From adoption to architecture

In February, I had the privilege of chairing, with Hemant Sahal of Digii, a Presidential Roundtable at the QS India Summit in Goa, bringing together university leaders, EdTech pioneers, and technology partners to explore a deceptively simple question: how can digital transformation enable Indian higher education to scale equitable access and accelerate world-class research?

The room included representatives from international universities, global technology companies, including AWS, and leading platforms like Emeritus and Eruditus that are reshaping how millions access education. What emerged was not a debate about which tools to adopt, but a far more searching conversation about what transformation actually means, especially in the age of fast-paced digital innovation.

Adoption is high; transformation is shallow

One observation surfaced repeatedly: most institutions have adopted digital tools, but very few have redesigned governance, curriculum, or operations to match. As one institutional leader put it bluntly: “In India, adoption is high, transformation is shallow.”

This is not unique to India. Globally, higher education has become adept at adopting digital tools without transforming the systems beneath them. Learning platforms sit on top of legacy curricula, AI is introduced without rethinking assessment, and analytics generate insights that rarely translate into decisions. The visible layer, what our roundtable framed as “shiny objects”, receives disproportionate attention, while the underlying architecture, comprising governance, data infrastructure, and academic capability, remains largely unaddressed.

Yet institutions making genuine progress are those that treat digital change as an architectural challenge. They are asking harder questions: What does AI-native pedagogy actually look like? How do we ensure that academics are not just users of technology but co-designers of transformed learning experiences? And critically, how do we redesign our operating models so that technology enables rather than complicates?

At Southern Cross University, we have approached these challenges through what we call the Southern Cross Model, a whole-of-institution redesign that shifts from traditional semester structures to immersive six-week terms with digitally-rich, active learning. The results have been striking: student success rates have increased by 11.3 percent and 25.7 percent for undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts, respectively. This reinforces a broader point: institutions that lead in digital transformation are those that redesign themselves, not those that simply adopt new technologies.

Quality at scale demands both innovation and infrastructure

India's ambition, as articulated through its National Education Policy 2020, is extraordinary, reaching a 50 percent gross enrolment ratio by 2035. As multiple participants noted, this cannot be achieved solely through brick-and-mortar expansion. Digital delivery is essential, but so is the infrastructure to support it.

The roundtable discussion highlighted a critical distinction between front-end innovation and enabling systems. On the front end: AI-powered personalised learning, virtual reality in clinical training, and chatbots providing instant student support. These are tangible and critical innovations. EdTech leaders shared examples of agentic AI delivering customised content at scale, while medical educators described immersive simulations reshaping clinical training.

However, the enabling systems underpinning these innovations remain uneven. Connectivity gaps persist across the regions. Data governance frameworks are still maturing. Cross-border research collaboration raises complex questions of sovereignty and intellectual property. Most critically, academic capability has not kept up with the pace of technological deployment.

At the centre of the discussion was a simple but critical question: “How can the 50,000th credential be as trusted as the first?” This is the quality-at-scale challenge. It applies as much to research as to teaching, and ultimately, depends on shared infrastructure that allows emerging institutions to contribute alongside established leaders at the global research frontier.

The conversation must continue

These challenges will not be resolved in ninety minutes, nor through a single summit. What the roundtable did achieve was sharper clarity on the questions that matter and a shared understanding that the work ahead is fundamentally architectural, not just technical.

Three priorities emerged from our discussion that deserve sustained attention:

First, co-design with students. Several participants observed that we have spent decades doing things to and for students, but rarely with them. If we are serious about AI-native pedagogy, students must be partners in designing what the classroom of the future looks like.

Second, shared infrastructure for research. The compute, data, and talent required for frontier AI research cannot be replicated at every institution. Models of shared infrastructure, whether national, regional, or through international partnership, deserve serious exploration.

Third, governance frameworks that enable rather than constrain. Data sovereignty, intellectual property in the age of generative AI, and cross-border collaboration all require policy attention. Quality assurance bodies, as one participant noted, must become enablers of innovation rather than guardians of the status quo.

An invitation

The roundtable in Goa was a starting point. Building what one speaker described as a “digital transformation guidebook,” will require a broader coalition: regional institutions navigating resource constraints, students who will inherit the systems we design, and policymakers balancing competing priorities.

Southern Cross University is committed to being part of this ongoing dialogue. As an Australian institution with regional roots that has undertaken whole-of-institution transformation, we bring both experience and perspective, with research strengths aligned to India's priorities, from sustainable agriculture to health workforce development. Equally, we recognise that no single institution has the answers, and that progress will depend on shared learning across institutions, sectors, and borders.

Five years from now, what will this moment be remembered for? That question was posed at the close of our roundtable. The answer will depend on whether we treat conversations like this as isolated events or as the foundation of sustained, collaborative action.

We are ready to engage. If your institution is advancing digital transformation or seeking research collaboration in areas aligned with India’s priorities, I would welcome the opportunity to connect: [email protected].

Professor Renaud Joannes-Boyau is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Southern Cross University, Australia. He chaired the Presidential Roundtable on “Building Scale with Digital Transformation” at the QS India Summit 2026 in Goa.