Making sense of higher education 2026/27
The sector has never been more complex, or more critical to get right.
From regulatory frameworks to institutional dynamics, funding models to strategic transformation, navigating higher education today demands more than expertise in one area. It requires the whole picture.
Introducing Making Sense of Higher Education - a new modular learning series designed for professionals across the sector who need cross-institutional fluency. Whether you work in teaching, strategy, governance, student services, communications, policy, or operations, this programme builds the cross-institutional understanding that turns good practitioners into exceptional leaders. For those newer to the sector, it also offers a rapid, structured induction into the competing drivers that make higher education both complex and compelling.
Great work in higher education increasingly happens at the intersections - between departments, institutions, missions, and perspectives. Those intersections only become productive when people understand how the wider system operates, and where their influence sits within it. The sector’s most complex challenges cut across structures, incentives, and cultures, demanding insight that extends beyond functional expertise. This programme goes beyond professional development. It builds the strategic fluency and system-level awareness required of people who want not just to navigate higher education, but to help shape its future.
Modules
A free session, open to anyone thinking about booking, or already booked, will take place at 12 midday, Wednesday 16 September, explaining more about the series and offering a chance to ask questions before the main programme begins.
1 Making sense of public value - 12 midday, 7 Oct 2026
What universities contribute to society, including civic, regions and skills needs, and how to articulate, protect and enhance that value in a contested environment. With Jim Dickinson.
2 Making sense of funding and finance - 12 midday, 28 Oct 2026
The financial and regulatory landscape: how funding flows, what regulators expect, and how institutions manage their finances, and navigate constraints and opportunities. With DK.
3 Making sense of teaching and learning - 12 midday, 18 Nov, 2026
Quality in practice: pedagogical approaches, policy drivers, sector expectations, and what "good" looks like. With Debbie McVitty.
4 Making sense of student experience and outcomes - 12 midday, 9 Dec, 2026
The full student journey from recruitment to graduate outcomes, understanding what shapes success, what prevents it, and how institutions respond. Include why students make their choice, students motivations, etc. With Jim Dickinson.
5 Making sense of research - 12 midday, 13 Jan, 2027
The research ecosystem demystified: funding, impact, culture, and how research connects to other parts of the institution, as well as its importance to mission and strategy. With James Coe.
6 Making sense of internationalisation - 12 midday, 3 Feb, 2027
Navigating global engagement: opportunities, risks, regulatory complexity, and strategic approaches in a volatile world. With Michael Salmon.
7 Making sense of strategy and transformation - 12 midday, 24 Feb, 2027
Planning for change: how institutions develop, communicate and deliver strategic change, and what makes transformation stick (or fail). With Debbie McVitty.
8 Making sense of data - 12 midday, 17 March, 2027
Building data literacy for planning, decision-making and governance - and understanding what good data practice looks like and who it serves. With DK.
9 Making sense of people and culture - 12 midday, 7 April 2027
The human dynamics of higher education: what enables institutional effectiveness, wellbeing and cultural change, and the risks of not getting it right. With Jen Summerton.
10 Making sense of leadership and governance - 12 midday, 28 April 2027
How universities are governed, who's accountable for what and how to make governance work better in practice. Include leadership and how they’re run. With Jim Dickinson.
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If you have any further questions, please email events@wonkhe.com
More information about module content will be shared in advance of the session, as well as recordings and resources post-event.