﻿{"id":4074,"date":"2025-10-29T12:45:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T12:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/2024\/12\/11\/jennhallam-ashleybrom\/"},"modified":"2025-11-05T15:13:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T15:13:20","slug":"jennhallam-ashleyblom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/2025\/10\/29\/jennhallam-ashleyblom\/","title":{"rendered":"Jenn Hallam and Ashley Blom: Making the Leap: Flexible, Personalised and Digitally Enabled Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section bb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; fullwidth=&#8221;off&#8221; specialty=&#8221;on&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_3&#8243; specialty_columns=&#8221;4&#8243;][et_pb_row_inner admin_label=&#8221;Row&#8221;][et_pb_column_inner type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; saved_specialty_column_type=&#8221;2_3&#8243;][et_pb_post_title _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; featured_placement=&#8221;above&#8221; locked=&#8221;on&#8221; \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p>Between October and December, we are running a series of Viewpoint blogs written by our University Executive to give their personal perspectives on our new strategy to 2035, play back what we heard, explain the choices we are making, and set out how we will test, learn and scale to deliver our strategy. In this piece, Professor Jenn Hallam, Vice-President for Teaching, Learning and Students and Professor Ashley Blom, Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, give their insight into the flexible, personalised and digitally enabled learning leap. You can explore the strategy on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.manchester.ac.uk\/about\/manchester-2035\/\">webpage,<\/a> or download the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.manchester.ac.uk\/about\/manchester-2035\/full-strategy\/\"> full strategy text.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"TextRun SCXW90698351 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW90698351 BCX8\">Making the Leap: Flexible, Personalised and Digitally Enabled Learning<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When we think about Manchester\u2019s future, one phrase keeps coming to mind:\u202f<i>learning without limits<\/i>. Our 2035 strategy sets out a bold ambition, but at its heart it\u2019s about something very human: making sure every student feels their learning fits them, supports them, and sets them up for success in a fast-changing world. Just as importantly, it\u2019s about ensuring our colleagues feel equipped, trusted and supported to deliver that vision. This leap matters because we both know, from experience, that when learning and teaching work at their best, they change lives. A student who feels connected to their academic adviser, who knows their programme has been designed with rigour and flexibility, is a student who thrives. A colleague who has the training, digital tools and support they need is one who feels energised to innovate and proud of the work they do. The Manchester we are striving for by 2035 is one where both students and colleagues experience learning that is purposeful, personal and transformative.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4124\" style=\"width: 460px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/lRDgyvxSgYI\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4124\" class=\"wp-image-4124 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/138\/2024\/12\/image-1.jpg\" alt=\"Link to Youtube short on Flexible, personalised and digitally enabled learning - Leap in a minute\" width=\"450\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/138\/2024\/12\/image-1.jpg 450w, https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/138\/2024\/12\/image-1-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/138\/2024\/12\/image-1-150x267.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/138\/2024\/12\/image-1-250x444.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/138\/2024\/12\/image-1-350x622.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4124\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Watch:\u00a0<i>From Manchester for the world<\/i>, our new University strategy to 2035 has five leaps \u2013 bold choices where we\u2019ll go further and faster to become the university the future demands. We challenged our students to explain each in just one minute. Can they beat the clock?<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Everyday practice, everyday choices<\/h2>\n<p>It is tempting to imagine that a leap of this scale will be made only through major systems changes or new technology. But in reality, it will be visible in the everyday, in how we prioritise, plan, and choose where to focus our energy. Making learning flexible, personalised and digitally enabled means being clear about what matters most, and being willing to make choices. That means identifying priorities together and setting out a roadmap for change that colleagues can see and trust. It also means being honest that we cannot do everything. Sometimes the most important decision will be to stop doing things that no longer serve our students or colleagues, so we can concentrate on the activities that really matter. This is as much about wellbeing as it is about strategy. What we heard from you consistently was how important it is to protect colleagues\u2019 time and energy. This\u00a0 requires us to reduce duplication, simplify systems, and focus on the areas with the greatest impact. The strategy asks us all to think about how our daily decisions either reinforce or undermine the kind of Manchester we want to become. Flexible, personalised, digitally enabled learning is not \u201csomeone else\u2019s job\u201d, it is about how each of us interprets our role and how we align our work to the vision of\u202f<i>learning without limits<\/i>.