With a
new year come new predictions for higher education. eSchool Media asked a number
of educators, edtech specialists, and others for their thoughts for the annual
trends report. This year’s edition identified 25 trending education topics for
2018, including some anticipated to affect K-12.
Not
surprisingly, digital media of various types factored into many of the trends.
“Artificial
intelligence to advise how each student learns best and adapts materials for
them will transition us for the future and lead to the careers that students
depend on higher ed to open up,” said Laural Stiller, solution marketing
manager for higher education, Hyland.
“Employer
demand for career-ready candidates will drive the continued growth of immersive
learning experiences like virtual and augmented reality to provide real-world
practice at scale,” said Matt Seeley, product director, career education,
Cengage.
“With
industrial networking and connectivity between laboratory equipment, the
instructor, and remote locations, students will be able to configure lab
equipment and perform experiments and demonstrations at a distance. That
removes the biggest obstacle to technical education at a distance and will be a
game-changer for STEM courses,” said Brian Stefanchuck, professor and
coordinator, computer engineering technology, Mohawk College of Applied Arts
and Technology in Canada.
Instant-access
initiatives underway at Hinds Community College, Clinton, MS, will spread to
other campuses, in the view of Keri Cole, dean of e-learning at Hinds: “By
preloading all learning materials into our course shells through our learning
management system before a term begins, we ensure all students are provided
equal opportunities to be successful in their coursework. They are ready to hit
the ground running on the first day of class.”
“Considerations
for cloud technology is nothing new; however, most wariness around it is
diminishing while more institutions look at this approach more closely,” said
Jennifer Wilson, director of marketing and communications, Softdocs.
“Connected
campus is another area of priority … if [students] cannot connect to Wi-Fi,
they are not going to that school,” said David Doucette, director of higher
education, CDW-G.
“Data
integration that drives learning analytics is a core theme for 2018. Providers
will be unfavorably regarded by campuses if, either by design or by omission,
they make it hard to bring data together or to share it seamlessly,” said Geoff
Irvine, CEO, Chalk & Wire.
