on one technology, we will look at a range of questions that are becoming increasingly important across tertiary education.

These include how providers can:

• evaluate emerging technologies before adopting or scaling them
• build accessibility and inclusion into procurement and conversations with technology suppliers
• involve students meaningfully in evaluating and developing technology
• understand the changing relationship between mainstream technology, assistive technology and reasonable adjustments
• respond to accessibility issues created by AI-generated content
• explore technologies such as smart glasses and their potential as assistive technology
• consider the implications of students using AI and other digital technologies for support, including questions around wellbeing, trust and online safety
• anticipate developments in areas such as AI, robotics and other emerging technologies before they become widespread.

Our approach will start with existing evidence and member experience rather than innovation for its own sake. We will bring together research, practical expertise and the perspectives of people using technology in real educational settings.

Who is the project for?

The project is relevant to people who influence how technology is chosen, developed or experienced across tertiary education, including:

• Learners and staff particularly those whose experiences can reveal where technology creates barriers as well as opportunities
• Institutional leaders and practitioners including people working in learning and teaching, accessibility, assistive technology, digital transformation, IT, procurement, student support and wellbeing
• Technology suppliers and innovators developing products and services used in education
• Policymakers, funders, researchers and sector bodies that shape the environment in which technological innovation takes place

The project will involve institutions with different levels of accessibility maturity and will draw on perspectives from further education, higher education and specialist settings.

What we want to achieve

We want to make it easier for members to make informed decisions about emerging technologies while keeping student and staff experience at the centre.

Success will mean institutions have practical ways to assess technology before adoption or procurement; students and staff can contribute meaningfully to innovation; suppliers receive clearer signals about the sector’s expectations; and policymakers have stronger evidence about where guidance, regulation or intervention may be needed.

We want technological change to result in better experiences and opportunities for people, rather than simply more technology.

Project outputs

Outputs will develop as we work with members and partners.

Examples include:

• activity exploring accessibility and AI-generated learning content
• embedding tailored accessibility assessments in a procurement framework for assessment and feedback tools
• examples of student-driven inclusive innovation
• opportunities for members to discuss technology, wellbeing, online safety and reasonable adjustments
• practical accessibility questions and criteria for technology procurement
• resources exploring smart glasses as assistive technology
• sector briefings on priorities around accessibility, AI and inclusive innovation
• support for collaborative initiatives that help the sector anticipate emerging accessibility issues or potential risks

The aim is to create practical evidence, resources and connections that members can use to make technology decisions that are accessible, safe, inclusive and centred on student and staff experience.