Embedding digital capability and ensuring lasting change

The University of Manchester faced the challenge of embedding digital capability across its teaching, learning, and student experience as part of a strategic change programme (2021–2025) ahead of its new 10-year vision.

In addition to enabling self-assessment and establishing a university commitment to digital equity, it was essential to provide opportunities to enhance and gain recognition for digital development. This was achieved through a pilot of LinkedIn Learning for all and Microsoft certifications for students and to incorporate recognition for colleagues supporting digital capability within teaching and scholarship promotion criteria.

Jane Mooney, professor of educational development and digital capability, was the academic lead of the digital skills workstream which ran from November 2021 to July 2025. A key intention was the successful implementation of support for student and staff digital capability, to enhance the teaching, learning and student experience and this was delivered through cross-institutional collaboration.

Standardising the digital experience

Working with colleagues from across the university, the digital skills workstream introduced self-assessment through our discovery tool, and our digital experience insight surveys, with colleagues in the technology workstream, to standardise evaluation of the student staff digital experience.

The data from the discovery tool is anonymised and aggregated, so it's confidential to the individual user, but an institution has detailed feedback for reference and to inform curriculum design or teaching practice.

Jane says:

"We got some great examples from different programmes from pharmacy, public health, mechanical aerospace and civil engineering and use of the tool within the Careers Service team that they then followed up with targeted development support as well."

We gave permission to extend the use of the discovery tool to the university’s Manchester Access programme (MAP) which is the university central widening participation scheme for c.600 local Year 12 students in Greater Manchester.

This also complements other activities that are within the programme such as getting support to create a CV:

"As we know, supporting articulation of skills across the board for everybody is absolutely critical for employability."

Colleagues leading the programme added in annual digital capability workshops and with support from the MAP student ambassadors they facilitated everyone to complete a question set of their choosing within the tool and get their personalised report.

Emilie Greathead, access, student success and development student coordinator, says

"Using the Jisc tool in the compulsory digital skills workshop supports students to actively reflect on and develop their digital skills independently, while also giving the MAP team clear insight into digital practices across the cohort. This data has shaped our programme content collaboratively with participants and enabled us to target support more, particularly around using AI in an academic context."

Looking at the previous year's data within the discovery tool helped the team to make decisions about what they were going to do this year. The next programme planned for the upcoming semester will include additional sessions and support around AI.

Jane says:

"It's really great to see that come full circle and really close the loop on accessing the data and feeding it back."

The discovery tool helps data informed decisions, for example where to possibly divert resources, or tailor the approach for different areas.

Collective ownership and onward use

A core part of ensuring the foundational work would thrive was establishing it as an embedded collective activity in the university.

Jane knew that landing the handover was critical to the programme's success ahead of the digital workstream closing in July 2025.

"We started planning for that really early. The handover included agreed business owners within business as usual as well as keeping information and contacts updated."

During the university’s annual building digital capability service review meeting with Jisc, Jane invited key stakeholders, and future business owners to get everybody in the room so that they would know what to expect next year and they’re already seeing the ownership in action.

The library team remains the student face of digital skills support, and they've consolidated the different online resources into one signposted digital skills support student package.

Students can access the discovery tool alongside LinkedIn Learning and take an industry recognised certification.

Carlene Barton, digital learning manager, says:

"Having access to the Discovery tool and LinkedIn Learning has enabled us to be more proactive in addressing gaps in digital skills. It made it easier to identify what support students need and has led to further projects such as the development of workshops and additional online learning paths. We were able to quickly make learning paths available within the tool but also as content that can easily be embedded into courses."

The talent development team have done the same to support staff access to resources, setting up a digital learning hub.

Nick Savage, systems and digital skills manager, talent development, says:

"We're now seeing within our structures and job roles, responsibility for digital skills which is really great evidence of sustainable continuation of support."

"The Jisc discovery tool has provided us with a clear, data‑driven view of our organisational digital capability - highlighting both areas of strength and those requiring development. Using these insights, we have been able to strategically curate LinkedIn learning content to address identified gaps, integrating this into our institutional learning management system (LMS) so that completions feed directly into colleague training and development records. This alignment has already delivered significant value and represents a major step forward in our digital skills strategy."

"While uptake of the discovery tool has previously been optional, we have seen exceptional impact in business areas where its completion has been mandated - bringing real clarity to areas of excellence and opportunities for growth. Our next priority is to make completion a required activity for all permanent and fixed‑term colleagues, ensuring a consistent, organisation‑wide approach to digital capability development."

Through a dedicated workstream, the initiative introduced self-assessment via the discovery tool, embedded recognition for digital development in teaching and scholarship promotion criteria, and piloted LinkedIn Learning access and Microsoft certifications for students and developed a digital equity charter for students. This coordinated approach not only enhanced individual skills but also positioned digital capability as a core element of institutional culture and long-term transformation.

The workstream has reinforced how and why data is absolutely critical for digital transformation in delivering the ambitions of the university of Manchester's new 10-year strategy, from equitable flexible learning to research impact and innovation.

Jane sums it up perfectly:

"All of this relies on effectively integrated digital and physical environments and the blend between the two… Providing support for students and staff enables us to leverage technology to achieve our goals."