Meeting students where they are involves leveraging tech tools and resources to create an accessible and encouraging student experience.

Identifying strategies to meet students where they are


Meeting students where they are involves leveraging the right tech tools and resources to create accessible and encouraging experiences

Key points:

When the pandemic changed teaching and learning, it also amplified students’ voices regarding their preferences, what they want from their colleges and universities, and their experience as a whole.

Evolving technologies and innovations enable institutions to meet those student preferences and design experiences that are tailored to students’ individual needs, culminating in engaging and personalized experiences.

The challenges associated with supporting students’ higher-ed journey and helping them achieve success are explored in EDUCAUSE’s latest showcase, “Meeting Students Where They Are,” which features strategies for providing universal access to services for students that can help them attain and maintain success.

The EDUCAUSE Showcase Series takes a closer look at the EDUCAUSE Top 10 and focuses on the most urgent issues identified each year by the higher-ed community, with the goal of helping higher-ed leaders advance their campuses with curated tools and resources.

Key in helping students achieve success and in meeting their varied learning preferences is reshaping students’ actual learning environments. The principles of Universal Design for Learning are a critical guide in ensuring accessibility. Looking at the digital divide, and identifying and addressing equity issues, are important first steps.

Defining and managing “digital shock,” or the what international students may experience as a “result of being accustomed to a very different technology environment in their home country,” can help create better learning experiences for digital students. These improved experiences benefit the students themselves, but extend to the overall institution.

Designing student experiences as a whole is another crucial piece of the puzzle. Improving the student experience must begin with an analysis and understanding of how students interact with each part of their institution and how those interactions affect them. An institution’s offerings, including its technology tools, can be make-or-break in creating a holistic and positive experience.

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Laura Ascione