IT-Based Transformation in Higher Education: Possibilities and Prospects

If information technologies are to transform higher education, we must exploit opportunities and address problems. At the same time, transformed higher education cannot neglect important dimensions of human capital. In that respect, our goal should be not only to make higher education more efficient than it is today, which is where organizational technologies are likely to play a central role, but also better, which is the principal goal for learning technologies. Achieving both greater efficiency and better outcomes 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.

This paper was prepared for a workshop hosted by EDUCAUSE and the Center for American Progress, Washington, D.C., January 26, 2012.

EDUCAUSE and the Center for American Progress share a common interest in the advancement of higher education for the greater social good. We agree that innovation in higher education is necessary for future progress. Therefore, we bring together our organizational strengths to better understand the issues and opportunities at the intersection of public policy, information technology, and potential new models for education delivery. We promote public policy innovation by collaboratively convening thought leaders to create interdisciplinary dialogue on innovation in higher education, producing white papers to set the stage for policy action, and producing issue briefs that promote policies conducive to innovation in higher education.