Offering flexible and accessible digital experiences for students
Students’ expectations of their digital experience at university are increasingly high. In 2025, AppsAnywhere conducted two surveys with Generation Alpha in the UK and the US to provide insight into the expectations of technology in teaching and learning of the next generation of students about to enter higher education. The results reveal that 96 per cent expect their institution to provide a device for study and 56 per cent expect hybrid learning. The findings also indicate that students may prioritise ease of use and seamless experiences over design.
A virtual round table, held in partnership between THE and AppsAnywhere, featured experts from the higher education sector in Canada to discuss the challenges and opportunities the evolving digital landscape presents to universities.
“What this points to is this increasing need for flexibility, access to learning resources on demand and consistent digital experience to ensure satisfaction,” said Michelle Craig, director of marketing and commercial operations at AppsAnywhere. For university IT teams faced with budget constraints and increasing demand, meeting these expectations can be difficult. “The challenge is how they create a great digital experience that seamlessly transitions online and offline and on and off-campus, and how they have enough resources to support this from an infrastructure point of view.”
Alvin Shum, head of enterprise IT client services at Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto, has been driving the move to a more flexible infrastructure where faculty can be more creative in how they deliver teaching and give students the choice whether to come to campus. “We used to have a lot of computers and have now removed half of those. We have cut costs and don’t have to ask for capital budget every year to refresh those computers. We have introduced soft seating so students can now bring their own device,” he said.
AppsAnywhere enables institutions to centrally deliver and manage software so students and staff can access applications on demand from various devices, making it easier to support hybrid learning and reduce hardware and licensing spending.
Managing infrastructure change carefully is crucial, the participants agreed. “We have customer relationship folks who are our point persons at each of our schools. A lot of pre-planning for technology changes happens with them, and then that awareness is brought into IT services,” said Ed Grof, manager of client technology at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Sébastien Dreyfuss, deputy director of IT for teaching and research at École de Technologie Supérieure in Montreal, said that working with different departments as partners streamlines change management. “We involve them from the start, get them to be part of the solution,” he said. “They know their students much more than we do. So we will adjust or try to tweak every single aspect with their comments.”
Brian Stewart, chief information officer at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, said that people tend to develop their own cultures and routines of delivering technology, so they may react adversely to alternative approaches. But building relationships with stakeholders across the institution can make it easier to implement change. “Early engagement and leadership support are crucial,” he said.
Oliver Chan Kong, manager of workgroup technology services at York University in Toronto, spoke about how driving efficiencies on hardware budgets and ensuring more flexible access help institutions go further in addressing digital poverty. “We have deployed kiosk machines for students who do not have personal machines. We have open spaces where students can meet and use technology anywhere on campus,” he said. The participants agreed that while student expectations change quickly and IT departments rush to keep up, ensuring equitable access should remain at the centre of their strategies.
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