From predictions on data governance to the influence of elections, higher-ed leaders say 2016 will shape up to be a rollercoaster of a year for student services and campus operations.

predictions-2016-educationVirtual Reality is the technology that will dominate 2016, and data will basically permeate every aspect of campus decision-making. At least, that’s what a handful of higher-ed’s innovation and technology visionaries are predicting.

Talking to higher-ed speakers that made the 2015 conference circuit, as well as prominent think-tank leaders, in-the-know bloggers, university leadership, IT specialists, and popular vendors, it seems that 2016 will continue its reinvention—focusing heavily on flexible IT infrastructures with technologies that support one another, as well as whatever it takes to attract and retain students.

[Predictions listed in no particular order]

Alana Dunagan Headshot_300Elections Will Matter
By Alana Dunagan

In 2015, key issues in higher education began to receive much overdue attention, such as addressing employer needs and college affordability. As we look to 2016, particularly as an election year, the Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation sees three distinct areas that are critical to bringing real change in the higher education landscape:

Hashing out affordability: The Presidential election will bring affordability debates to a head in 2016. Some like Hillary Clinton have proposed simplifying the grant and loan process, including income-based repayment plans, while others like Chris Christie (who recently declared an ‘epidemic of rock walls’ on campuses) are advocating for unbundling programs and services so that students can pick and choose what they pay for. Whoever wins, institutions will have to reckon with the fact that students have less willingness and ability to pay for an ever-more-posh college experience, resulting in weak enrollment and rising discount rates.

Adopting new measures of quality: Start-up training programs and boot camps are putting pressure on our traditional measures of quality by connecting training directly to employer needs at a fraction of the usual cost, while low completion and post-graduation employment rates shine a spotlight on weaknesses in traditional accreditation processes. These issues will come into focus as Congress considers reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, but regional and state accreditation organizations will likely take the lead on experimentation and reform. Hopefully, a conversation on quality will ultimately shift regulatory focus from the inputs of the educational process—seat-time and enrollment—to the outputs—student learning and attainment, employment outcomes, and student experience.

Refocusing on students: We expect 2016 to put pressure on traditional institutions to take a hard look at their business models, as scrutiny mounts on both college affordability and educational quality. Traditional institutions will look for new ways strengthen their career placement programs and services in an attempt to compete with start-up training programs. They’re also likely to try embracing new structures for delivering learning, including online competency-based approaches that stand to enable student learning in an affordable, scalable, and high quality manner.

Alana Dunagan is a Research Fellow in higher education at the Clayton Christensen Institute.

(Next page: Predictions on retention, OER, virtual reality and IT infrastructure)

Matthew_Schnittman_300A Transformation in Retention Strategies

By Matthew Schnittman

Going into 2016, we expect to see a complete transformation in the way institutions approach retention. With a renewed focus to not only to retain, but to retain at scale, institutions will shift the way they prioritize data and the way they use it to drive personalized outreach among large student populations. To really make an impact, it will take a balance of technology and people.

Data has always been a valuable piece of the retention puzzle, but without proper analysis and the ability to make it actionable and scalable, all it is, is data. Student support is also imperative, but without a foundation of relevant information to drive interactions, advisors can struggle to make meaningful connections with students. Fortunately, this division of assets is beginning to merge.

More colleges and universities are realizing the potential of a “closed-loop data + coaching” model, integrating technology, staff and a culture to continuously learn from student engagement and improve results. For example, technology that facilitates predictive data modeling utilizing enrollment, academic and behavioral information can identify at-risk students. Advisors and coaches can then apply this information to forecast patterns and outcomes, assign students to personalized communication plans, and proactively reach out. Based on the results of these data-driven intervention strategies, institutions can better understand what works, allowing for the opportunity to test, develop best practices, and create “closed-loop” insights.

Data and coaching are not new concepts, but the innovative way they can be combined to provide a truly personalized, student-centric experience in a scalable, sustainable model is going to change the face of retention as we know it.

