Queen Mary's Digital Education Studio wins prestigious prize
Queen Mary University of London's Digital Education Studio has been awarded the 2026 Roger Mills Prize – one of the most prestigious honours in digital higher education – for its transformative approach to online learning through the CARE as Value-Led Digital Education Transformation initiative.
The Digital Education Studio team
The Roger Mills Prize, sponsored by the University of London's Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE), recognises outstanding innovation in digital learning, assessment and pedagogic transformation across University of London institutions. Queen Mary’s Digital Education Studio was presented with this year’s prize during the 20th Annual International Research in Distance Education conference.
At the heart of the Digital Education Studio's work is a commitment to using digital pedagogies and technologies to make world-class higher education more accessible, helping Queen Mary become the most inclusive University of its kind, anywhere. This mission is guided by four design principles — co-created, active and authentic, relational, and evidence-based — known collectively as the CARE agenda.
In practice, the Studio works directly with programme and course teams across Queen Mary to redesign digital and online learning from the ground up. Its multidisciplinary approach brings together academics, learning design experts and creative specialists, to build high-quality courses in which students progress through a structured blend of text, images, short lecture videos and interactive elements.
While the Studio introduces new tools and technologies, it is the emphasis on collaboration and co-creation that ensures these innovations take root. The team has also developed a dedicated CARE Digital Education model course, giving Queen Mary staff hands-on experience of excellent digital education in action.
The panel of judges praised CARE as a ‘mature, value-led redesign of a fully online postgraduate programme. The CARE framework provides a clear and transferable model for digital transformation. The alignment of pedagogy, design and professional practice is particularly strong. The scale and scope of this project is notable as is the evaluation. A very well-planned project with great attention to detail in the planning and execution which does achieve its aim of being transformative.’
Professor Chie Adachi, Dean for Digital Education in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and Interim Academic Director of the Centre for Excellence in AI for Education at Queen Mary, said:
“Digital innovation is everywhere, particularly now with GenAI pushing the boundaries for disruptive higher education. However, a kind of innovation that is value-led and thoughtfully designed by and with the community is rare. The CARE programme development encapsulates our approach to this. Everything we do in digital and medical education at Queen Mary is co-creation, and only through this, educational excellence and sustainable innovation are possible. I am so pleased that the CODE recognised this excellent teams’ work - sincere thanks to those exceptional team members who continue to deliver.”
Tom Hinks, Senior Learning Designer at the Digital Education Studio, said:
“It was a privilege to present our work to the wider digital education community. I’m proud of what we’ve created through the online MA Medical Education and the broader CARE agenda. I’m excited to continue working with colleagues across the University to develop high-quality, innovative digital education.”
Global recognition for the Digital Education Studio
In only a few years, the work of Queen Mary’s Digital Education Studio has been recognised on a global scale. Queen Mary was awarded the Excellence in Digital Education – Med-Tech Awards at the 2023 Med-Tech Awards Event in Malta. In 2024, they were recognised as joint runner-ups in the Roger Mills Prize.
In December 2025, the Healthcare Leadership Foundations course, created by the Institute of Dentistry in collaboration with the Digital Education Studio, received the GMA Award at the 2025 Global MOOC and Online Education Conference in Mexico City for its innovative use of technology-enhanced learning to equip healthcare professionals with the skills needed in an AI-driven world.
Find out more about how our Digital Education Studio is making all education more inclusive.