<\/p>\n<h2>Taking the long view, step by step<\/h2>\n<p>A ten-year vision matters, but so does honesty: we will only get there step by step. That is why the work will be delivered in three-year packages, each building on the last. In the first three years, our focus will be on creating the conditions for success. As one colleague put it, \u201cThe \u2018tell us once\u2019 model \u2013 with a reliable single point of truth for student records and outcomes\u201d. This means ensuring that academic advising is recognised and supported as a priority, addressing colleagues\u2019 feedback about workload and system usability, and embedding robust quality assurance and training for teaching and assessment. Without solid foundations, we cannot build lasting change. As we move into the middle years, we will scale up our ambition. This will include expanding and diversifying our postgraduate taught portfolio, ensuring it is distinctive and aligned to emerging fields and professions. It will also mean embedding personalised learning pathways, supported by digital systems that feel seamless and intuitive. Take, for example, the postgraduate taught portfolio. In the future, our programmes will not only showcase disciplinary excellence but also reflect the realities of the job market our graduates are entering. To achieve this, we will need to decide what to refine, what to grow, and, in some cases, what to step back from. These are not easy choices, but they will help Manchester to move forward with clarity and purpose. By the final phase, as we approach 2035, we want to be able to say confidently that Manchester has become a place where learning is flexible by design, where digital tools enable rather than obstruct, and where every student feels known and challenged to achieve their best.<\/p>\n<h2>Building on what we already do well<\/h2>\n<p>We are not starting from a blank page. Already, we can point to examples that show the leap is possible. Canvas has replaced Blackboard across the University, giving students a more consistent, intuitive experience and colleagues improved tools to create high quality, accessible teaching. We see colleagues experimenting with digital innovations that make teaching more inclusive. We see advisers who go above and beyond to connect with their students. We see assessment practices being rethought to ensure they are fairer, clearer and more developmental. These initiatives, sometimes small and sometimes transformative, give us confidence that we are on the right path. They also remind us that the best ideas often come from the ground up, from colleagues and students working together to test new ways of learning and teaching.<\/p>\n<h2>Imagining 2035<\/h2>\n<p>So, what does success look like? We imagine a student arriving at Manchester in 2035 who immediately feels their programme has been designed with them in mind. They know who their adviser is, and that this adviser has the time and tools to support them. Their learning is flexible, whether they need to adapt around work, health, or family commitments, or whether they want to accelerate and stretch themselves further. Digital platforms connect their learning journey seamlessly but never replace the human touch. Assessments are challenging but fair, and every step feels purposeful, preparing them for the next stage of their lives. For colleagues, it means clarity and support. Lecturers know that quality assurance processes are robust but not burdensome, and digital systems enable rather than frustrate. Advisers feel valued for the role they play in students\u2019 development. New programmes are easier to design and deliver, freeing energy for creativity and innovation. This vision is not utopian. It is possible, if we take the leap together.<\/p>\n<h2>Continuing the conversation<\/h2>\n<p>Your feedback will shape the priorities of the first three-year package and beyond. We know many of you are already contributing great ideas and testing new approaches. Please keep sharing them. Together, we can make <i>From Manchester for the world <\/i>a reality. A University where every student experiences\u202f<i>learning without limits<\/i>, and every colleague feels empowered to make that possible. We want to end with an invitation. The strategy cannot succeed unless it feels real and relevant to you in your work.<\/p>\n<p><b>We want to hear your views:\u00a0 <\/b> What\u2019s one thing that would most help you deliver flexible, personalised and digitally enabled learning?<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_nav _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; prev_text=&#8221;Previous&#8221; next_text=&#8221;Next&#8221; in_same_term=&#8221;off&#8221; locked=&#8221;on&#8221; \/][et_pb_comments _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; custom_button=&#8221;on&#8221; button_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; locked=&#8221;on&#8221; \/][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Related posts&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; locked=&#8221;on&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h1>Related<\/h1>\n<!