Matthew Schnittman is the President & CEO of Helix Education, a leader in maximizing higher education enrollment growth by delivering data-driven services and technologies across the post-traditional student lifecycle.

SchlichenmayerE_09_300Open Educational Resources Trending Up

By Ed Schlichenmayer

Rising concerns over affordability and graduation rates are prompting higher-education institutions to seek out solutions to address both. Colleges and universities have been cautiously exploring whether open educational resources (OER) can help lower costs to students and also support faculty in tailoring course materials to the learning goals of each class.

Campus bookstores have noticed a slow but steady increase in the adoption of open materials for courses. OER appears ready to ramp up in 2016, thanks to several factors. To help faculty find open resources to fit their instructional plans, academic groups and content providers have set up searchable OER repositories and portals, such as the Applied Math and Science Education Repository and the OER Commons. Other organizations (for instance, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) are underwriting grants to develop open materials.

Many institutions are now encouraging their professors to consider assigning open sources on their syllabi. Some are even establishing programs to incentivize and fund faculty to develop original OER materials. Indiana State University, for example, offered faculty a $3,000 stipend to produce their own free course materials for classes.

As faculty use of open resources grows, it will be important to ensure that students understand the value of these materials to their education and utilize them, especially since a large percentage of open resources are digital. Multiple studies, including Student Watch™ surveys conducted by NACS’ OnCampus Research, show that students far prefer to study materials in print, rather than on a screen

Campus bookstores are taking steps to facilitate student access to low-cost print versions of OER. Stores are partnering with companies such as OpenStax at Rice University to stock print copies of open textbooks or working with local printing services to create inexpensive bound copies of materials written or curated by faculty. When a print option is offered for a class, stores report students choose to buy it, even though the digital materials are free.

Campus stores are also open to working with other entities, including academic libraries and IT. All share an interest in supporting affordability and student success.

Ed Schlichenmayer is deputy CEO of the National Association of College Stores (NACS) and COO of indiCo, a NACS subsidiary that provides specialized business solutions and operating strategies to independent and institutionally-run campus stores. Both organizations are based in Oberlin, Ohio.

paige_francis300Virtual Reality Will Gain Momentum

By Paige Francis

Based on the current need to successfully reach a shrinking pool of prospective students in a deeper, more meaningful way, I see virtual reality rearing a significant head in the technology landscape. It’s already a strong buzzword; yet I believe it will gain momentum in higher education in 2016 specifically within the areas of recruiting and marketing and feasibly through academics. The ability to communicate a felt experience from a distance, creating a tangible response to a virtual immersion, may very well leapfrog in-person visits and face-to-face interactions during the attraction process. Within the online and hybrid learning environments, I see virtual reality having the capacity to serve as an engagement glue, eliminating boundaries of distance and hands-on.

From a tactical perspective, having worn the Google Cardboard goggles for a few minutes here at Fairfield University I can say I was moved. I am rarely surprised and the simplicity truly surprised me. To create something so inexpensive and slim to promote yet another tactical use of a person’s device of choice – brilliant. No clunky equipment, no high upfront costs, and mailable for a reasonable price? This puts virtual reality in the playing field. Finally, the heavy-lifting is off the shoulders of the consumer and almost entirely on the provider. A futuristic, palatable, much-needed concept in the delivery of wearables, without the wearable itself being the focus. It simply becomes the attainable medium to access the experience.

I see virtual reality as a very possible game-changer for everything – from experiential learning through the marketplace. This VR technology receives my first official commendation for wearables and I see it introducing itself in a productive way in 2016.

Paige Francis is CIO of Fairfield University.

hoover-tom-01_300Flexible IT Infrastructure for Any Device

By Thomas Hoover

2016 will be the year that technology comes together to create an ultimate educational experience for students. That means that we can join our existing technology with our students’ devices to enhance the educational experience. Mobile devices, tablets, laptops can all be used to access course materials and training for the class. Course material will now be device agnostic content. The professors are not dependent on a single device or platform they can create classes that are not bound to a stagnant curriculum.

