First universities sign up to Jisc's Adobe agreement with new Adobe Express option
Jisc and Adobe collaborate to support the effective and innovative use of Adobe Express in higher education institutions.
Twelve universities have joined the Jisc and Adobe engagement programme for Adobe Express as part of the inaugural cohort committed to ‘learning and leading’ together. Of the twelve, six universities attended the first workshop of the year, hosted in Adobe’s London office, with the aim of supporting attendees in their digital transformation goals.
The Jisc Adobe enterprise term licence agreement (ETLA) with new Adobe Express option is the culmination of negotiations between Adobe, UCISA and Jisc to support digital transformation across the tertiary education sector, underpinned by the ‘digital culture and mindset’ area of Jisc’s framework for digital transformation in higher education. The workshop was the first event in a programme of activities co-designed by Jisc and Adobe to embed Adobe Express across participating organisations.
Throughout the day members of the cohort shared a range of motivations for joining the programme including:
- The opportunity to redesign their assessment models to incorporate the digital skills used in the workplace and make assessment more authentic while nurturing different learning styles and means of expression
- The potential to enrich students’ creative skills and engage them in their learning
- The need to improve the employability of their graduates in a competitive jobs marketplace
- The improved equity of access from being able to use Adobe Express on a range of devices
- The possibility of making students more comfortable and confident using AI and how to take advantage of it
- The opportunity to redesign the curriculum for a digital world
Nigel Hayes, digital media support technician at Leeds Trinity University, summed up his university’s aspirations for signing up to the Jisc Adobe Express programme. Nigel said:
"We see Adobe Express as a key part of preparing our students with valuable digital skills that enhance their employability and creativity. By integrating Adobe Express, we’re equipping students to confidently engage in digital content creation. Adobe Express also offers academic staff an intuitive platform to bring creativity into their teaching, enriching the learning experience and expanding the ways they can engage students. It’s a vital tool for both student success and faculty innovation, supporting our wider digital transformation goals at Leeds Trinity.
"By signing up for the Jisc Adobe Express ETLA, we gain access to invaluable resources and collaborative opportunities that can enhance our digital initiatives. A standout aspect of this agreement is Jisc’s organisation of the transforming together: leading and learning group. Our first meeting provided a platform for sharing best practices and innovative ideas from various institutions, helping us understand how to effectively implement Adobe Express in our respective universities. Such collaborative experiences are essential in fostering a community of learning and support, making it easier for us to integrate Adobe Express across our programs."
Fiona Camino, Adobe’s senior sales manager for higher education in the UK and Northern Ireland, described how they benefit from the partnership approach. Fiona said:
“Jisc brings valuable expertise of the higher education sector, its digital culture, curriculum and assessment integration and how it all works.”
Jonathan Hofgartner, Jisc’s head of learning and teaching, licensing, explained his aspirations for the programme. Jonathan said:
“What I really hope our customers get out of this new programme is an opportunity to collaborate with other institutions and draw on the expertise that Jisc and Adobe can bring. The participants showed a lot of deep, creative thinking about the possibilities that technology opens for learning, teaching and assessment that goes beyond the simple functions of the Adobe Express platform. They are a highly motivated and imaginative group.
“It's been a pleasure to work with colleagues from Adobe putting this programme together. There's a real willingness on both sides to ensure the best possible outcomes for participants. The collaboration combines Adobe’s wealth of experience in supporting institutions to derive the most value from their products with Jisc's approach and expertise in supporting digital transformation with our members. The engagement programme, alongside our licensing arrangement, will help our members get better impact and value from their licensing solutions.”
Together, Jisc, UCISA and Adobe have negotiated a licensing agreement with significant advantages for participating universities.
Further information
This launch cohort of universities will be supported by both Jisc and Adobe: between the in-person sessions throughout the academic year, Jisc is facilitating online meet-ups to share pain points and success and providing supporting materials; and Adobe have a deck of advice support and suggestions for participants gleaned from introducing Adobe Express at other institutions. The collaborative approach of the programme will allow participating universities to learn from each other to make the most of the digital transformation potential.
The cohort will meet again in January to discuss student digital skills and employability with a further session in term three looking at student engagement and co-curricular activity over the year.
If you want to find out more about Jisc's Adobe ETLA agreement with new Adobe Express option and to participate in the next cohort in 2025, please contact help@chest.ac.uk.