New resource for FE leaders and governors helps turn digital ambition into organisational impact

Our strategic questions for college leaders and governors provides a set of targeted considerations to support discussion, decision-making and assurance across college leadership teams and governing bodies with a digital lens.

Designed to span five connected areas of digital development (leadership, culture and governance; learner experience; staff experience; curriculum development and underpinning technologies) the questions help senior leaders and governors to:

• Consider how effectively digital contributes to educational and organisational priorities
• Focus on the experiences of learners and staff
• Identify areas requiring further evidence, discussion or development
• Consider dependencies between people, practice, processes, data and technology
• Inform priorities and possible next steps
• Connect with relevant Jisc tools, expertise, services and communities

The resource also includes discussion prompts, examples of evidence for review and practical next steps to help governing boards move beyond technical reporting and focus on strategic impact, value and risk.

Robin Ghurbhurun, our UK managing director, further education and skills, nations, advice and training, said:

"This new resource for college leaders and governors responds to a wider shift across the UK further education sector away from measuring technology adoption, and towards understanding how digital investments improve outcomes and experiences for learners, staff and employers.

"Importantly, the guide recognises that successful digital transformation is not dependent on technology alone. Instead, it emphasises the importance of aligning people, practices, processes, data and technology around institutional priorities.

"For senior leaders, the key message is that digital should be viewed as an enabler of college strategy, not a separate technology agenda. For governors, the resource provides a structured way to seek assurance that digital priorities are delivering value, managing risk and improving outcomes for learners and staff."

Designed to be used collaboratively, this set of questions complement existing sector support, including the Association of Colleges (AoC) and Ufi Digital Transformation and AI Roadmap and our digital elevation tool.

Together, these resources provide colleges with a connected approach to assessing their current position, identifying priorities, and planning for future development.

As the UK further education sector continues to navigate technological, economic and workforce change, strong leadership conversations will be critical. By helping leaders and governors focus on the issues and actions that matter most, the questions for college leaders and governors resource aims to support more confident decision-making and more effective use of digital to advance college priorities.