A sense of anticipation and excitement filled the air as higher education institutions and sector experts gathered at the University of London on 11th and 12th November for the Wonkhe Festival of Higher Education 2025.
The pre-show promotion promised to shine a light on the difficult discussions happening in the sector, and the event did not disappoint.
Selina Watmore, Enterprise Account Executive at Ellucian, shares her thoughts on the key themes that emerged and what they mean for a sector in transition.
How was this year’s Wonkhe Festival of Higher Education?
It was an intense and inspiring couple of days that brought together senior leaders and academics who were fully engaged in shaping the future of higher education. The passion for policy, innovation, and the future of learning was palpable. With so much to see and hear, I couldn’t wait to dive in.
Collaboration, the standardisation of data and processes, and the best ways to capture the student voice were consistent themes from the start. I believe these issues will continue to dominate the minds of senior leaders of universities in the months and years ahead.
What challenges and opportunities for greater collaboration were discussed at this higher education event?
Attendees recognised the need to move at pace towards a more collaborative future. This shift is now regarded as essential to address growing financial pressures, and student demand for more flexible, personalised learning.
Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice Chancellor of The University of Manchester, described how their PhD students were already delivering some teaching in local further education colleges. The initiative was part of a joint project to meet local employability gaps.
Senior leaders from several regional business schools also spoke about how they had pooled resources to buy specialist equipment and software. A move designed to release economies of scale that benefit all member institutions.
KPMG joined law firm Mills & Reeve to explore the concept of radical collaboration, where two or more institutions join forces to create economies of scale and close skills gaps. The session looked at the cultural, legal, and structural challenges of collaboration in higher education, as well as the importance of strong leadership focused on improving student outcomes.
Speakers drew inspiration from countries such as Denmark, where students can move between any of the region’s 8 main public institutions through transfer credits. Large-scale collaboration like this has successfully reduced duplication, expanded learning opportunities, delivered more flexible education and transferable skills.
How is standardisation shaping the sector’s ability to innovate and deliver flexible learning?
Inconsistent ways of working are increasingly being recognised as barriers to progress in the sector. Even seemingly minor differences in the way terms such as ‘undergraduate’ or ‘full-time study’ are used in universities could make stackable credentials and flexible learning more difficult to roll out across a partnership of institutions.
Many university senior leaders are therefore moving towards greater standardisation. One delegate likened this to reading music. Just as every musician understands the F note, shared definitions and data standards allow institutions to collaborate, transfer learning credits and develop modular courses with transferable skills students can access seamlessly.
Discussions touched on the need to address cultural resistance to change. Clearer guidance on funding frameworks and how regulatory bodies will assess the success of modular learning could help smooth the adoption of new approaches.
How is the student voice shaping decisions around the future of learning?
One speaker made the point that new initiatives are often planned without directly involving students. Understanding what students want and need was seen as key to delivering successful change.
Students at Nottingham Trent University have been actively involved in a recent initiative to improve access to information in ways that genuinely reflect their priorities. As a result, they were given direct access to information such as their learning records and the status of requests for assignment extensions or academic appeals.
A comment from a senior leader at another institution revealed that students often prefer to ‘learn alone, together’. This insight is guiding efforts to meet individual learning styles and at the same time, encourage students’ sense of belonging. This balance would be difficult to achieve without student input.
How are attitudes changing towards the use of technology such as AI in higher education?
There was widespread recognition that AI must be embedded into learning to prepare students for a workforce where this technology will be ubiquitous.
A shift is already underway. Some institutions are already integrating AI into curriculum design and employability support, including how it can be used ethically and responsibly in job applications or career progression plans.
A sector ready to embrace change
What came through strongly at this year’s Wonkhe event was a collective sense of momentum. Common challenges have sharpened universities’ focus on immediate priorities and encouraged them to consider the sector’s collective next steps.
There’s growing confidence that higher education can and will adapt to design and deliver the new vision for teaching and learning. The event continues to serve as an important incubator for universities to test new ideas and learn from each other.
Opportunities for the sector to engage in open, honest discussions about what strategies could work, and where issues still need to be ironed out, are critical. These conversations highlight the shared recognition that meaningful change will not come from institutions working in isolation, but from a sector willing to collaborate and innovate together.
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