Navigating the future of higher education: A digital-first approach to the student journey

I had the pleasure of hosting, a session titled “A Digital-First Future for Higher Ed” alongside Stewart Cowie from SailPoint at the UCISA Leadership Conference held in Edinburgh. During the session we explored digital transformation within the university landscape. It was a privilege to share our insights on creating a seamless and secure digital journey for students, a topic that resonates within the higher education sector.

The identity management challenges faced by institutions of higher learning are complicated and critical to institutional and student success. With an ever changing population of students, faculty, and staff, managing digital identities becomes a Herculean task. Yet, it’s essential for ensuring a frictionless and secure experience for all members of the university ecosystem. Our discussions at UCISA underscored the importance of navigating these intricacies, highlighting the five pivotal stages in a digital learner’s lifecycle: from prospective interest to alumni and beyond.

Across this lifecycle each individual requires different access to the college or university digital ecosystem at different stages in their academic career.  Current digital identity solutions properly designed and executed can meet this challenge.

One challenge we dissected was the scenario of students taking on multiple roles within the institution, requiring the seamless management of dual or multiple identities. Furthermore, aligning the identities of accepted students with actual attendees is critical for maintaining the integrity of the university’s digital ecosystem. A notable solution we explored was the integration of identity verification into student mobile applications, a move that significantly enhances security, streamlines processes, and diminishes the reliance on physical ID forms.

The session highlighted six critical insights, each promising to shape the trajectory of identity security in higher education:

In an era where digital identity plays a crucial role in the educational experience, universities are uniquely positioned to redefine how institutions and individuals manage and protect digital selves. Our session highlighted the importance of a digital-first strategy, emphasising security, user experience, and the overarching potential for higher education institutions to lead in this domain.

For further insights into how identity security reshaping higher education, stay tuned to our continuing discussions on this pivotal topic and discover more about ProofID’s identity solutions for higher ed.