Allan Pacey and April McMahon: Manchester 2035 – Reimagining our student experiences
Imagine it’s 2035 and we’ve reinvented teaching, learning and student experiences for a diverse community of learners. What did we do? How does it feel for our students, prospective students, staff and alumni?
Introduction
The status quo is not an option. It’s been said before – about everything from our climate future to economic performance – but it’s equally true for teaching, learning and student experiences.
Our students are changing; their needs, and the needs of employers, our region and our planet, are changing too. What do we need to do, not just to keep up, but to jump ahead?
The University of Manchester strategy already has three key pillars: teaching and learning, research and discovery, and social responsibility. Our decisions and priorities for teaching, learning and student experience (TLSE) are integral to our planning and aspirations for Manchester 2035 (the University’s strategic plan for the next decade), as are questions about how those three pillars fit together.
Whichever future we choose, we also need the financial resilience to invest and improve; and the time and headspace for our students and staff to focus, enjoy their time here, and thrive. The three possible worlds sketched here set out possible futures, to get our strategy development conversations started. These worlds focus on teaching and learning, while understanding that co-curricular experiences are also vital for students and their future employability. Future worlds in these areas need to be co-created with our students and student representatives.
The world in 2035
Imagine it’s 2035 and the University of Manchester has reinvented teaching, learning and student experiences for a diverse community of learners. What did we do, and how does higher education look in 2035? How does it feel for our students, prospective students, staff and alumni?
We are assuming that the financial headwinds assailing UK universities in 2024 have not yet died away, and that fully resolving university finances is still in the ‘too difficult’ box for government – so if the cavalry is not coming, we need to create financial capacity ourselves. The world is still hybrid; technological advances have led to easier digital connectivity; greater awareness of impending deadlines for carbon reduction have led to greater concern about travel. What choices should we make for Manchester 2035, and what will our teaching, learning and student experiences look and feel like as a result?
Three potential worlds
World 1: Small is beautiful
In our first possible world, small is beautiful (or is it?), the physical campus is central for students and staff, and in-person, on-campus teaching is primary, with flexible learning options improving support and engagement for on-campus learners. We are located and firmly embedded in our current estate.
Teaching and research are only offered in disciplines where both are strong – and the prioritisation of quality has led to a significant reduction of range. The quality of our students is still high – but we are fishing in a smaller and more restricted global pool, as fewer students in 2035 want or need to learn and live only on campus. Prospective global students and staff can be concerned about restricted options for interdisciplinary working; and student dissatisfaction focuses on a lack of employment options on campus, and limitations in the co-curricular opportunities which would have been available at greater scale.
Initially, diversity in our student body increased because of philanthropic funding for targeted student support; but our commitment to all on-campus teaching is now reducing diversity and in turn, our attractiveness to donors. We have been able to sell some buildings and land to fund our aspirations, but now have fewer assets we are happy to part with. Given close links between research and teaching, the dominant academic contract type is teaching and research; smaller student numbers mean academics undertake most student advising and an increased amount of student support.
World 2: Growth and diversity
Our second possible world has sees considerable growth and diversity. Our physical and digital campuses are equal in scale, importance and quality, and it is no longer necessary to travel to Manchester to benefit from a Manchester education.
Students from around the world can participate fully in our programmes, with curricula tailored to their contexts, and opportunities to meet and work in our global network of micro-campuses. Students appreciate our understanding of their busy lives, and choose Manchester to study around their other commitments; we have grown to 60,000 students, many on CPD, part-time, or short courses. Different models of teaching delivery mean we use our estate more flexibly, with some learning spaces and residences specialised for block teaching and short courses and conferences. Teaching year-round means a different shape to the academic year, but flexibility for academics who want to work on different patterns.
Manchester in 2035 has become the go-to university for business because of our scale and agility in developing market-led courses, and students benefit from global connectedness and considerable philanthropic funding for support.
Our academic workforce is diversified too, with equal numbers of staff focussed on research and on teaching, and most student advising, and on-programme support is carried out by professional staff. We are leaders in developing specialised provision and a sense of community for online as well as on-campus students, with their different requirements. Year-round working on campus and online means that along with our Students’ Union, we offer more student employment opportunities than any other UK university, with placements guaranteed for students from historically underrepresented groups.
