About
Edge Hill University is on the cusp of a new 5-year institutional strategy. Alongside this, a new digital strategy and a significant commitment to digital transformation, innovation and continuous improvement of our digital infrastructure.
Founded in 1885, Edge Hill University is a multi-award-winning University based on a 160-acre campus in Ormskirk, Lancashire. An educational community, providing high quality teaching, support, and transformational opportunities. Edge Hill has expertise in supporting students from non-traditional higher education backgrounds, 70% of Edge Hill’s undergraduate students have at least one widening participation characteristic.
Edge Hill’s digital learning team and wider library and learning services department successfully implemented a major VLE upgrade and with it, a considerable change in approach to designing blended learning. Co-design and student voice was core to the approach and a successful student digital internship, run since summer 2021 has seen over 80 students work in the digital learning team to enhance course content within the VLE.
Since the implementation of the new VLE and approach, Edge Hill has worked closely with Jisc as one of the 17 pilot universities who utilised Jisc beyond blended resources in phase one to take forward their strategies and approaches for further enhancement of blended learning. This initial work has already had impact across programmes, particularly non-modular approaches, but this work will continue to inform and shape Edge Hill’s updated learning, teaching and assessment strategy for 2026 and beyond.
At this event we’ll hear from senior leaders who will share their current transformation journey, future plans and digital strategy as well as their co-creation approach to digital education, learner spaces, library resources and where beyond blended has fed into our future teaching and learning strategy.
There will be an opportunity to attend all three breakout sessions.
Quotes from previous events:
- "The day was varied, fast paced and plenty of opportunity for networking. Very well-planned sessions from a variety of speakers with different perspectives, which were packed with information and tangible ideas to take away"
- "Really nice balance of high level and practical sessions in a great venue"
- "It was a great living case study on digital transformation"
Agenda
Registration and networking
Welcome
Professor Michael Young, vice chancellor, Edge Hill University
Liam Earney, managing director - higher education and research, Jisc
Library-led digital transformation: the catalyst for digital education and learner support
Maria Mirza, director library and learning services and Scott Farrow, head of digital learning - Edge Hill University
Baselining digital transformation Jisc session
Lunch
Breakout session one - beyond blended conversations
In this session delegates will work together to formulate discussion points at a strategic and curriculum level while exploring elements of Jisc's 'Beyond Blended' resources. We will explore how the resources have been used and adapted to open up conversations about blended curriculum design. Participants should leave with a series of questions and prompts that they can use to discuss blended and flexible practice in their own context.
John Brindle, learning design manager, Edge Hill University
Breakout session two - aligning collaborative building success with digital delivery
Join colleagues for a tour of the Catalyst, Edge Hills combined library and student support hub. In this session we’ll explore the user centric approach to space design and discuss how the success of the building has led to a shared approach to digital delivery, support and student communication. Along with practical ideas for small interventions that students say make a difference to their learning experience we will share some of the wider findings about expectations for digital experiences and communications. The session will finish with an opportunity to visit the Edge Hill Archive and hear about our participation in the Jisc Digital Transformation Library Lens pilot in which we are exploring how innovative digital technologies can help to connect the archive with new audiences.
Jenny Foster, head of customer services (library) and Anna Franca, head of collections and archive, Edge Hill University
Breakout session three - collaborating to develop accessibility maturity and culture
This session explores how Edge Hill University has collaborated across Library and Learning Services and wider institutional partners to strengthen its accessibility maturity and embed a proactive, sustainable accessibility culture. We will share our approach to developing cross-university working groups, aligning practices and nurturing collective ownership of accessibility. The session will also highlight key insights and recommendations emerging from our recent consultation with AbilityNet, offering practical takeaways for institutions seeking to advance their own accessibility maturity and inclusive digital practice.
Andrew Billington, head of learner support
Student panel - co-creating digital teaching and learning experiences
In this student panel, past interns from our summer Digital Learning Technology programme share their perspectives on co-creating digital teaching and learning experiences. Drawing on their hands-on involvement in various iterations of the internships which helped shape digital resources, pedagogic approaches to VLE design, digital accessibility and developing student digital skills. The panel will share their perspectives on what meaningful co-creation looks like in practice and how partnership with students can enhance the design, delivery and impact of digital learning.
Stuart Feltham, learning technology development manager
Students TBC
Close
Who should attend
Our 2025-2026 series of demonstrating digital transformation events will bring together senior leaders with responsibility for taking forward digital transformation within their university, including senior executive/director roles in:
- Student experience
- Education
- Digital and IT services
- Libraries, estates and facilities management
- Registry and data management
- Learning, teaching, research and innovation
Contact
For further information, please contact events@jisc.ac.uk.