EdTech Development: Strangely enough, a false narrative exists that says technology + innovation is a purchased good that comes from outside the campus walls, but higher education is itself responsible for incredible advances in consumer technology, life sciences and countless other inventions that would have been impossibilities without faculty and institutional research.
Despite their research and human capital prowess, universities haven’t historically focused on using their research capabilities to improve their own capacity. The cobbler often has no shoes, but that may be starting to change.
Some leaders are doubling down on this tradition of investing in institutional research and applied technology and inviting financiers to join them with a seat the table. We’re beginning to see institutions become incubators. For example, Penn State University recently launched the EdTech Network, a partnership between members of the university community and leaders, inventors, and entrepreneurs in education technology. Rather than pitting the administrators and entrepreneurs against each other, this model invites them to work together, drawing on academic and private sector resources alike to improve student outcomes and benefit the institution. Penn State is offering office, manufacturing, and research space for partners to co-locate on campus. Students and faculty are piloting new technology the Network has already engaged a number of leading companies, investors and others since it launched in August 2015.
Student Support: The college student population and—the obstacles to success they face—are increasingly diverse. At Excelsior College, most of our 38,000 students are working adults enrolled in online and competency-based programs, nearly half are active duty military or veterans, and roughly an equal number self-identify as minority.
At the same time, the technology available to support contemporary learners is evolving rapidly. Keeping up with these changes is a Sisyphean task for institutions—always seemingly out of reach.
Rather than tapping outside partners to provide complementary services, a growing number of colleges and universities are building out their internal capacity to provide high-quality student support. InsideTrack, for example, provides training, technology and analytics infrastructure so that institutions can eventually operate their own sustainable coaching programs independently. With their support, Excelsior opened a student success center in January 2016, and InsideTrack’s footprint will steadily reduce to a minimal, support-only role.
These new financial models show how universities can drive an ambitious technology agenda without relying on outsourced services. Ironically, we tend to view the private sector as the source of innovation for higher education and not the other way around; but today, a growing number of institutions are insourcing innovation from outside organizations, to accelerate progress, reduce risk, and remain independent.
Of course, there are limitations to what higher education can accomplish without outside help, but embracing discovery, invention and creativity lies at the core of what higher education is supposed to do. As technology enters a more mature phase of adoption in higher ed, institutions are finding ways to leverage private sector innovation and expand their internal capabilities—the best of both worlds.
Glenn Braddock is the Executive Director of the Student Success Center at Excelsior College and Dave Jarrat is a Vice President at InsideTrack.
- Cohort connections matter: Strategies to help graduate students persist and succeed - August 14, 2026
- Higher education needs better AI experiences, not more AI tools - August 12, 2026
- Beyond a keynote speaker: A strategic roadmap for AI in higher education - August 10, 2026