HE Connect Leeds 24

Let’s make higher education better

The conference is tailored for digital leaders in higher education and features 2 packed days with a carefully curated mixture of talks, workshops, activities and world class facilitators, thought-provokers, speakers and session leads.

Program

Tuesday, September 24

8:30 - 9:30: Breakfast and registration

Join us early, get the conversation started, make some new friends and enjoy some freshly brewed coffee and tea.

9:30 - 9:45: Welcome & Opening

by our host Janus Boye, Boye & Co

There's no intelligence in current AI systems, but apparently we think there is, and then get surprised when it gives wrong answers. Why is this, and what will happen when we get real intelligent systems?

This talk gives an introduction to AI as we currently know it, examines how we interact with it, and envisions the consequences of real AI emerging.

10.30 - 11:00 Coffee & networking

As a large public sector organisation collaboration is Trinity College Dublin's approach to social media management.

This involves fostering relationships with colleagues across all areas, academic, administrative and facilities, and building relationships with current and prospective students, which enables us to engage with the university's wide range of diverse audiences.

In this session we will discuss how and why this approach is embedded across Trinity.  

Reflections from 10 years working in UK higher ed digital and social media roles. A look at what's changed in the channels, perception and use of social tools within institutions, academics and students.

The session will also have a focus on wellbeing. A recent CIPR survey showed that 91% of PR and comms professionals experienced poor mental health in the past year, with 58% citing workload stress as a significant contributing factor.

How does this reflect in disciplines like social media management? How can we become more aware of our own mental wellbeing, and our colleagues around us?

12:30 - 1.30 Lunch

The modern organisation is more likely to die from indigestion than from starvation. It’s too many projects and initiatives at once!

What advice can we offer in terms of a more future forward approach - and what is the new role of strategy?

2:30 - 3:00 Coffee & networking

This story began at HE Connect 2023. In a coffee-and-cake break I shared my dilemma: The University of Edinburgh’s web content needs to support critical tasks, define our identify and showcase our world-leading research impacts.

Live services supported by our website content range from: student applications, booking well-being appointments with welfare services, assessing research outputs, clinical trials, self-service payments, finding a vet (yes, really) and forming industry partnerships.

For successful delivery of these services, web content needs to be designed (not just written). Content design is difficult to teach and implement at scale, especially with multiple audiences. How could my UX team of two train and support hundreds of distributed web editors at the University of Edinburgh to adopt and apply content design techniques across our massive, fractured web estate?

Caroline Jarrett listened patiently and to my delight, agreed to work with me, along with her colleague Jane Matthews. I enjoyed the rest of my cake.

A year later, join me to hear what happened next, from how we methodically identified our ‘greatest hits’ (the content we most wanted to fix) to how we planned to tackle these through a ‘mini wins’ approach rooted in behavioural psychology theory combined with community-building initiatives designed to cut across university silos. I’ll share what we learned, our successes, failures and light bulb moments, and the fun we had along the way.

You’ll learn:

• A ‘keeping it real’ approach to teaching content design for HE using practical empathy

• Ideas for using agile to drive increments of value sprint after sprint

• How to get the most value from your testing efforts to guide decisions

• Techniques to engage a community of academic and professional services colleagues

Join this interactive workshop on how to differentiate your university website by capturing the unique spirit and character of your institution.  

Our research shows prospective students are looking for universities that have a distinctive identity. They want more than basic information about modules and fees. They want to understand what life at that university will be like. Sadly, most university websites are rather generic. Remove the logo and it could be anywhere! This issue is not a matter of good design vs. bad design. A website can be beautifully designed, but still lack a distinctive identity. It’s not about rankings, league tables, or anything other metric of the ‘quality’ of the university either. This issue applies to universities across the higher education sector. 

This workshop aims to change that.  

We will explore: 

• What factors lead to university websites looking the same, and how can you push back against them? 

• Why is the lack of differentiation a problem? 

• What do prospective students want from university websites that they are currently not getting? 

• How can you distil what makes your university unique? 

• What strategies are effective in getting senior stakeholders to buy into this unique positioning? 

• How do you embody and communicate your unique offering through your website? 

This interactive workshop will get you thinking about the unique qualities of your university or department. We will share how we create digital experiences that convey a university’s unique positioning. Jack Neenan, Deputy Director of Marketing at SOAS University of London, will share what they have been able to achieve by embracing a clear and distinctive identity with their website.  

4:30 - 5:00 Coffee & networking

5:00 - 6:00 Lightning Talks

As the name suggests, lightning talks give speakers a limited amount of time to make their presentation – around 10 minutes. They may or may not include slides.

Because lightning talks are brief, it requires the speaker to make their point clearly and rid the presentation of non-critical information. This, in turn, helps keep the attention of the audience. It also means many ideas can be presented in a short amount of time.

Talks:
* How big things gets done by Morten Elvang
* What are people doing about inclusion? Rhiannon Davies
* Design transformation by Mike Deyes
* Website sustainability by Gavin Colborne
* Digital skills by Rhiannon Davies
* Moore’s Switch by Steven Pemberton (view slides)

6:30 - 10:00 Social event

Join us for an informal networking dinner. Everyone is welcome. Venue: Banyan Bar & Kitchen, 2 City Sq.

Wednesday, September 25

7:00 Morning Run

We meet in front of the Marriott for a relaxed 25 minute run. We’ll go along the River Aire, to Leeds Dock and the world-famous Hold Fast Bookshop

8:30 - 9:30 Breakfast and networking

Join us early, get the conversation started, reflect on what you’ve already learned and enjoy some freshly brewed coffee and tea.

9:30 - 9:45: Morning welcome

A brief welcome by Janus Boye and a bonus lightning talk by Steven Pemberton on meaning in AI

At the University of Leeds we know we're facing the same challenges as many Advancement colleagues around the world - how do we stay connected with an alumni community that becomes larger, more diverse, and more internationally spread each year? The answer -  we need all hands on deck!

In this interactive session we'll discuss together how we make it everyone's mission to build a truly global network of alumni and supporters, not just for those who have it stated in their job description.

Starting with some food for thought, I'll share where Leeds' Advancement team has got to on our journey of supporting and partnering with colleagues to engage our global networks. Then it's over to you to bring your own unique ideas and perspectives on how we truly involve alumni in the life of our higher education institutions.

10:45 - 11:00 Coffee & networking

This presentation chronicles one team’s ambitious journey to transform the digital landscape and enhance the student experience at University of Glasgow.

From auditing and mapping our digital ecosystem to reducing redundancies and beginning to build a unified student journey, we navigated numerous challenges and breakthroughs.

Join us as we explore the steps taken, the lessons learned, and the transformative impact of our efforts on the student experience. 

Join us to explore the power of digital design systems in creating a more efficient, effective, and innovative higher education landscape.

12:30 - 1:30 Lunch

Panelists:
* Ben Kenyon, Strategic Alliance Specialist at Terminalfour
* Morten Elvang, expert on strategy execution
* Sarah Wilson, Engagement Manager (Global Networks) at University of Leeds

Moderator: Janus Boye

An interactive wrap-up of the two days.

Key lessons learned, big questions and what happens next

2.30 - 3:00 Goodbyes and see you next year!

Thanks for joining us. Continue the conversation over a cup of coffee or tea before leaving Leeds