For example, IT at UTC is working with professors in the Occupational and Physical Therapy Departments to incorporate newer technology into the rooms of a recently acquired building.  In one of the labs, there will be cameras located above cadaver tables that will allow students to connect their devices (phone, tablets, laptops, etc) to the classroom audio visual technology. The dissections and audio will be streamed to an adjacent classroom. Students will no longer be tied to a table and a cable for active learning. Utilizing current technology with all devices is a great way to leverage campus learning for the future.

Students have the ability to do unparalleled research on any device. Professors are using big data and fast internet and intranet speed to create learning experiences 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This is an opportunity to create something that will enhance every aspect of their educational experience. In order to be successful the university must not only utilize resources that are available in the community but also invest in core infrastructure. Wireless and wired connectivity, routers, and switches are all key places. Students can have the newest fastest devices, but campus must have the infrastructure built and maintained to support the new systems. That is why IT is like a Magic 8 Ball. We have core infrastructure in the inside. The questions are what students bring to campus; devices. They can choose anything they want and it shakes up our technology. We have to be nimble and flexible with a strong infrastructure to redesign and think of new utilizations to support learning outcomes.

Thomas Hoover is Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

(Next page: Predictions on tech maturation, people, mLearning and pedagogy)

EdCuoco200Technology is Maturing and Virtual Reality is on the Horizon

By Ed Cuoco

I think that in 2016 the higher educational market is going to see a continued entrenchment of competing technology ecosystems—the term often used for a comprehensive computing environment. The leading companies that provide ecosystems are Microsoft, Google and Apple, and in the coming year each will be trying to maintain and build upon their positions. In addition, Facebook will continue to dominate community and social networks.

Why should we care about these technology giants? Because our students are intimately aware of their hardware, tools and services. Each of these vendors has a presence today to one degree or another in four areas of education:

  • Back office and cloud platforms (servers)
  • Office tools and production systems (desktops)
  • Apps—mobile applications that provide communication and tools for phones, tablets and ultra-light laptops
  • Social network communities

What is hard to predict is which one of these ecosystems will gain dominance in 2016 or even if a dominant position matters!

Microsoft has recently refreshed its desktop suite with Windows 10 and new versions of Office. Google continues to invest in its federated approach based on loosely integrated applications that extend its Docs and Drive services. Apple continues to dominate laptops, tablets and phone apps. Facebook will evolve its already rich environment for social networking, and it expects to be a major provider of virtual reality products, having recently acquired Oculus. All of these companies have compelling advantages—making for a confusing mix of technologies for faculty to juggle.

Our students will continue to apply technology wherever they can—whether to acquire information using online sources, exploit computers to enhance their work, or venture into new media such as virtual reality, which I see as an emerging medium not only for training but also for self-expression. The early-adopter stage of VR is arriving in 2016, and students will gain access to creation tools and simple viewers (such as Google cardboard) that will lead to a completely new paradigm of interaction with technology.

Ed Cuoco is currently an adjunct faculty member at Bunker Hill Community College and Wentworth Institute of Technology teaching writing and communications.

jeremy_cunninghamBio Pic_300The Domination of M-Learning

By Jeremy Cunningham

E-learning removes barriers of space and time for students; therefore, the learning is more personalized and dynamic. This next year, m-learning will accelerate this trend.

M-learning stands for mobile learning and refers to learning content across platforms and devices of all forms. It is an iteration of e-learning and brings continued promise of broadening the learning experience by allowing students to learn when and where they want to. Individuals are not tied to a single location because the device travels with them. This adds not only convenience but opportunities to immerse in the learning experience. What is needed, and what will continue to grow in 2016, is the development of learning tools to take maximize the mobile devices.

Developers will focus on production of content specifically for this rather than merely adapting coursework for the online space. What if my composition class, when learning about sensory detail, required each individual to sign in from their mobile device and use its camera to display where they were at that given moment? They could provide sensory details from a first-person perspective and we, as the class, could add to their viewpoint. We could point out things they don’t see and offer our own various perspectives. All of a sudden, this becomes an authentic exercise not only in sensory detail, but in point of view and subjectivity. Platforms and programs are needed to support this kind of learning experience.

