Sarah Knight is director of digital leadership and transformation at Jisc. Sarah supports UK universities with their digital transformation using Jisc’s framework and maturity model along with research into international and transnational education and curriculum and assessment design. Sarah established Jisc’s student experience experts group, an active community which provides valuable consultation and dissemination opportunities for Jisc. Sarah continues to champion Jisc’s change agents’ network: to support staff-student partnership working on technology enhanced curriculum projects. During her time at Jisc, Sarah has led large transformation projects on curriculum and assessment design, digital capabilities and students’ experiences of technology.
In an exclusive conversation with CIO Magazine, Sarah talks about the evolving role of digital transformation in higher education and why institutions must move beyond viewing technology as simply infrastructure. She shares insights on creating a culture that embraces innovation, strengthening digital leadership, and building data-driven ecosystems that support long-term resilience and growth. Sarah also discusses the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on teaching, learning, assessment, and research, highlighting the importance of developing digital and AI capabilities across the entire academic community.
Your career has been deeply rooted in digital transformation within the education sector. What key moments or decisions have shaped your journey into this leadership role?
Having worked in the sector and for Jisc for the past 22 years, my role has centred around working with colleges and universities to realise the benefits that technology can bring to the student experience, to enhance the quality of teaching, and to enable more efficient and effective ways of working. Whether this has been through the use of virtual learning environments, assessment and e-portfolio platforms, Moocs, virtual worlds, simulations, VR…and of course now genAI.
Having started my career as a chemistry lecturer in South Africa, I have always centred my work on how to support students, particularly disadvantaged students, with their learning and how to enable staff to fully realise the potential of technology for their teaching. I have been fortunate in my role at Jisc to be involved in sector leading research and observe innovative practice across further and higher education which has firmly focused on improving students’ experiences.
Understanding how staff and students’ expectations and experiences of using technology are continually changing, the digital (and AI) capabilities required, the focus on sound pedagogic practice and the vision and leadership to foster innovation and organisational change are the guiding principles for my work.
Post pandemic, there was a shift in senior leadership teams’ awareness of the importance of digital as a key requirement for investment. Despite the pressure to return to the traditional approaches of fully on campus learning for students, there was a recognition that student demographics and expectations had changed. This has been further brought into focus by declining international students studying in the UK and pressures on university finances. As a result, my role has focused on supporting senior teams with advancing their strategies for digital transformation.
Higher education is undergoing significant change. From your perspective, what are the most pressing challenges institutions face today in their digital transformation efforts?
Four years ago, recognising and acknowledging the impact that the pandemic had on education, it became clear there was a need to move beyond pockets of innovative practice with technology and a reactive approach. Instead, the shift was towards a holistic whole organisational approach to digital. This involves a significant shift in organisational culture – led by the executive team with that digital mindset and vision, who can role model those behaviours.
In the past, digital has been seen as being just about the kit. Although considerable investment has been made to provide robust and secure infrastructure, there is still the need to address the technical legacy of distributed and duplicate systems. A digital ecosystem with a single source of truth, with the core business back office systems integrating seamlessly with academic platforms and student record systems. Interoperability and common standards are the enablers of this and result in the ability to fully realise data informed decision making. Never before has this been so crucial than in an age where artificial intelligence is being quoted as an inevitable part of the future of higher education. To realise the full potential of AI we need a sophisticated understanding, use and governance of institutional data.
However, the investment in infrastructure, security and data, needs to be counterbalanced by the investment in people. Starting with the university council or board of governors to develop their digital mindset, capability and leadership. This will set the vision for digital as a fundamental part of the university, enabling financial resilience, global competitiveness and offering an inclusive and equitable experience to all students whether they are studying in the UK or at an overseas campus. The council or board, along with the university executive, play a vital role in the governance and accountability of year on year progress of a digital transformation strategy from the initial baseline to sector benchmarking.
We have seen the value of universities using a higher education sector co created framework for digital transformation and associated digital and data maturity models to baseline current practice and identify priority areas for investment. In a resource constrained environment having this evidence is essential for financial sustainability.
AI is rapidly influencing every industry. How do you see it reshaping the education and research landscape in the coming years?
We are seeing changing student demographics in UK universities, with an increase in undergraduate commuter students and more international and transnational education students than home students. This necessitates a rethink of curriculum and assessment design so that they are better suited for a digital and AI workplace, whilst raising the quality of teaching and ensuring an inclusive and equitable experience for all students irrespective of place of study. All learning is blended with elements of digital with an increasing awareness of how genAI may be disrupting the norms of education. We are seeing some exemplar practice where students and staff and co designing the curriculum and rethinking approaches to assessment to counteract the risks that genAI poses to academic integrity. Curriculum frameworks are being refreshed; principles and policies for blended learning are becoming part of education strategies to maintain the global reputation for UK higher education.
