Every year we conduct a range of interviews with the Higher Education community to find out what challenges and solutions are at the top of your agenda. Whilst we love connecting with our audience directly, these conversations serve an important purpose in informing our content programme for our next show. Having observed a true revolution in the sector over the past 6 months, much of which has been centred around the impact of transformative technologies on teaching and learning practices, we couldn’t wait to hear what you had to say.

Read on to explore the top 5 topics that our research participants want to see on the agenda for Ahead by Bett 2024.

1. Navigating the landscape of artificial intelligence

No one will be surprised to see Artificial intelligence at the top of our list this year. Research participants wanted to explore how we are positioning values, ethics and privacy around the widespread use of AI, and how Higher and Further Education institutions can establish the right policy and guidance to ensure the safety of students. Beyond simply wanting to better understand the current impact of this tool on the sector, the Higher and Further Education professionals we interviewed wanted to hear more about the potential of AI.

2. Supporting staff through transformative times

Coming in at second place, our research participants were keen to understand how they can foster a culture of creativity and innovation amongst their staff to ensure that the technology they are investing in is being used appropriately. Higher and Further Education institutions are struggling to recruit and retain IT staff, and are still relying on tech advocates within different business groups to guide the widespread use of technology. A key piece of the puzzle focuses on building staff confidence around technology, and driving upskilling for both permanent and temporary staff that fits a wider, unified strategy.

3. Building strategies for future infrastructure

A key factor in getting senior leadership to get behind new technology is educating themabout the benefits of developing an agile, integrated systems across core functions. This is the first step in answering key questions raised by staff, such as whether more back-office tasks can be streamlined through new technologies, or whether economies of scale can provide a route to bigger procurement projects, or how we can manage long-term investments in technologies which change day by day.

4. Using data insights to better understand student learning pathways

With increased touchpoints with technology being built into the learning experience, staff in Higher and Further Education institutions are beginning to identify more innovative ways of tracking and predicting student learning journeys. A key topic that our research participants wanted to hear more about was exactly how data can be leveraged for more accurate student insights, how student interactions can be captured in digital learning environments, and how predictive analytics can be used to enhance the learning experience. The intersection of large data sets and machine learning is certainly a space to watch for 2024, and we’re excited to hear from the pioneers in this area on the lessons they have learned so far.

5. Future-proofing approaches to assessment

The most common query we’ve seen in the media lately is how students might use generative AI tools to cheat in their coursework and exams. However, our research participants were keen for this conversation to go deeper to explore how we can make assessment more appropriate for student needs. This opens up the door to considering the importance of student agency, modular evaluation, project-based assessment, peer-learning, critical thinking and multidisciplinary learning across our curriculums, and interrogating how assessment can serve alternative purposes across different subjects. All of this begs a key question: how can we utilise assessment to help prepare students for the jobs of the future?

Alongside highlighting specific areas of interest, our research participants were keen to explore how these topical issues intersect to drive true value in education institutions. Other key topics that came up included pedagogy, the increasing use of XR, the Fifth Industrial Revolution, driving a diverse and inclusive workforce, prioritising wellbeing, and ensuring campuses are fit for purpose. We can’t wait to see you at our 2024 show to get to explore the future of Higher Education.