The teaching and learning field is evolving, yet at many institutions, teaching and learning professionals are struggling to keep up because they are currently working in an environment of constraint, having to do much more with much less and only having time to focus only on the most urgent needs. The impact is significant—many feel overworked, and it's taking a toll on their mental health and well-being. Those who have experienced burnout are ready to leave their positions. Thus, it will be imperative for institutions to prioritize employee well-being and morale; a good starting point is finding ways to make workloads more manageable. Institutions will also need to find ways to better support change management. Respondents recognized a number of changes that will be influential for the teaching and learning workforce in the future—increasing demand for seamless, flexible, and blended learning experiences; growing interest in nontraditional credentials and skills-based training; and the adoption of new and emerging technologies.

Unsurprisingly, respondents identified adaptability, agility, and change management as extremely important skills for teaching and learning professionals, both now and in the future. Moving forward, institutions will need to find ways to offer support for continuous professional development and training so that their teaching and learning professionals can not only adapt but also thrive. Respondents identified three other areas of support/change that will be important for teaching and learning professionals moving forward:

Provide support for digital literacy. Many of respondents' comments echoed sentiments  surrounding digital literacy, noting that we have now entered a point in time when a refusal to learn and adopt new technologies is no longer a viable or sustainable option. To ensure that teaching and learning professionals are able to thrive moving forward, institutions need to find ways to best support their staff's ability to keep up with digital/technological literacy, with a strong emphasis on AI and emerging technologies.

Reduce tensions and foster collaboration. Many respondents described tensions between faculty and instructional designers and other instructional support staff. Namely, at some institutions there is a general unwillingness of faculty to learn new technologies and implement them in their teaching, and when faculty do utilize instructional design support, some use it mainly to learn technology but not other aspects of instruction such as best practices for course and assessment design and implementation. Promoting more collaborative and effective relationships between faculty and instructional support staff will be essential to enhancing the student experience.

Prepare for new ways of teaching and learning. The days of "sage on the stage" are quickly dwindling. Many respondents noted that the traditional method of instructors sharing their knowledge via lectures is outdated. Information is so readily available with the click of a button that many feel the future will consist of a "guide on the side" approach. That is, instruction will be more mentorship and facilitator focused, where instructors work alongside students, providing guidance and helping students more deeply explore and engage with material. Other areas of teaching that will evolve are curriculum and assessments. Respondents noted that there will be a stronger emphasis on workforce skills and more authentic forms of assessments.

EDUCAUSE Professional Pathways. For more information on navigating the teaching and learning career pathway, check out EDUCAUSE's Professional Pathways: The Teaching and Learning Pathway. Professional Pathways can help individuals identify knowledge and skills needed across various career stages. Through this site, you can also access toolkits that will help guide professional development needs and goals.

EDUCAUSE Leadership Series. The Leadership Series includes events for higher education emerging, senior, and executive leaders on significant topics.

EDUCAUSE Digital Learning Transformation Institute. The EDUCAUSE Digital Learning Transformation (DLT) Institute is for professionals whose campus role involves envisioning, designing, and supporting meaningful change in the learning organization. The institute will equip learners with a framework to make informed decisions that can impact meaningful, context-based change opportunities.

EDUCAUSE Digital Learning Leaders Institute. The EDUCAUSE Digital Learning Leaders (DLL) Institute is for professionals whose campus role involves the support, promotion, and leadership of teaching and learning. The curriculum provides a solid foundation for professionals in their current (and future) roles by focusing on critical areas of learning leadership success, academic communication, data-driven solutions, digital leadership and transformation, and technology initiatives.