World 3: Federal Manchester
Finally, our third possible world is federal Manchester, a world in union. We have built on our Civic Universities Agreement and cooperation with further education, to bring other institutions into the Manchester Group after they have struggled in the financially challenging late 2020s. Our growth to 75,000 students has built on our partnerships, and regional and global alliances; an equal number of our students study in our partner institutions, through joint degrees, franchise agreements, and curriculum sharing. Boundaries are porous, and increased digital delivery and infrastructure allows students and staff to choose whether to travel physically between partner institutions, while still benefiting from partner expertise. Student support is shared across partners.
The running costs of our physical estate have reduced as much of our activity is delivered by partners, and we have built our endowment and headroom for investment through the sale of part of our previous estate. Global alumni and businesses support students and commission courses. Considerable investment is required to mitigate the quality risks inherent in franchising and licensing arrangements, with government and regulatory attention fixed on transnational arrangements. Governance and coordination take time and effort in a devolved system. Controversy can also arise over different views of the suitability of our international and local partners.
Conclusion
These three worlds are not entirely mutually exclusive. What decisions distinguish them, and set us on a road that rules one out? Are there features we could choose which would create an intermediate world? Which ones align best with our values and ambitions? How would it feel for our students, prospective students, and colleagues in each of these possible worlds? Would the experiences of our people be discernibly different? How might our culture be different under these and other future possibilities?
Manchester 2035 is not so distant in time. We have an exciting opportunity to choose how far we want it to be from our current ways of working and priorities.
Defining our future vision allows us to set out on our journey to that future university – but we can only do this successfully as a community, considering and respecting the perspectives of students and staff.
If we fast-forward to 2035 – what was your contribution to ensuring that teaching, learning and student experiences at Manchester are genuinely distinctive, and set us for success through our next 200 years?
Get involved
We need your help to reimagine our student experiences of the future. Visit our Manchester 2035 web page to book onto a workshop (in person or online) and share your views through online feedback. You can also leave a comment below – all comments will be captured within the overall feedback we are collating.
Professor April McMahon, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students
Professor Allan Pacey, Deputy Vice-President and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
World 4: The AI-Driven Elite Academy
In this world, the University of Manchester has transformed into a highly exclusive institution offering degrees primarily to the affluent, leveraging cutting-edge technology to deliver a commoditized education experience. With a student body in the hundreds of thousands attending remotely, the institution’s operations are heavily reliant on AI-driven platforms that curate and deliver educational content. This transformation is characterized by a focus on learning how to utilize AI as a tool for information retrieval, rather than fostering deep subject knowledge.
1. Exclusive Access and Financial Model
Fee-Only Model for the Wealthy: Manchester degrees are available exclusively to students who can afford high tuition fees, creating an elite educational environment. Financial aid is minimal, and access is primarily determined by students’ ability to pay.
Massive Digital Enrollment: The University has scaled to accommodate hundreds of thousands of students, primarily through a digital platform. This high enrollment enables significant revenue generation while maintaining low operational costs compared to traditional educational models.
2. AI-Curated Learning Experience
Chatbot-Curated Curriculum: Course materials, assignments, and assessments are entirely generated, curated, and delivered by advanced chatbots, designed to provide personalized learning experiences. This includes everything from lecture notes to quizzes and even video content.
Continuous Engagement Surveillance: Student engagement is continuously monitored through AI systems that track participation, responsiveness, and performance in real-time. This data informs the algorithms that adjust course delivery to maximize engagement and satisfaction.
3. Instant Feedback and Evaluation
Automated Critiques: All student submissions, whether assignments or exam responses, receive immediate critiques from AI systems. These bots provide real-time feedback, highlighting areas of improvement and suggestions for future work.
Performance Monitoring: Students’ performance is constantly analyzed, allowing for tailored recommendations on how to enhance their use of AI tools and refine their study techniques. Traditional grades are replaced with dynamic scoring systems that reflect ongoing progress and engagement.
4. Curriculum Focused on AI Proficiency
AI Utilization Over Knowledge Acquisition: The primary aim of the education system is to teach students how to effectively use AI tools to retrieve information, solve problems, and create content. Traditional subject matter knowledge is deprioritized; understanding AI and its applications becomes the core learning outcome.
