Why is digitisation key in the higher education sector?

Here, Hult Business School highlight some of the main reasons why digitisation is a positive asset for the higher education sector

The higher education sector needs to keep up with the digital revolution in order to stay abreast of current trends in education, the job market and other research trends. Here are some of the main reasons why:

It helps students plan their careers

Digitisation in higher education is creating innovative career tools such as Hult International Business School‘s ‘Career Mapper’ – an online career coaching tool which helps students find the right career that suits them, while giving them the pointers they need to tackle any gaps that are in their current skill set.

As employers demand more from candidates, the job market is becoming more competitive, and candidates need to ensure that their skill set is as polished as it can be, so they have lots to offer a potential employer at an interview. Digitised tools used in higher education such as careermapper.io use Big Data, which enables students to answer questions based on their current career path, so they can find different roles within their current and new career sectors, helping them to find new job opportunities.

With the help of  Big Data, the tool gives details on market demand, salary requirements and the skills that candidates need to be accepted for various jobs. This enables ‘career mapper’ users to better understand how they can increase their chances of being promoted, or how they can implement a successful career change. The tool asks users about long-term goals, and advises on job matches for them.

It is relevant to today’s job market

Using current technologies and trends in higher education gives students the skills they need to use and understand current technologies that are relevant in today’s job market. Around seven in ten skilled workers require moderate levels of digital experience and knowledge to do a typical job within many countries in the EU.

With the growth of new technologies such as AI, the Internet of Things, robotics and Big Data, disruptive technologies are changing employers’ skill requirements, so job candidates are needing to upskill, especially if they are entering the fields of business or technology.

It makes a campus more communicative and mobile-friendly

Digitisation makes a campus more in-line with current technologies, including the popularity of smartphones. An integrated payment system for example can digitise payment touchpoints around a campus, so students can use options such as contactless payments, or pay for items through their smartphones. This makes the campus much safer, as students are not carrying around cash, and reduces further administrative burden on university staff. By digitising processes such as fee collections, payments and other financial tasks, staff have more time to devote to other tasks than dealing with paperwork.

A campus is also more easily connected through digitisation. Students can receive updates about their lessons and course work via their smart devices, and lecturers can also digitise the marking and feedback process, meaning that students get a more personalised support experience when they want to receive feedback on their work.

Students can contact their tutors at any time for feedback or support, and receive that support electronically, which they can then view and read/hear as many times as they like, day or night. In today’s world, learning needs to be more accessible, especially as many institutions offer remote and distance learning, and digitisation makes this possible. Learning is no longer tightly structured and fixed to a rigid timetable.    

It helps with remote learning

Many students opt for remote learning courses rather than attending a campus because they need a better work/life balance in order to work and pay for their studies, or to balance family time with work and study. By digitising higher institutions, learning practices become more accessible and convenient for those taking courses remotely from home.

Students can access virtual lessons or lectures, which they can access at a time that suits them, and they can also communicate with peers and professors at any time of the day or night. Digitisation also enhances the network-building process with other students, professionals, lecturers and peers, especially through social media and online professional networks. This further increases a students’ contacts’ book and gives them greater opportunity for career development when they have left higher education.