Why you need a tried and tested independent test partner

The session explored the growing importance of software testing and test automation within higher education institutions, featuring insights from Matthew Wheeler, Managing Director of Infuse and Johnny, Head of Education Systems at King’s College London. The discussion focused on how universities can improve digital resilience, reduce risk, and deliver better student experiences through a more mature approach to testing.

Matthew opened by highlighting the increasing pressures facing higher education institutions, particularly the need to deliver large-scale digital transformation programmes on time and within budget. He argued that many universities still treat testing as a late-stage activity, often seeking support only weeks before a system go-live. Instead, he advocated for a “shift-left” approach, where testing becomes an integral part of projects from the earliest stages. This not only reduces risk but also helps institutions identify issues before they become costly problems.

A key theme of the session was testing maturity. Using industry maturity models, Matthew suggested that higher education remains significantly behind other sectors in adopting comprehensive testing and automation practices. While many universities focus testing efforts on a handful of critical systems, few have the resources to test broadly across their digital estates. He emphasised that independent testing partners can help institutions hold suppliers accountable, improve quality assurance, and increase efficiency through automation.

Johnny then shared King’s College London’s testing journey with Infuse, which began in 2019. Since then, King’s has implemented extensive automated and performance testing across its virtual learning environment (VLE), known as KEATS. The university now manages over 200 million annual page views and supports tens of thousands of daily users with a significantly more stable platform. King’s has experienced no major platform-related outages in the last four academic years and has developed over 500 automated test cases to support continuous testing and system upgrades.

The session also demonstrated the tangible value of testing. Automated testing has reduced manual effort dramatically, improved operational efficiency, and identified dozens of defects before they reached production. Examples included performance issues that could have increased page load times from seconds to nearly a minute, potentially damaging the student experience during critical assessment periods.

The session concluded with an interactive discussion on institutional testing maturity. Delegates reflected on their own organisations’ capabilities and challenges, particularly around securing investment and resources. Speakers stressed that testing should be viewed not as a technical overhead but as a strategic enabler that supports student success, operational reliability, and confidence in digital transformation initiatives.