M-learning allows education to be adaptable and authentic like never before. Developing content directly for this space responds to both students’ and teachers’ wildest dreams. This demand, along with the scalability due to the widespread adoption of smartphones, will drive more direct content development for this format in 2016.

Jeremy Cunningham is a part-time instructor at Washtenaw Community College and Cleary University where he teaches composition and communication coursework. He also teaches English at Mason High School. 

Andy_Huang_300People will Matter more than Technology

By Andy Hoang

People: I believe it’s not the technologies that will be the driving force of change in higher education, but rather the people leading the university. Without creative vision and bold leadership, emerging technologies become powerless. Leaders will be pressured to architect creative hybrid teams that embrace risks and disruption, digital and design, and the ability to quickly adapt.

Content: The culture of story-telling at public universities must move away from transactional to aspirational. I predict teams will produce more digital content that will create a destination like experience. A true content strategy integrated with a university’s overall branding and marketing plan will be more apparent in the type of content being produced. I believe there will be less content, but more meaningful and higher-quality story telling.

Education is a Destination: Content management systems are not development tools. They are digital experience platforms that empower teams to create unique destinations. For a majority of prospective students, their first experience with a university is no longer a physical one. It’s digital. More universities will create homepages with content that will bring their campuses to life, making it feel like a travel destination, connecting visitors with human experiences and the culture of the university.

Andy Hoang is the chief marketing officer at Long Beach State University. His experience in marketing and communications includes, health care, science and higher education.

MalcolmBrownAn Emphasis on Learning and Pedagogical Practice

By Malcolm Brown

During my time as Director of an academic computing division within a campus IT organization, I used the title “academic computing specialist” for most of my positions on the curricular side. The title reflected an emphasis on computing technology, which at the time was appropriate. However, a trend that surfaced in 2015 renders that emphasis somewhat outdated, a bit like the feature phone.

Today, it is becoming more common for such staff to be hired as instructional designers or instructional technologists, and this clearly signals a new emphasis on learning and pedagogical practice. Moreover, these professionals often do not report to the IT organization, but can be found in centers for teaching and learning, the library, or other units that might report to a dean or vice-provost.

I expect this trend will continue to gain momentum throughout 2016. Curricular support will no longer live exclusively in the IT organization. Increasingly, cohorts of campus organizations will develop and share the task of moving forward with the institution’s mission of teaching and learning. Reflective of this trend, new job titles made their appearance in 2015, such as “chief learning officer,” “director of educational innovation,” or “manager of e-learning design and services,” with a report line not to the CIO but instead to a provost or dean.

As this trend strengthens in the coming year, it will call for a new kind of campus leadership, one that is adept both in building and sustaining organizational alliances across campus organizations and also in articulating a vision for academic transformation. This new and agile leadership will become more important as we progress through 2016, and EDUCAUSE will be convening conversations that enable us to explore the ramifications of this trend.

Malcolm Brown has served as the Director of the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) since 2009. He has initiated major ELI undertakings, such as its Seeking Evidence of Impact program and the Learning Space Rating System. Prior to assuming the ELI directorship, Malcolm was the Director of Academic Computing at Dartmouth College, overseeing a team active in instructional technology, research computing, classroom technology, and pedagogical innovation. 

(Next page: Predictions on security, data governance, data culture, and IPASS)

PJF_300Information Security Controls Expanding Beyond the Border

By Patrick Feehan

Higher education has seen the incidence of breach events grow. A prominent method of attack prevention has been to place border controls around a network to prevent breaches of that border. Concurrently, there is also general agreement that most breaches are not breaches of a network border, but rather errors related to handling confidential data.

Human error as the primary attack vector is still in effect, despite the prominence of cybersecurity awareness programs in place at most institutions. While awareness programs have increased employee knowledge and reduced large phishing/spam attacks that were prominent in 2010- 2013, attacks have changed and evolved as well.