-- relpost-thumb-wrapper --><div class=\"relpost-thumb-wrapper\"><!-- filter-class --><div class=\"relpost-thumb-container\"><h3>Related posts:<\/h3><div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div><div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div><!-- relpost-block-container --><div class=\"relpost-block-container relpost-block-column-layout\" style=\"--relposth-columns: 3;--relposth-columns_t: 2; --relposth-columns_m: 2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/2026\/09\/11\/international-delivery-plan\/\"class=\"relpost-block-single\" ><div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\"><div class=\"relpost-block-single-image rpt-lazyload\" aria-label=\"Angelia Wilson and Collette Fagan\" role=\"img\" data-bg=\"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/138\/2026\/09\/Viewpoint-image-1-150x150.jpg\" style=\"background: transparent no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px; aspect-ratio: 1\/1;\"><\/div><div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\"  style=\"height: 75px;font-family: Arial;  font-size: 12px;  color: #333333;\"><h2 class=\"relpost_card_title\">From Manchester, For the World: turning our international ambition into action<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/2024\/10\/24\/accelerating-research-impact\/\"class=\"relpost-block-single\" ><div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\"><div class=\"relpost-block-single-image rpt-lazyload\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\" data-bg=\"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/138\/2019\/09\/Viewpoint-Impact-150x150.jpg\" style=\"background: transparent no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px; aspect-ratio: 1\/1;\"><\/div><div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\"  style=\"height: 75px;font-family: Arial;  font-size: 12px;  color: #333333;\"><h2 class=\"relpost_card_title\">Colette Fagan and Richard Jones - Manchester 2035: Accelerating our research impact\u202f<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/2025\/11\/12\/carolprokopyszyn-johnholden\/\"class=\"relpost-block-single\" ><div class=\"relpost-custom-block-single\"><div class=\"relpost-block-single-image rpt-lazyload\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\" data-bg=\"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/138\/2024\/12\/Viewpoint-graphics-2-150x150.jpg\" style=\"background: transparent no-repeat scroll 0% 0%; width: 150px; height: 150px; aspect-ratio: 1\/1;\"><\/div><div class=\"relpost-block-single-text\"  style=\"height: 75px;font-family: Arial;  font-size: 12px;  color: #333333;\"><h2 class=\"relpost_card_title\">Professor John Holden and Carol Prokopyszyn: Making the Leap: A Powerhouse of Innovation<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><!-- close relpost-block-container --><div style=\"clear: both\"><\/div><\/div><!-- close filter class --><\/div><!-- close relpost-thumb-wrapper -->\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243;][et_pb_sidebar admin_label=&#8221;Subscribe&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; area=&#8221;et_pb_widget_area_3&#8243; locked=&#8221;on&#8221; \/][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=&#8221;3.17.6&#8243; area=&#8221;sidebar-1&#8243; show_border=&#8221;off&#8221; locked=&#8221;on&#8221; \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This piece explains how our 2035 strategy brings the idea of learning without limits to life\u2014exploring how we\u2019ll make learning more flexible, personalised and digitally enabled for students, while ensuring our colleagues feel supported, trusted and energised.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":4143,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"<p>[et_pb_section bb_built=\"1\" fullwidth=\"off\" specialty=\"on\" _builder_version=\"3.17.6\"][et_pb_column type=\"2_3\" specialty_columns=\"4\"][et_pb_row_inner admin_label=\"Row\"][et_pb_column_inner type=\"4_4\" saved_specialty_column_type=\"2_3\"][et_pb_post_title _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" featured_placement=\"above\" locked=\"on\" \/][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"3.17.6\"]<\/p><p>When I\u2019m out and about meeting staff I hear much debate about the why, what, when and how of change in our University. I wanted to share my thoughts on this often contentious topic \u2013 and hear your views too.<\/p><p>Early in 2020 we will launch our University\u2019s new vision and strategic plan \u2013 Our future. In order to fulfil Our future we need to ensure that we are in a financially sustainable position so that we have the funds to invest in the new staff, facilities and infrastructure which will be needed to bring our plans to life.<\/p><p>Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.manchester.ac.uk\/discover\/governance\/corporate-documents\/\">Financial Statements<\/a> for 2018\/19, which have been published following approval by the Board of Governors, confirm that more than 95% of our \u00a31.1bn income is spent on our core goals - on our staff and our students - to deliver research, education and social responsibility; with the remainder invested in the long term sustainability of our University. You can find a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk\/news\/display\/?id=23119\">summary<\/a> of the Financial Statements on StaffNet.