Digital Maturity Models in Higher Education: A Digital Transformation That Works

“Institutions that approach digital transformation as part of their strategic plans can enable a robust research culture, high-quality teaching and learning, and improved insights built on solid data foundations,” says Valerie Singer, general manager of global education at Amazon Web Services.

“Success requires strategic investments in people, processes and technology to foster innovation and resilience across the organization,” she says.

Digital maturity is all about “aligning your digital strategy with your institution’s overall strategy and mission,” says Mark McCormack, senior director of research and insights at EDUCAUSE.

A school might, for instance, look at the role and strategic influence of the CIO or the senior technology leader. “We’ve seen that if the CIO reports directly to the president or chancellor, they’re significantly more likely to say that they are effective in their role in supporting and influencing the institution’s overall strategy,” McCormack says.

Assessing Your Institution’s Digital Maturity

A number of tools and strategies are available to help schools understand their level of digital maturity.

“At EDUCAUSE, we have a digital transformation assessment tool that helps institutions identify where they are in areas like strategic alignment, governance, workforce support and capabilities,” McCormack says.

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The tool can help, in part, by driving collaborative, cross-institution conversations. “That’s where the change and growth can happen, by pulling together key stakeholders and developing a shared understanding of where they are right now, where they want to be and how they can start to close that gap,” he says.

With adoption of artificial intelligence a top digital priority at many schools, AWS has collaborated with EDUCAUSE and higher education leaders to build a new AI Readiness Assessment.

“This tool is intended to help cross-functional teams at higher education institutions facilitate discussion and develop an understanding of their current state and readiness with AI adoption,” Singer says. “Upon completion of the assessment, participants receive personalized resources aligned with the identified growth areas.”

In a similar vein, AWS also has teamed with education publisher Pearson to elevate digital maturity in AI. “By leveraging Amazon Bedrock’s foundation models, we’re reducing teachers’ administrative work through AI-assisted assessments and lesson planning,” Singer says. “This creates personalized learning experiences that adapt to individual needs.”

Transforming the Student Experience Through Digital Tools

Why focus on digital maturity? Ultimately, it’s all about the student experience. By understanding and elevating the digital maturity level, a school will be better able to leverage the digital tools that enhance learning.

“There’s great potential for IT transformation to improve the experience,” McCormack says. “Take AI as an example. When it’s integrated into the curriculum, you start to see the potential of how it could actually help equip and prepare students to be successful.”

Overall, “there’s going to be a continued need to offer students flexibility in their learning experiences,” he says. “Continuing to evolve learning models and empowering students to choose when and how they engage in the learning is going to be key. Meaningfully adopted and implemented, IT can be responsive to what we know our students need.”

What does that look like in practice? Singer points to several areas where digital tools can add value.

“With AI, personalization is the name of the game. Colleges and universities are laser-focused on improving the student experience through personalized and immersive approaches that support learning,” she says.

In addition, “students are expecting more flexible, hybrid learning models that fit their lifestyles and preferences,” she says. To that end, a cloud-based infrastructure “enables flexible learning schedules, accommodates varied enrollment periods, and eliminates the need for fixed computer labs, all while reducing costs and environmental impact.”

Universities also need to drive effective research efforts. Digital tools offer “cost-effective ways to accelerate research and discovery” by, for example, “provisioning cloud environments and research tools that support interdisciplinary faculty and student projects at each stage,” Singer adds.

Overcoming Challenges in Achieving Digital Maturity Models

A number of challenges arise on the road to digital maturity.

“Higher education is experiencing changing learner profiles, shifting financial landscapes and changes in staffing skills and tenures,” Singer says.

To move toward digital maturity, “leaders must invest in mission-driven solutions that have been prioritized by operational and technical leaders aligned with institutional strategic priorities,” she says. As technology innovation speeds up, “the path to digital maturity requires changing mindsets, building resilience and powering innovation grounded in strong digital foundations.”

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When EDUCAUSE members are surveyed about their digital challenges, they tend to focus on “organizational relationship things,” McCormack says.

That being the case, “change management is really going to be important,” he adds. “It’s not enough for technology leaders to be technically proficient, to understand the technologies and systems and how they function. The technology leader also has to be a relationship builder. They have to be a listener, an influencer, a partner and a collaborator.”

Success depends in large measure on “the ability to effectively communicate and collaborate across departments, to work around silos, to have strategic influence outside your immediate team and unit,” he says.

To that end, “technology leaders have to be listeners,” he explains. “Ask people what they’re trying to solve or what questions they’re trying to answer. What needs do they have? When you understand what they need, then you can talk about possible solutions.”

While digital maturity “may not look the same for every institution,” he says, it’s worth pursuing as a way to tap the full potential of digital transformation.