39% of students in Singapore are unhappy or neutral about their choice of university

• High-quality teaching and improvement in career prospects top student priorities
• Amount and quality of online learning ranked low in student satisfaction
• Teachers want more training and time to embed digital teaching tools

Universities need to remodel their digital education practices to better meet student expectations, according to a new EY report, Is your university’s transformation centered on tech or people? The report highlights that the pandemic has not only pushed the higher education sector to leapfrog its digital transformation agenda, but also propelled universities to provide students with the modern learning they expect – a blend of digital content with in-person delivery.

By focusing on understanding the needs of students and faculty, the report aims to provide clarity for universities on how to improve their digital and pedagogical learning approaches. The report took data from more than 3,000 undergraduate and post-graduate students across eleven countries (Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the US); of them, 192 are based in Singapore. Focus groups and interviews with university leaders were also included.

87% of students in Singapore ranked high quality teaching as the most important aspect of their university experience (global 83%), followed by improvement in career prospects (Singapore 85%, global 80%) and preparation for the workplace or further study (Singapore 82%, global 76%). However, quality of teaching is rated as one of the bottom aspects of university life when it comes to meeting student expectations. 

Compared to the global average, students in Singapore are more satisfied with the amount and quality of online learning they received. Only 14% say the amount and quality of online learning do not meet expectations. Students indicated they would like to see more investment to train teachers to deliver online learning more effectively (Singapore 49%, global 45%), upgrade learning platforms and systems (Singapore 40%, global 36%), and develop better online learning materials (Singapore 39%, global 41%).

Samir Bedi, Singapore Government and Public Sector Leader, Ernst & Young Advisory Pte. Ltd., says:

“Students in Singapore are digitally mature. They are more amenable to access information and university services fully online, and are more likely to find platforms such as communication applications, online assessment portals and virtual learning systems useful. They are also more inclined to use AI tools to aid their learning. Universities should continue to invest both in the learning technologies and the people behind them – teachers. With more than a third of students saying they are either unhappy or neutral about their choice of university, and quality of teaching being the top student priority, it is clear such investments need prioritizing.”

New systems can help staff but training and time required

The focus groups and interviews conducted in tandem with the quantitative student survey show that more needs to be done to support faculty to carve out dedicated time to create teaching materials that incorporate the best of online and in-person learning. This will enable them to focus more on their core mission of teaching, supporting students or leading research. Focus group participants also stressed they require time to familiarize themselves with new systems and tools that were unintuitive or difficult to use and want further training to develop blended curricula and content, as well as deliver teaching and learning support.

Beyond focusing on students and teaching faculty, universities must also consider researchers, administrators and professional staff in their digital transformation roadmap. Leading research and innovation continue to be a core part of universities’ missions. Some tools that universities could leverage are in areas of collaboration, data sharing, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. However, due to research sensitivities, they must not neglect investments in data protection and cybersecurity. Administrators and professional staff provided feedback that they are spending substantial amounts of time to combine and analyze student data from disparate, siloed systems. For this group, universities should also find innovative ways to automate manual tasks like student enquires, onboarding new hires, and routine marketing and communications.

Bedi says: “AI has immense potential to improve digital and pedagogical outcomes. For example, it can convert static content into something dynamic like video, games and quizzes to increase student engagement, beyond just automating processes and freeing administrative burden. However, for any new system to be effective, it is critical that they are designed with their users in mind, and time and resources are put aside to upskill and reskill. Most importantly, in a sector as long-standing as education where many institutions may be bounded by legacy issues and traditional way of doing things, mindsets need to shift and users need to realize the value of emerging technologies in today’s modern learning.”

The research report can be found here.

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