The Chronicle Research Service is releasing its first report on what higher education will look like in 2020. The 3 part report will cost Chronicle subscribers $75 each, with the first report focusing on students in 2020. The executive summary of the report can be found here.
In 2020 I'll have 2 kids in college, so I'm particularly interested in what their experience will be like. My take on the executive summary is that the Chronicle is forecasting what is currently innovative will become mainstream.
The Chronicle does not forecast radical changes in the construction or delivery of higher ed. No end to the separate (and usually unrelated) courses or distinct semesters. No move to project based multidisciplinary learning.
The changes the Chronicle predicts include students time shifting their consumption of course materials, more use of mobile devices to interact with the curriculum, and the growth of hybrid courses supported by online interactions. The overriding message appears to be that students will expect the convenience and control in learning that they get with their entertainment and communications platforms.
I wonder if the report is worth the cost? Paying this sort of money in today's economic climate requires, I think, the materials to help us make a strategic case among campus stakeholders for directions we would like to go in. Help us make the case for a mobile strategy, or for investing in digitized versions of curricular materials, or tools to allow students to create and share their own knowledge. We have no shortage of ideas to where technology can catalyze enhancements in learning. What we need are tools and methods to translate our vision to reality.
Recent Comments