By:
Prof. Dr. Adel Ahmed
Professor of Accounting & Ethical Finance
Amity Business School, Amity University Dubai
(Formerly Academic President of Birmingham City University- UAE Campus, Vice President - Institutional Effectiveness, Amity University Dubai and Dean of the College of Business at Al Ain University, UAE

Prof Adel Ahmed Bio:
A highly experienced in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) of more than 30 years equipped with excellent teaching, research, & educational senior leadership skills. Work experience in UK and Middle East Region involving Curriculum Design based on innovative approach and continual improvement. Dr Adel is taking part on Programs' Validation process and External Examiner in UK universities working closely with quality accreditation agencies. Dr Adel has successful experience in International collaborations, dual and joined degree's, National Accreditations, setting up foreign campus universities, twinning agreements and linking higher education with the National agenda.

A University Professor in Ethical Finance and Impact Investing believe that Investing is no longer just about the financial returns also committed to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact. Having previously managerial role as Academic President of Birmingham City University- UAE Campus, Vice President - Institutional Effectiveness, Amity University Dubai and Dean of the College of Business at Al Ain University and was the Founding Head of the Accounting and Finance division as part of Liverpool Hope Business School, UK (LHBS). He gained his BSc (Hons) and MSc in Accounting from the University of Alexandria, Egypt, and received his PhD in 1999 from Liverpool Business School. He has taught Accounting and Ethical Finance courses at various higher education institutions, including Alexandria University, Liverpool Hope Business School, City of Liverpool College, Wirral Met College and Leeds Metropolitan University. His vision is to shape the future of Higher Education Business Model to develop students by making them not only excellent academically and professionals but also well-rounded individuals. He has published in academic journals and book chapters. He is Member of the British Accounting Association (BAA) and UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF). Also, he is a Fellow member of the Higher Education Academy, UK (FHEA).

Workshop Introduction:
Higher Education has been challenged to provide the accessibility and efficiency that technology enables students expect from the moment a potential student engages with their university facilities and resources through their journey as a student. Higher Education should attract, engage and retain students and faculty to provide high-quality experiences. Higher Education is behind most sectors in adopting technology and digital transformation. However, COVID-19 reshaped student expectations and requirements, accelerating the need for institutions to adopt new technologies to improve student experiences and operations. As Higher Education leaders chart their course beyond the pandemic, those who prioritize technology and elevate their IT department's role as a strategic partner within the institutional ecosystem will be best positioned for long-term sustainability.
Digital transformation is a cultural, workforce, and technological shift requires dramatic shifts in workplace skills at all levels and professional development that enables the workforce to keep pace with the rapid measure of change. Many universities are now embracing digital transformation to maintain a competitive edge. Why? Because today's students have an immense amount of learning options to choose from and institutions need to become more flexible, affordable and accessible to meet increasing consumer and environmental pressures. Digital transformation offers institutions exciting possibilities and opportunities to enhance their teaching and learning and the ability to effectively manage their operations such as HR, Finance, Admission, LRC, CRM, LMS, SIS - all of which are key to better serving students. Despite this, many universities still aren't digitizing, or are falling short in their attempts, which is causing their technology spending to rise, with little return on their investments.
This is partly because there are misconceptions about what digital transformation is and how to do it. In this workshop, I will help you better understand what digital transformation in higher education is and examples of how your institution can successfully embrace it.
To invest in digital transformation initiatives that produce tangible benefits on strategic, operational and financial goals, it's helpful to first establish a working definition. Digital transformation in higher education refers to an organizational change realized by means of digital technologies and business models with the aim to improve an institution's operational performance. In other words, it's the transformation of entire business model through digital technologies to better serve stakeholders and streamline business operations.

Examples of digital transformations in higher education include:

• Using more digital channels and tools like websites, social media, chatbots and email marketing to recruit and retain students
• Collecting, connecting and activating data from across campus to inform decisions
• Enabling students to complete tasks such as class registration, transcript requests and financial aid requests on their own through self-service capabilities
• Automating cross-departmental workflows to complete tasks faster and more accurately

Many Higher Education staff and faculty still spend significant time performing departmental processes or administrative tasks manually. This is no longer acceptable, especially when most other industries offer self-service options - and students expect to access things 24/7 with on-demand results. Now is the time to proactively embrace technology's role in helping your institution refocus on its academic mission by alleviating administrative burdens and delivering a supported and robust technology experience to students, faculty and staff. Making Higher Ed's Back Office More Efficient and Student-Centric: A Guide to Process Automation.

Are you ready for digital transformation's technological, operational and strategic changes?

Higher education is no longer immune from students' high expectations and preferences for digital service. Most other industries interact with consumers digitally, and students now bring those expectations of simplicity, personalization, self-service, automation, and customer service with them to their educational experience. To thrive in the future, institutions must embrace and accelerate the process of digital transformation to optimize operations and lower operating costs, improve student experiences, and expand their reach through enable digital transformation initiatives to grow enrollments, deliver quality learning experiences and manage technology ecosystems.
Data is a powerful guiding tool in higher education, and it becomes stronger when it captures the entire student journey. Unfortunately, institutions' data is often siloed across departments, which prevents them from having a "whole picture" approach to all of the strategies they have in play, from enrollment to student retention. For instance, CRM data alone might be enough to help admissions understand what's in the pipeline, but CRM data is only one part of the picture; it's the marketing data that helps explain why the pipeline looks like it does. Data silos prevent connections which, in turn, limits the insights that are possible.
Digital Transformation is the art of bringing together people, processes, and technology to create value. Higher education institutions must accelerate the process of digital transformation to optimize operations, improve student experiences, and enhance their brand. The digital transformation of higher education is at hand of the Leaders who must prepare their institutions now to take strategic advantage of the coming shifts in culture, workforce, and technology.

Workshop Goals:

• Understand what digital transformation means for higher education
• Understand how the role of IT and its workforce is changing in response to an anticipation of digital transformation
• How Higher Education Can Overcome Barriers to Digital Transformation
• Plan an integrated technology ecosystem
• Take specific steps to help your institutions to move forward with digital transformation in areas such as IT organization and leadership, workforce and staffing, and analytics

Topics to be covered:

• What Is Digital Transformation in Higher Education?
• Why Is Digital Transformation Important in Higher Education?
• Consider the Three Ds (Digitization, Digitalization, and Digital Transformation)
• Current Digital Transformation Trends in Practice: Triggers, Impacts, and Outcomes
• What Are the Types of Digital Transformation?
• Digital Transformation in Higher Education: The Role of Leaders in a Digital Initiative