2016 will herald a great movement of institutions to evolve their security programs as well.  While the concept of managing the entire cybersecurity attack chain is not new, its rise to being a commonplace driver of security planning is burgeoning.  Groups such as  Lockheed Martin, or the SANS in their top 20 Critical Security Controls have long proposed that an attack begins long before the breach event and extends after the breach event, requiring multiple  strategies to mitigate an attack.

Further, the acceleration in 2016 in “Cloud” computing by higher education institutions, such as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) or Software as a Service (SaaS), will also require  a strategy implementing  security “controls” appropriate for computing outside the traditional network boundaries.  Whether the controls are contained in contract language and dependent on Vendors, or implemented by institutions in evolving offerings such as Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASB), the security due diligence checklist in a Cloud transaction must evolve as well in 2016.

Patrick Feehan is the Information Security& Privacy Director at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. He is interested in security technology and the formation of security contracts.

Mike Fary_300Data Governance will be Critical

By Michael Fary

Data governance will become increasingly important to higher ed as institutions take advantage of the value of the data that has been locked up in siloed systems for so many years, as well as the influx of new data that is coming at them via social media and other “Internet of Things” sources. As institutions look to analytics to help them improve everything from student success and retention rates to development opportunities, data will need to be made available in consistent formats and be of the highest quality possible. The best analytics tools in the world can’t make up for data that is inconsistent, skewed, or otherwise of little value.

Data governance will be key to insure that the quality of that data is maintained at the highest levels possible. This will require an institutional commitment to foster a culture of data stewardship throughout the entire organization. Developing and documenting standard definitions, and making the usage and context of data available to the consumers of information will provide the framework for understanding the data and allowing it to be used to its fullest value.

Risk mitigation will be another important aspect of the data governance program. Developing a data classification framework to identify at risk data domains, maintaining an inventory of data assets, and educating constituents in best practices of data usage will provide a solid foundation of protecting the data of the institution.

By developing an institutional view of data, and establishing best practices in data quality, usage, and handling, higher ed will benefit greatly from a resource that has been waiting to be tapped.

Mike Fary is the Enterprise Data Architect at the University of Chicago. Mike’s role at the University has him leading data governance, stewardship, and data analysis activities. In addition, he is actively involved in Educause’s ECAR data management group, where he has spoken at national conferences on data management issues, and co-authored papers on data related topics.

suess1_small_300IPASS – Using Technology to Improve Student Success

By Jack Suess

I think one of the most innovative trends that will gain momentum in 2016 is the effort around systems that provide interactive planning & advising for student success (IPASS). These systems, which provide students with a multi-year academic plan are designed to support students in achieving academic success and improve both student success and time-to-degree.

My optimism that IPASS will gain momentum is based on two related factors. First, EDUCAUSE, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Helmsley Charitable Trust awarded twenty-four institutions with IPASS implementation grants. Secondly, we are seeing companies and organizations such as the Predicted Analytics Framework, Civitas Learning, HelioCampus, and the Education Advisory Board develop data models that can determine the likelihood of student success in a particular course or program. All of these entities are working with many universities simultaneously, thereby allowing them to get much more data than a single institution could accumulate. With this data they are utilizing advanced statistical models and machine learning techniques to identify critical success factors and develop accurate predictive models for student success.

Through the use of IPASS, these predictive models are now being integrated and presented to students and advisors in a meaningful way to improve the advising session. Students are able to get data on what courses are the most difficult to pass and can better estimate the time they need to commit to pass a course.

When a change of major is being considered, students and advisors can now easily review their current academic progress against different programs and find one that best utilizes the courses already taken and the likelihood of that student successfully completing the program. For these reasons, I believe 2016 will be the year that IPASS demonstrates why it is an essential component for advancing student success.

