Future of Higher Education

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Higher education's purpose is to equip students for success in life -- in the workplace, in communities, and their personal lives. While this purpose may have remained constant for centuries, the world around colleges and universities is undergoing significant change. Higher education is under pressure to meet greater expectations, whether for student numbers, educational preparation, workforce needs, or economic development. Meanwhile, the resources available are likely to decline. New models, an intense focus on the student experience, and a drive for innovation and entrepreneurism will ensure that higher education continues to meet society's needs. Information technology supports virtually every aspect of higher education, including finances, learning, research, security, and sustainability, and IT professionals need to understand the range of problems their institutions face so they apply IT where it brings greatest value. Creating this future will require collaboration across organizational and national boundaries, bringing together the collective intelligence of people from backgrounds including education, corporations, and government.

Articles and Reports

The Current and Future State of Higher Education, EDUCAUSE Live!, November 2012.
Through a Glass, Brightly: IT’s Impact on Higher Education by 2020, ECAR Bulletin, August 2012.
Information Technology and Tomorrow’s University: A President’s Confessions and Advice. Jolene Koester. EDUCAUSE Review, January/February 2011.
Open Governance in Higher Education: Extending the Past to the Future. Patrick Masson. EDUCAUSE Review, January/February 2011.
Much of the EDUCAUSE Review Magazine, Volume 45, Number 2, March/April 2010 issue is devoted to the future of higher education.
The entire issue of the EDUCAUSE Quarterly Magazine,Volume 33, Number 1, 2010 is largely devoted to anticipating the future of higher education.
The entire issue of the EDUCAUSE Review Magazine, Volume 45, Number 1, January/February 2010 is largely devoted to innovation and the future of higher education.
The Future of Higher Education: Beyond the Campus, EDUCAUSE White Paper, January 2010

Podcasts and Videos

The Future of Mobile Computing. EDUCAUSE Live! April 2011
Future of Higher Education, Diana Oblinger, Midwest Regional Conference, March 2010.
The Future of Higher Education: What Is the IT Professionals Role? Linda A. Jorn, James J. Koenig, David W. Dodd, Robert H. McDonald and Melissa Woo, Midwest Regional Conference, March 2010.

Projects

2020 Forecast: Creating the Future of Learning, KnowledgeWorks Foundation.

April 2013

EDUCAUSE Staff Picks

IT-Based Transformation in Higher Education: Possibilities and Prospects, Greg Jackson, EDUCAUSE, March 2012. A Discussion of how achieving both greater efficiency and better outcomes in higher education through information technology requires a commitment to fundamental, unfettered thinking about the future both within and outside current institutions—the kind of process many institutions are beginning to undertake.
Rethinking Higher Education Business Models, Robert Sheets, Stephen Crawford,and Louis Soares. Center for American Progress. March 2012.
Innovating the 21st-Century University: It’s Time!, EDUCAUSE Review, Volume 45, Number 1, 2010. If colleges and universities open up and embrace collaborative learning and collaborative knowledge production, they have a chance of surviving and even thriving in the networked, global economy of the future.
The Changing Landscape of Higher Education, EDUCAUSE Review, Volume 46, Number 1, 2011. Focusing strictly on technology trends can obscure other environmental factors that are drivers for innovation in higher education. The authors identify ten fissures in the landscape that are creating areas of potentially tectonic change.

Latest News

Higher Education in the Ultra-Connected Age

Join us for a free, EDUCAUSE Live! Game Changers Spotlight Series webinar that will explore the new, connected landscape we all must gingerly yet strategically navigate.

Library Items on this Topic

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EDUCAUSE Library Items for Future of Higher Education

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Cultivating Change in the Academy: 50+ Stories from the Digital Frontlines at the University of Minnesota in 2012: July 9, 2012

Cultivating Change is an eBook designed to stimulate discussion about what’s possible as well as generate new vision and academic technology direction. It serves as a means for faculty, ins…
Video: Game Changers: July 18, 2012

A trailer for the new book edited by EDUCAUSE President, Diana Oblinger. A trailer for the new book edited by EDUCAUSE President, Diana O…
Case Study 21: Shaping the Path to Digital: The Indiana University eTexts Initiative: May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers Brad Wheeler and Nik Osborne This chapter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License Introduction The risi…
Case Study 20: Transforming Education with Research that Makes a Difference: May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers J. D. Walker, Charles D. Dziuban, and Patsy D. Moskal Positive change in education happens when faculty gain insight into the relationship between st…
Case Study 19: CS50 at Harvard: "The Most Rewarding Class I Have Taken...Ever!": May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers Katie Vale A trail of colorful balloons leads from Oxford Street to the Northwest Labs building. As I head downstairs, I exchange greetings with our …
Case Study 18: Kansas State University: Creating a Virtual Faculty Consortium: May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers Elizabeth A. Unger Introduction Change is rapid and seemingly accelerating in our world. The changes often require degrees or certifications not c…
Case Study 17: Stories in Our Classrooms: A Faculty Community of Practice as an Agent of Change: May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers Beverly Bickel, William Shewbridge, and Jack Suess In 2006, the UMBC's (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) Division of Information Techno…
Case Study 16: Penn State World Campus: Ensuring Success, Not Just Access: May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers Wayne Smutz and Craig D. Weidemann This chapter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License The Pennsylvania S…
Case Study 15: The Saylor.org Model: May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers Jennifer Shoop This chapter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License Introduction Saylor.org is an open-…
Case Study 14: Valencia College: LifeMap and Atlas—Planning for Success: May 2, 2012

A case study from Game Changers Joyce C. Romano and Bill White Background Valencia College is a multicampus, urban community college in Orlando, Florida, that served over 70,000 …