Developing the digital and AI capabilities of all staff, including those who are supporting transnational education, is an ongoing commitment – the associated professional bodies for professional services staff, academic staff and researchers all acknowledge the importance and requirements of staff to be digitally capable and confident. This is part of professional practice and needs to be recognised and rewarded as such. Human resource departments, organisational and educational development units are a key stakeholder in the delivery of a digital transformation strategy, yet many are not.
Offering staff and students the ability to self-assess their digital and AI capabilities so they can receive targeted training and support is another important aspect of baselining and benchmarking institutional practice. It’s equally important to ensure staff and students can share their expectations and experiences of the digital environment, enabling these insights to shape the future developments.
At Jisc, you’ve been part of several impactful initiatives. Which achievement are you most proud of, and what made it particularly meaningful?
I am most proud of the research my team and I have led on understanding students’ digital experiences. There are so many assumptions made about how students use digital, and myths about their expertise and digital confidence. It’s only by actually talking to students, gathering their views and experiences, that we can ensure we are designing our digital environments to better support their education. We must also support all students to become digitally confident and resilient, to develop the skills they need for a global digital workplace.
I started this work in 2005 and 20 years later this research is continuing to lead the sector Our current research focuses on better understanding how transnational education (TNE) students experience the use of technology to support their learning. As many UK universities are growing their TNE provision, with digital playing a key role, it is essential to understand the digital civil infrastructure within which students are learning. This includes access to digital devices, data, and digital resources, as well as their expectations of how technology – including AI – supports their learning and assessment. Such understanding is fundamental to providing an equitable experience.
As a leader, how do you approach driving change while ensuring teams remain aligned, motivated, and adaptable?
My approach to driving change is grounded in three interconnected principles: curiosity, communication, and collaboration. These are essential to not only delivering transformation but ensuring people remain aligned, motivated, and adaptable throughout the journey.
Curiosity is the starting point. In a sector as dynamic as higher education, transformation cannot be driven by assumption, it requires a mindset of continuous learning and exploration. I encourage teams to stay curious about emerging technologies, evolving student needs, and institutional challenges. By fostering a culture where questioning is welcomed and experimentation is supported, we create an environment where innovation thrives, and teams feel empowered to contribute ideas. This also helps individuals see change not as disruption, but as an opportunity to improve outcomes for the institutions and learners we serve.
Communication is what sustains alignment and momentum. Change can create uncertainty, so clarity and consistency are critical. I prioritise transparent communication about the “why” behind transformation, linking every initiative back to the broader mission of supporting higher education through digital evolution. Regular touchpoints, open forums, and clear narrative-setting help ensure everyone understands both their role and the impact of their work. Importantly, communication is not one-directional; actively listening to concerns, feedback, and ideas ensures people feel heard and remain engaged.
Collaboration is what turns strategy into reality. Digital transformation is inherently cross-functional, it requires diverse expertise, perspectives, and partnerships. I focus on breaking down silos and creating opportunities for teams to co-create solutions, whether internally across Jisc or externally with our higher education partners. When people feel they are shaping change rather than simply receiving it, motivation and ownership increase significantly.
Outside of your professional role, what interests or activities help you stay inspired and maintain balance?
As I spend a lot of my time in front of my laptop or travelling, I enjoy being outdoors in my spare time. I am very fortunate to live in a part of the UK which has some beautiful countryside to enjoy so I spend my weekends walking the hills, along with kayaking local rivers and canals. I have recently taken up horse riding again and I am enjoying re-learning those skills. I love a challenge and the goals I have set myself over the next two years are to continue learning to ski and also to experience a tandem paragliding flight!
For young professionals aspiring to build a career in digital transformation, what advice would you offer to help them stay relevant and grow with confidence?
I would encourage young professionals to be comfortable with uncertainty. You won’t always have all the answers, and that’s okay. Focus on making progress, learning quickly, and iterating. Confidence comes not from certainty, but from knowing you can adapt and respond.
Digital transformation doesn’t happen in silos. It requires people with different skills, experiences, and viewpoints working together. Seek opportunities to work across disciplines – technology, education, operations, and strategy. Be open to diverse perspectives. Some of the best ideas come from unexpected places. Focus on co-creation rather than ownership. Your impact grows when you help others succeed as well.
Learning how to collaborate early in your career will build both your confidence and your credibility, and it mirrors how transformation actually happens in organisations like Jisc and across the higher education sector.
Finally, stay connected to purpose. In higher education especially, digital transformation is about improving experiences and outcomes for students, staff, and institutions. If you can anchor your work in that bigger impact, it will help you stay motivated, resilient, and focused as your career develops.