2021 is already shaping up to be a definitive year for higher education. Colleges are figuring out how to bring students back to campus safely with expanded testing and outbreak contingency plans, while also reinforcing their virtual capabilities to deliver quality online classes and robust virtual support for students.
What’s more, a new White House administration and looming higher education policy change are adding more pressure for institutions to prepare themselves for what may lie ahead.
Here are three key trends that are shaping the higher education landscape in 2021:
Shopping the IT closet
Prior to the pandemic, for higher education institutions, the ratio of disparate IT solutions to core, integrated IT solutions was probably 3 to 1 due to the way institutional budgets are allocated among departments. Some institutions only take advantage of about 20 percent of the features and capabilities in all the technology they’ve purchased.
Nicole Engelbert is the Vice President, Higher Education Development at Oracle.
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