Jack Suess is Vice President of IT & CIO of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He is very active in the EDUCAUSE, Internet2, and IMSglobal and is focused on using technology to advance the mission of higher education.

javiermiyares_300Creating a Culture from Data

By Javier Miyares

The use of analytics and data analysis services to help universities operate more efficiently and focus on academic quality and student success is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. So is a culture that relies on data to guide strategic decision making and actions at all operational levels of a university.

It is a trend I see in higher education that will increasingly gain momentum as colleges and universities continue to experience budgetary challenges—ranging from shrinking financial support from state governments (particular to public institutions) to the impact of enrollment volatility for tuition-driven schools—as well as an attempt to shed higher education’s reputation for making changes at a glacial pace.

Institutions simply do not have time to waste. We all know how quickly technology is transforming the global economy, and how important it is for every industry to embrace rapid change. Higher education has not been immune and is undergoing its own revolution.

My institution, whose mission is focused on working adults, is using analytics to combine data from disparate parts of the university to increase institutional efficiency, improve student success and drive changes in university policies.

It is, indeed, a culture shift. Our analytics professionals now work together—and closely—with key university stakeholders to evaluate performance metrics, analyze trends and monitor progress toward strategic and operational goals.

The results have been extraordinary. In the last year, UMUC’s new student enrollment increased by 20 percent while we reduced recruitment expenses by 20 percent, due to better targeting and smart spending; we have increased our undergraduate successful course completion rate by over 7 percentage points and our student persistence rate by almost 4 percentage points over the last four years; and data has informed significant policy changes, ranging from the length of our courses to our course registration procedures.

These are real, evidence-based and data-backed improvements. And as the trend toward leveraging data analytics in higher education picks up steam, I believe we will see better run universities and significant gains in student success and college completion throughout the country.

Javier Miyares is President of the University of Maryland University College. Miyares has been president of UMUC since October 2012. UMUC is America’s largest public online university and a constituent institution of the University System of Maryland (USM).

(Next page: Predictions on SaaS, analytics, institutional dominance and collaboration)

David_Hinson_300So Long, SaaS

By David Hinson

The biggest trend in higher education technology that I see for 2016 is a continuing consolidation and – in some cases, outright disappearance – of many well-known Software as a Service (SaaS) providers, at least as they are currently organized and constituted.

Household service names that schools have relied upon extensively, such as Dropbox and Evernote, are no longer “Unicorn” darlings among investors, and are now scrambling for pathways to long term relevancy and sustainability.

Many such companies began their lives as consumer-facing services, not enterprise class systems; what once seemed easy and safe institutional solutions, may soon have serious and non-trivial downstream effects, as these service companies pivot and seek long-term market stability, visibility, and viability.

This year has seen realignments, spin offs, and sales of leading vendors in the K-12 space (Pearson and Sungard spring immediately to mind), that I believe are precursors to what will happen with higher education software and services providers.

For the higher education technology professional, it is another troubling data point, in a procurement process that is already complicated by the essential need for shared governance and long, drawn out, decision-making cycles.

“Getting it right” may simply come down to being lucky in your choices, rather than solely being able to rely upon your acumen as a seasoned, savvy administrator.

David J. Hinson is the Director of Technology Services at Yeshivah of Flatbush dhinson@flatbush.org Twitter:@davidjhinson

Justin Beck_300An Eye on Analytics

By Justin Beck

Learning from Data: Being able to easily access and export data from ‘open’ learning tools will no longer be a nice to have but a requirement for all those in the ed tech ecosystem. The days of closed silos are gone. Institutions, providers and students all have a vested interest in getting access to as much useful data as possible. With the launch of the IMS Caliper standard, all players will be expected to expose their caliper events to smart analytics systems that produce actionable insights.

The analytics tools shake-out: The term ‘analytics’ will come under greater scrutiny as actionable analytics move center stage. Many tech providers claim to offer analytics tools but very few of these help institutions improve outcomes, retention, and engagement. Actionable analytics are where the real value lies.

Mergers and Acquisitions between institutions: M&As in the ed tech space are pretty routine and now it’s the turn of our educational institutions. The Georgia Board of Regents, for example, has already merged a few institutions. The efficiencies that can be gained by collapsing K12 districts – or even institutions of higher education – are becoming more compelling.

