Technology is becoming an even larger part of the student and faculty experience as institutions prepare for fall and the new normal. However, a big challenge of the new normal is the need to be prepared for the constantly shifting scenarios brought on by the continued pandemic. In response, institutions need to plan how their use of technology can shift alongside those scenarios. Additionally, they need to update and improve faculty training and dedicate resources to instructional design as we move forward to improve our online and hybrid learning.

One other important aspect that institutions need to keep top of mind during this shift to new technologies and course delivery methods is accessibility and the inclusion of all students. If students need to access their course materials, lectures, and learning activities online, they need to have access to proper hardware and reliable networks. Institutions must not let differences in disability or socioeconomic status hinder access to learning and other institutional resources. All of the strategic plans for this academic year must be designed to ensure that all students have access to their courses and other necessary services and that student experiences are equivalent, no matter where the students are located or whether they have a disability. Moreover, these considerations also apply to faculty, some of whom have disabilities and many of whom are being asked to teach and otherwise interact with students from home.

Lastly, while technology in and of itself is not the thing that makes an institution digitally transformed, we embrace technology as a conduit through which change is made possible and through which institutions can be transformed. There's a delicate balance, in this way, between a recognition that the challenges and opportunities of higher education are much bigger than technology alone can address, while on the other hand recognizing the enormous potential that technology can hold for higher education. Some technology solutions can help staff and faculty work better and more efficiently, other technologies can help institutions reach more students and help underserved student populations gain easier access to education, and still other technologies can help higher education weather the storms it's facing right now.