From disruption to direction: what Digifest 2026 revealed for higher education IT

Higher education isn’t short on disruption. AI is reshaping how students learn, budgets are tightening, and expectations are rising faster than infrastructure can realistically keep up.

That was the starting point for this year’s Jisc Digifest, which was centred around the theme ‘From disruption to direction’. But the conversation quickly moved beyond simply acknowledging change.

Instead, the attention shifted to a more pressing question: what does direction actually look like in practice?

Across the two days, it became clear that understanding disruption is no longer the challenge. The sector is already well versed in its impacts. What’s less clear, and far more complex, is how institutions translate that understanding into meaningful action.

Digifest 2026 brought together educators, innovators, and sector leaders to explore what that next step looks like. From rethinking the student digital experience to building more inclusive and human-centred approaches to technology, the emphasis was on shaping a future that doesn’t just respond to change, but actively leads it.

Translating insight into institutional action

If there was one overarching theme across the two days, it was this: the sector doesn’t lack insight, but it does struggle to translate it into action.

From the very first sessions, there was a clear shift in tone. Conversations weren’t centred on identifying problems, but on what to do next. How do institutions move beyond knowing where friction exists, and start addressing it in a meaningful, coordinated way? The challenge doesn't lie in a lack of information, but determining how to address it effectively, at scale.

Sessions such as “Work smarter: spotting AI’s role in everyday practice” reflected a growing focus on embedding AI into day-to-day workflows, moving beyond experimentation into something more practical. Elsewhere, panels like “Developing digital skills through peer-support and recognition” reinforced a similar message that progress depends less on introducing new tools, and more on building the capability to use them effectively.

Across each discussion, the same tension surfaced: institutions are data-rich, but action-poor.

When expectations meet reality

While expectations continue to rise, the reality of the student experience remains far more inconsistent.

This was explored in “Identifying the impact of digital poverty on the learning experience: challenges and strategies”, led by the University of Manchester. Drawing on Jisc’s recent digital experience insights survey, speakers including Professor Jane Mooney, Emma Britain, and Abbie Hyde, highlighted a critical but often overlooked gap. The gap between what institutions provide and what students are actually able to access and use.

For some, the barriers are immediate: limited access to suitable devices, unreliable connectivity, or a reliance on on-campus facilities. For others, the challenge is less visible, but just as impactful: uncertainty around what tools are available, or how to use them effectively.

Notably, the session also referenced the role of AppsAnywhere in helping to reduce some of these access challenges, particularly by enabling more flexible access to software beyond physical labs.

The biggest takeaway I gained, however, goes beyond any one solution. The digital experience isn’t defined by what institutions provide, but by what students can actually access and use. As expectations continue to rise, the gap between provision and reality becomes harder to ignore. Which means improving the digital experience isn't just about optimization alone. It's tied to much broader questions of equity, inclusion, and access, all of which sat at the heart of Digifest’s primary themes.

From Insight to Action: Preparing to meet Gen Alpha’s Digital Expectations

The gap between insight and action was not only a recurring theme across Digifest this year, but also central to our own lightning talk.

While institutions are still working to close today’s gaps, around access, consistency, and digital confidence, the next wave of students is already on its way, and they’re bringing very different expectations with them.

Drawing on Jisc’s student digital experience insights survey 2024/5, alongside AppsAnywhere’s own Generation Alpha research, we focused on a simple but uncomfortable question:

Are institutions designing for the students they have now, or the ones arriving next?

Because the difference matters.

Today’s students are still navigating real challenges: access to devices isn’t always guaranteed, connectivity can be unreliable, and knowing what tools are available, let alone how to use them effectively, isn’t a given.

Generation Alpha won’t arrive with that same mindset though. They’re growing up in environments where technology is fast, intuitive, and always available. Where friction isn’t expected, and patience for it is low. Their baseline isn’t shaped by institutional systems, but by the seamless digital experiences they encounter daily, everywhere else, and that creates a tension.

On one side, institutions are working hard to improve and expand their digital environments. On the other, expectations are accelerating at a pace that infrastructure, and strategy, isn't always able to keep up with. Addressing this issue requires aligning short-term decisions with long-term expectations, and continually asking: Are the decisions being made now actually future-proof?

Connecting insight with action (and how AppsAnywhere & LabStats can help)

One of the most practical takeaways I gained from Digifest is that progress does not necessarily come from adding more systems, but from better connecting existing ones.

There is increasing value in integrating platforms to create a more cohesive digital ecosystem. The alignment of AppsAnywhere and LabStats provides a clear example of this approach in practice. By combining software delivery with real usage data, institutions gain a more comprehensive understanding of how, when, and where software is used.

This enables more informed decision-making, including:

• optimizing provision based on actual demand
• improving access where it is most needed
• aligning investment with real usage patterns

In this context, the shift is away from reactive decision-making towards a more intentional, evidence-based approach.

Final reflections from Digifest 2026

Jisc's Digifest 2026 did not introduce entirely new challenges, but it did bring greater clarity to the ones that matter most.

Disruption is not slowing down. However, the sector is no longer focused solely on understanding change, it is increasingly focused on responding to it in a meaningful way. Institutions that are able to translate insight into action, reduce digital friction, and align their strategies with real student behaviour will be better positioned for what comes next.

Ultimately, direction is not something that emerges passively. It must be actively and continuously defined. Perhaps most importantly, it requires a willingness to move beyond long standing habits. While tradition has its place, responding to disruption with "this is how we've always done it" is unlikely to deliver the kind of progress the sector is now being challenged to achieve.