2023/24 UK higher education students digital experience insights survey findings
The digital experience insights survey for higher education students took place between October 2023 and April 2024. Participating organisations were able to select their own survey period within these dates, typically a three to four week window.
There were 28,679 respondents from 40 different organisations (37 universities and three colleges offering higher education degrees). 27 of these were based in England, seven in Scotland, four in Wales and two in Northern Ireland. These 40 organisations represent 13% of all higher education providers in the UK.
The highest number of responses from a single organisation was 5,034 students (13% of their total student population) and the mean number of responses was 733 per organisation (on average 3.5% of the total number of students in each organisation that participated). However, four of the 40 organisations contributed fewer than 100 responses.
A survey indicating the digital experience of further education learners was run simultaneously and results can be found in our 2023/24 FE learners report.
Through Jisc’s digital experience insights service, organisations can gain valuable data to inform strategic, operational and digital investment decisions, evidence year-on-year improvements and demonstrate return on investment. Organisations that take part have access to their own data to assess their unique situations as well as benchmarking data. Full information about the digital experience insights surveys is detailed on our information page.
Executive summary
Our 2023/24 digital experience insights survey for students in higher education asked a range of questions about learning using digital technologies, including core questions asked each year about the environment for learning using digital technologies, opportunities to develop digital skills, the overall support provided for learning using digital technologies, and the devices used for learning. These core questions enable progress in these areas to be tracked over time and allow us to identify which elements of the student digital experience can be celebrated and which parts may need intervention.
This year, our survey showed that higher education organisations continued to make improvements on three key measures of the student digital experience. More students than ever rated the digital learning environment provided by their university to be above average (85% rated this as best imaginable, excellent or good). A similar number rated the quality of digital learning on their course as above average (83%). Ratings have also increased year-on-year for the support offered by higher education organisations for effective learning using technology (72% above average).
Investigating the elements that comprise these three areas indicates that students continued to receive a wide range of positive benefits from learning using digital technologies, and many are well supported by their organisations. They especially appreciated the flexibility afforded by online learning and on-demand course content, as well as the possibilities to undertake self-directed learning at their own pace, and the ability to collaborate with others. However, while some students had positive experiences, others continued to prefer on campus learning experiences, finding in person teaching and course activities more engaging, more social and less isolating. In addition, some students were prevented from fully participating and benefitting from digital technologies, even if they preferred online taught classes and learning online.
Some groups of students faced inequity in accessing digital technologies and had different experiences when using them for learning. This included uneven access to suitable devices for learning, such as laptop computers, smartphones, tablets and a range of peripherals. More than a third (34%) of students experienced issues in learning because they did not have access to a suitable device. International, Asian/Asian British and Black/Black British students were more likely to have experienced issues in learning because of a lack of a suitable device. However, very few students of any background were offered financial support or were loaned or given devices by their organisation. In addition, cost of living issues have become more apparent. More than half (52%) of students took on paid work to mitigate cost of living expenses, which may have impacted progress in their studies.
Organisations should seek to continue to support different modes of teaching and learning. While there has been a continued shift towards mainly on campus teaching (67% of teaching was mainly on campus), many students preferred an online experience, at least some of the time. Around half (49%) preferred either online taught classes or a mixture of online and on campus taught classes. This increased to 58% when looking at where students preferred to learn. The investment in digital technologies so far has helped to deliver strong ratings for the quality of digital learning (83% above average). Progress has also been made on the percentage of students who agreed that the learning materials provided on their courses were engaging and motivating (55% this year, up from only 35% in 2019/20). In addition, most students considered their digital learning environment to be above average (85%). To meet students’ preferences there may need to be continued investment in infrastructure, including upgrading wifi networks, investment in supporting students to use their own devices on and off campus, and providing a range of upgraded computers for use or loan on campus. Higher education organisations should also the address the accessibility needs of students, including international students. Many students used accessibility features for productivity purposes, including captions, transcripts and spelling features. International students were much more likely to use these features. Yet, more than half of students (51%) who said they needed support to use these features were not subsequently offered support.
This year we asked students about their use of artificial intelligence (AI) for the first time. Some students were concerned about the responsible use of AI, particularly around plagiarism and discerning reliable information. Others saw the benefit in using AI to help them to navigate a plethora of information. A small percentage (11%) of students were provided with access to AI systems, chatbots or virtual assistants, while 22% said they had used AI as part of their learning, and 18% said they used AI and tools likely to include AI to support them with digital skills development. 16% had been offered training specifically in the appropriate use of artificial intelligence tools.
Some improvements have been made since last year’s survey in support for effective learning using technology. Universities should continue nonetheless to assess the support offered to students throughout their course and throughout the academic year. Overall, students were generally positive about the support offered by their organisation for learning effectively using technology (72% offered an above average rating). Some gains were made in the areas of training for learning online, basic IT skills and data analysis, and knowledge about the collection of student data. However, skills and training opportunities were not always felt to be available across the academic year or throughout a course of study. Students who had been at their organisation for a year or more were less likely than newer students to feel they had been offered training or the opportunity to develop their digital skills. Areas that may need redress are digital skills to aid future employment, course-related skills and specialist software support, as well as guidance around general digital proficiency and productivity skills and tools. In some instances, a well-advertised catalogue of available support and training would help.
By responding to the issues raised by students, organisations can seek to offer a more equitable and supportive environment for using digital technologies in learning. This will help consolidate the already high ratings in some areas and improve some of the lower ratings seen in other areas. Throughout the report we point towards areas where some demographics of students may have experienced a deficit compared to other groups. We will explore some of these issues further through a number of spotlight reports to be published on the digital experience insights website later in 2024 and 2025.
Full report
Download our 2023/24 UK higher education (HE) students digital experience insights survey findings [pdf].