Skill Development in a Digital Context: Students learn how to ask questions, refine prompts, and leverage AI outputs in practical scenarios, preparing them for a workforce that values technological proficiency above traditional academic knowledge.
5. Minimal Faculty Engagement
Limited Teaching Staff: A small number of teaching-focused academics are retained, primarily in advisory roles to oversee AI performance and assist with system evaluations. Their focus is on ensuring the technology functions optimally rather than delivering direct instruction.
Autonomous Operations: The learning system operates largely autonomously, with minimal human intervention. Academics serve more as quality control for the AI systems than as traditional educators.
6. Well-Being and Support Delivered by Chatbots
CBT and Mental Health Support: Well-being initiatives are largely automated, with chatbot-driven cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs offered to students as a primary support mechanism. These programs aim to provide mental health support without the need for human counselors.
Virtual and Esports Engagement: Physical sports and traditional extracurricular activities are replaced by esports, played on advanced VR platforms, allowing students to engage competitively while remaining within a digital ecosystem.
7. High Satisfaction Rates Amidst Uniformity
Near-Perfect Student Satisfaction: Despite the limited range of courses and the highly standardized delivery model, student satisfaction rates approach 100%. This is driven by the immediate feedback, personalized engagement strategies, and the convenience of the digital format.
Uniform Offerings Across Institutions: As many institutions adopt similar AI-driven models, the courses and educational experiences become increasingly homogeneous, leading to a landscape where students choose institutions based on prestige and exclusivity rather than unique offerings.
Modernisation is key, but I cannot see that it has been fully considered. We are rapidly moving toward a digital world and robotic innovations. As a health care professional, I can see that Manchester’s medical schools, particularly the dental school, are struggling to keep pace with the advances in digital and modern dentistry. We need to modernise our clinics and patient care spaces to keep up with the fast-growing private sector in dentistry and provide our students with a real learning experience that will make them happy and feel integrated in the current world of advance dentistry.
The advantages of digital dentistry are substantial. What makes it particularly attractive is its sustainability and the significant reduction in clinical and dental lab waste production.
Just some observations
1.Reliance on recruiting large numbers of overseas students in not a sustainable model. UK Higher education must become self reliant. There is a serious question on ‘Value for money’ out there.
2. As imparting a large amount of ‘information and knowledge’ is becoming less important, student time needs to be invested in delivering services as part of an ‘experiential learning’ model. This can create a unique Manchester experience or/and brand
3. We need to shed ‘professional’ courses that can be provided through an apprenticeship model….HE sector has expanded with degrees and courses with a poor academic base. A smaller number of courses, priced appropriately to accomodate smaller numbers of students and funded through general taxation (so that access can be fair and not dependent on the ability to pay) is the way forward.
4. This being the case, changes need to be driven nationally through policy changes. The market driven model where institutions compete for student numbers for survival will not work and is counterproductive.
My very humble views.
all three imagined worlds sound awful to me, for different reasons. I am keen to go to the workshop. We can discuss it and work out what Quality student life is! The actual student experience is the central thing. Why would students want a digital experience? Thanks a lot for taking inputs….
Hi Wendy,
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! I really appreciate your candid perspective.
I understand why the imagined worlds might seem off-putting. When we talk about incorporating digital elements into student experiences, it isn’t about replacing the rich, in-person interactions that make university life so meaningful. Instead, it’s about enhancing flexibility and inclusivity, making sure that every student, regardless of their circumstances, has access to a quality education that meets their needs.
I think a digital experience can be valuable if it’s designed to empower students. Imagine a setting where online tools offer personalised support, complementing on-campus activities rather than taking their place. A blend of physical and digital experiences can create space for a variety of ways to learn and grow, reflecting the diverse lives of our students. Some may need to work while studying, others might face challenges with commuting or have family responsibilities—for them, the digital experience isn’t a compromise; it’s a lifeline to the quality student experience we all want to provide.
I’m really looking forward to the workshop as well—it’s such a great opportunity to hear everyone’s ideas on what a quality student life should be. I think if we approach it with an open mind, we can shape a vision that puts students’ real needs at the centre, whether those needs are best met in person, online, or with a blend of both.
Thanks again for your thoughts, and I’m excited to keep the conversation going!
Best wishes,
Steve