As higher-ed leaders continue to wade through the pandemic, thoughts have turned to what recovery may look like--and what role IT leaders will play

Which recovery path will your institution choose in 2021?


As higher-ed leaders continue to wade through the pandemic, thoughts have turned to what recovery may look like--and what role IT leaders will play

In releasing its top IT issues for 2021, EDUCAUSE has shifted priorities to focus on the role technology will play in powering through and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 EDUCAUSE IT Issues project features three Top IT Issues lists and examines the top 5 issues within those three possible scenarios: restore, evolve, and transform.

Related content: How COVID has altered the future of work and e-learning

The panelists working on this year’s project made three assumptions as they considered how those potential scenarios would influence an institution as it moves through its pandemic recovery planning:

Assumption 1: The pandemic will begin to resolve sometime in 2021 with the availability and distribution of vaccines, leaving leaders, students, and other stakeholders to begin planning recovery paths.

Assumption 2: Scenarios should be high-level views of possible recovery visions. The three chosen scenarios are very general and based on how an institution’s vision, culture, and business model may influence its approach to recovery.

Assumption 3: A single scenario would probably fit very few institutions. Leaders might, for example, adopt one scenario to guide financial health and another to guide education and academic work.

Using these assumptions as a guide, the panel chose three scenarios, which are broken down in great detail in the report:

Restore: We will be focused on figuring out what to do to get back to where we were before the pandemic. Top IT issues are:

1. Cost management: Reducing institutional costs and increasing workforce efficiency
2. Online learning: Strengthening online and hybrid education
3. Financial health: Revising budget models and IT governance
4. Affordability and digital equity: Providing increased support for students’ technology needs and enabling technology availability
5. Information security: Providing information security leadership

Evolve: We will be focused on adapting to the new normal. Top IT issues include:

1. Student success: Advancing student support services to help students attain academic and career goals
2. Equitable access to education: Providing technologies, support, and policies for diverse users
3. Online learning: Progressing from emergency remote teaching to online learning
4. Information security: Developing a cybersecurity operations strategy
5. Financial health: Partnering to develop new funding sources

Transform: We will be focused on redefining our institution and taking an active role in creating the innovative future of higher education. Top IT issues include:

1. Institutional culture: Contributing to a culture of transformation
2. Technology alignment: Identifying and applying sustainable digital strategies and innovations
3. Technology strategy: Developing an enterprise architecture that keeps pace with strategic change
4. Enrollment and recruitment: Exploring and implementing creative holistic recruitment solutions
5. Cost management: Focusing on digital transformation

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Laura Ascione

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