‘Open’ Lecture Capture solutions will gain in popularity: The old school, locked box approach to Lecture Capture is making way for a new generation of systems thanks to the advent of the IMS Open Video standard. These new ‘open’ Lecture Capture solutions   run on more affordable commodity hardware, making it possible for institutions to deploy them in many more rooms (both traditional and online).

Higher Ed Tech will cascade down to K12: Pioneers in the K12 space will expand their adoption of technologies traditionally associated with higher ed institutions and will continue to embrace Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery models. This includes education video platforms that help with student engagement, video delivery and management needs.

Justin Beck is the VP of Global Education for video tech provider Kaltura.

Mamlet Proposal ImageLesser Knowns Rise to the Top

By Robin Mamlet

Big Data’s big impact: Higher Ed is adopting Big Data methodology in everything from student recruitment and retention to new hire assessments. Helping institutions understand how data can inform key strategic decisions, data specialists and strategic analysts are now sought-after hires. But with the power of Big Data come big ethical questions.

Where lesser-known colleges top the top tier: Schools that are not household names are often more open to innovation and more likely to experiment than better-known institutions according to Mamlet, who said, “The hungrier schools often innovate first, the lesser-known schools often initiate the newest higher education trends.”

Incubators and collaborators: Universities are developing incubators as “safe spaces” to experiment in meeting new challenges, serving new populations, forging new partnerships, and educating in new ways. Collaboration among educational institutions is growing, domestically and internationally.

Diversity makes a difference: Diversity issues are galvanizing students on campuses across the country while institutions are striving to better understand diversity in its multiple forms and on multiple levels. Colleges and universities are creating or elevating executive roles for diversity, equity and inclusion to address diversity’s complex, nuanced, and challenging issues.

Too big to fail? The hiring process is more high-stakes than ever as filling leadership positions at colleges and universities can be a matter of institutional survival, an urgency that is driving salaries higher. The Chronicle of Education reports that salaries for private college presidents rose 5.6 percent in 2013.

Robin Mamlet is the managing partner of Education at the executive search firm Witt/Kieffer. Directing search assignments for presidents, provosts, deans, chief advancement officers, chief enrollment officers and other senior leadership roles, Mamlet is immersed in the evolving pressures, challenges and opportunities that Higher Ed leadership faces.

Nicole_Nesrsta_300Supporting Collaboration and Lifelong Learning

By Nicole Nesrsta

Delivering a personalized experience for lifelong learning: Due to the proliferation of new and more cost-effective devices available, technology is in the hands of more students and faculty than ever before. But how can schools take advantage of this phenomenon and not miss out on crucial possibilities for higher-level learning? IT teams need to capture the opportunity that these devices provide, and find the tools and solutions to provide an equal, yet personalized, learning experience for every kind of student from those in K-12, to incoming freshmen and students at colleges/university, returning adult learners and PT working students.

Providing a variety of learning and collaboration environments: With budget cuts and funding challenges, institutions are looking for different solutions to teaching, learning and collaborating with their constituents while continuing to increase enrollments and revenue. Institutions will need to look to provide a variety of learning/teaching environments to support learning/teaching styles as well as multiple on/off premise locales.  For example, when students are selecting classes, they are not actively thinking, “I’ll take this class that is live, in the classroom, and then I’ll take this one that is online and then this one that is offered at the downtown campus.” Students want to enroll for classes and consume them in the way that works for their schedule and lifestyle in a given semester. That may be live in some circumstances, online in others and maybe even on-demand after a class has finished. CIOs and other institutional leaders ( ie. Chief Academic Officers, Provosts) will be looking for solutions that make this model easier for faculty to deliver and for students to consume information.

Nicole Nesrsta is Lead Verticals Solutions Marketing Manager at Citrix. Nicole is credited as a leader in solutions and vertical marketing and strategy in the high-tech industry.

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