Driving Digital Transformation in Higher Education

Dx and Students

Dx is a student-centered endeavor. Six of the top seven major benefits of Dx that respondents identified are directly focused on student success (see figure 6). Indeed, 87% of respondents from institutions currently engaged in Dx said that "Improving the student experience" was driving institutional planning and investment in Dx. Other expected benefits following closely behind are the student success benefits (and drivers) of improving faculty teaching and advising, decreasing student dropout rates or improving retention, and improving student course-level performance. These potential benefits of digital transformation align well with the EDUCAUSE 2020 Top 10 IT Issues theme of innovation, which includes three of the top 10 issues: student-centric higher education (#5), student retention and completion (#6), and improved enrollment (#7). Other perceived major benefits and drivers of Dx are related to improving the institution's reputation, competing with institutional peers, and improving the financial health of the institution.

Horizontal bar chart showing the potential major benefits of Dx.  Y-axis shows categories. X-axis shows percentage of respondents reporting potential major benefit.  Data provided is approximate.  Improving the student experience = 87% Improving faculty teaching and advising = 65% Decreasing student dropout rate or improving retention = 64% Attracting more students = 62% Ensuring institutional survival = 61% Improving student course-level performance = 58% Reaching a different or broader segment of students = 58% Improving the institution’s reputation and standing = 55% Expanding research = 55% Reducing students’ time to degree = 53% Out-doing or keeping up with peer institutions = 51% Out-doing or keeping with new, non-traditional competitors = 50% Containing or reducing costs = 49% Containing or reducing expenditures = 47% Generating new sources of income = 38% Attracting donors and funders = 38% Expanding the types of credentials we award = 35% Generating revenue = 34%
Figure 6. The potential major benefits of Dx