<\/p><p>However, this is a testing time for UK universities, due to the many external factors that have an impact on us - current home tuition fees are falling in real terms, whilst our costs (not just pay but non-pay too) are increasing. There are further and even greater tuition fee funding risks outlined in General Election manifestos as well as a range of Brexit-related risks that could affect our operations. The Office for Students (OfS) demands that we demonstrate both value for money for our students and our financial sustainability (in the sense of being able to invest to deliver our ambitious strategy, rather than survival). There are, of course, also ongoing unresolved national issues around pay and the continuing challenges around funding pensions in the higher education sector.<\/p><p>Our Financial Statements show an improved operating surplus (3.7% of income compared to \u00a324.7m (2.3%) in 2017\/18), with a rise in income from tuition fees, education contracts and research. As I mentioned earlier, we re-invest the surplus we achieve each year in activity in line with our strategy. Recently our funds have been used to create some new academic and Professional Services posts; to invest in key infrastructure including IT; to invest in some new buildings like our student accommodation at Unsworth Park; to improve the student experience by funding more full-time Residential Life staff and to upgrade a range of buildings and research and teaching spaces and resources. Increasingly it is also invested in environmental sustainability and meeting our ambitious carbon targets. So even when we are making difficult decisions in some parts of the University we continue to invest our surplus.<\/p><p>Whilst we have reported an operating surplus, our Board of Governors expects us to deliver a much larger surplus than this (at least 5%) if we are to be sustainable in the long-term. <br \/>Improving our financial performance will help to deliver our ambitious future plans, but we must also increase our capacity to create the funds and time to invest in our core goals. One of the ways we can do this is by changing what we do and how we do things.<\/p><p>Our strategic change programme (including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk\/modernising-it\/\">IT Modernisation<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk\/sep\/\">Student Experience Programme<\/a>, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rlp.manchester.ac.uk\/\">Research Lifecycle Programme<\/a>), alongside our continuous improvement plans, will ensure that we create the financial headroom to invest in people and facilities. The strategic change programme will also enable us to embrace new technologies and new ways of doing things that better support all our staff and students to be the best that they can be.<\/p><p>Yes, this means that some individual roles will change. New roles (some that we haven\u2019t yet identified) will be created and some roles will no longer be required. I appreciate that this will cause some uncertainty and where that is the case we will do everything we can to support staff, but the alternative is that we never change anything. If we fail to take advantage of advances in technology and develop more joined-up ways of working we will ultimately find ourselves outdated in the eyes of future students, funders and other stakeholders. Staff want to work for a progressive and successful institution, of which they can be proud. This means we cannot stand still.<\/p><p>When I talk to staff and students I often hear their frustrations about how difficult it be can be to get some straightforward things done, grappling with paper-based, manual and repetitive processes, on outdated systems and infrastructure, all of which serves to increase staff workloads. Everyone wants to do a good job, but regularly feel that our world-class status is earned in spite of our internal systems and processes, not because of them.<\/p><p>To deliver our new vision and strategic plan we will need to embrace new opportunities and face challenges with courage and determination. That will sometimes mean we have to make tough decisions and no-one is claiming it will be easy or that mistakes will not be made along the way. But where we do have tough choices to make we will commit to implementing changes fairly and with compassion to support the wellbeing of all our colleagues.<\/p><p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_nav _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" prev_text=\"Previous\" next_text=\"Next\" in_same_term=\"off\" locked=\"on\" \/][et_pb_comments _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" custom_button=\"on\" button_text_color=\"#ffffff\" locked=\"on\" \/][et_pb_text admin_label=\"Related posts\" _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" locked=\"on\"]<\/p><h1>Related<\/h1><p>[related-posts-thumbnails]<\/p><p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\"1_3\"][et_pb_sidebar admin_label=\"Subscribe\" _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" area=\"et_pb_widget_area_3\" locked=\"on\" \/][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=\"3.17.6\" area=\"sidebar-1\" show_border=\"off\" locked=\"on\" \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manchester-2035"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4074"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4130,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4074\/revisions\/4130"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/viewpoint\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}