Ahead of our Smarter Futures series, Dr Miri Firth provides an overview of what to expect and why you should join.
Higher education has never been short of ambition. But right now, institutions are navigating a set of pressures that demand something more than ambition. They require smarter systems, better decisions, and more strategic use of technology. Across the sector, leaders are being asked to respond to a rapidly shifting landscape. Student expectations are evolving, services must be accessible and inclusive, and the overall student experience (from learning to wellbeing) is under increasing scrutiny. At the same time, new technologies, particularly generative AI, are arriving faster than our triangular buffet sandwiches for lunch. Institutional systems need governance structures that can comfortably support and assess these new technologies.
It’s no surprise that many universities feel caught between urgency and uncertainty.
The challenge isn’t simply adopting new technology. It’s ensuring that technology genuinely improves how institutions operate, how decisions are made, and how staff and students experience university systems. This is the starting point for Smarter Futures, a series of Advance HE sessions exploring how higher education can move beyond experimentation towards thoughtful, sustainable innovation.
From experimentation to impact
GenAI has quickly moved from curiosity to conversation across universities. Yet the real question many leaders are now asking is not whether to use AI, but how to use it well. In practice, this might mean shifting the focus away from tools and towards outcomes.
- What institutional priorities are we trying to support?
- What inefficiencies are we trying to reduce?
- What capacity might be freed for staff and students if routine processes worked better?
One useful starting point is what we call the ‘AI Impact Alignment Tool.’ This is a simple diagnostic that encourages institutions to connect GenAI initiatives to clear strategic goals. Rather than asking “what can GenAI do?”, the tool prompts leaders to ask more purposeful questions:
- What problem are we solving?
- Who benefits?
- And how will we know whether this actually improves the experience for staff or students?
These are deceptively simple questions, but they often surface a deeper issue within institutions.
The decision challenge
Many universities already collect significant amounts of data. Well, research is our bread and butter isn’t it! Dashboards are increasingly sophisticated and reporting systems increasingly complex. Yet more data does not automatically translate into better decisions.
This is where a second idea becomes important: decision readiness.
A short ‘Decision Readiness Diagnostic’ helps leaders step back and ask whether their institution is truly prepared to use data, or GenAI, to support meaningful decision-making. It explores whether the right decisions have been clearly identified, whether governance structures support action rather than delay, and whether staff have the confidence to challenge or interpret data critically. In many cases, institutions discover that the challenge is not a lack of information, but a lack of clarity about which decisions really matter.
Designing smarter systems
The final piece of the puzzle concerns the systems and processes that shape everyday university life. Automation and digital platforms offer huge potential to reduce administrative burden and streamline complex processes. But they also carry risk. Automating unclear or poorly designed systems can simply make problems happen faster.
This is why a Smarter Systems approach is essential. Rather than focusing purely on efficiency, and as an aside I really dislike the term ‘efficiency’ for anything related to teaching, institutions need to think carefully about how technology interacts with human judgement, governance, and experience. A simple ‘Automation Decision Framework’ can help institutions evaluate whether a process is truly ready to automate.
These kinds of structured conversations help institutions move away from reactive technology adoption and towards deliberate, thoughtful digital transformation.
A sector conversation
None of these challenges are unique to one university. They are shared across the sector, and that is why collective discussion matters.The series of events I have curated with Advance HE offers you the time and opportunity to reflect and plan more effectively. Alongside the events and tools outlined above, a practical 6–12month action plan is offered for all delegates. This encourages institutions to focus on manageable changes: stopping ineffective practices, fixing governance or capability gaps, and trialling small, transparent improvements.
The aim of Smarter Futures is not to promote specific technologies, but to support leaders in asking better questions about systems, decisions, and impact. By bringing together expertise from across higher education, the series aims to help institutions navigate the intersection of technology, leadership, and student experience with greater confidence. Because ultimately, the future of higher education will not be shaped by technology alone, but by how thoughtfully we choose to use it.
Dr Miri Firth is Senior Lecturer in Education at the University of Manchester and an Advance HE Associate. She leads the Smarter Futures series, bringing together sector experts to explore how GenAI, data, and smarter systems can improve decision-making, institutional efficiency, and the staff and student experience in higher education.
Smarter Futures: Harnessing AI and Technology for Efficiency in Higher Education – three expert-led online events
Discover insights from experts and peers on how you could harness AI and technology to reduce inefficiencies, enhance student and staff experience, and make strategic decisions backed by data.
- AI for Impact:Transforming Institutional Efficiency with Smart Technologies, Tuesday 12 May, 10:00-11:30am BST. This session provides practical tools to turn AI ambition into strategic impact. Keynote Speaker:Mary Curnock Cook CBE, with contributors:Dr Chris TraceandSimon Thomson.
- Digital Decisions: Leveraging Data to Drive Resilience and Agility Tuesday 26 May, 13:00-14:30pm BST. This session equips institutions with practical tools to strengthen decision-making in an AI-enabled environment. Keynote Speaker:Martha Horler, with contributors:Robin Gibson,Narinder GillandBeth Lane
- Smarter Systems:Automating Processes to Improve Staff and Student Experience,Date:Thursday 9 June, 13:00-14:30pm BST. Discover practice and tools that improve the staff and student experience through smarter, more efficient processes. Keynote Speaker:Al Kingsleywith Contributors:Samuel SaundersandJody Sailor.
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