The Road Ahead for Higher Ed: Emerging Trends 2011
Ken Steele, Academica Group
For higher education in Canada and worldwide, the pace of change has been accelerating for decades and the environment is starting to blur. Just in the past year, major changes to government funding and tuition policies have put Canada's colleges and universities under immense budgetary strain, while the position of campus president has become ever more politicized and precarious. Institutions have sought novel approaches to contain costs through outsourcing a wide range of academic and support functions, and by seeking new sources of revenue domestically and internationally. Students are becoming increasingly heterogeneous, with some seeking part-time studies that stretch out learning over years, and others looking for accelerated programs that compress education into mere months. Institutions are finding new ways to engage part-time and commuter students, to maximize space utilization, and to deliver hybrid courses face-to-face and online. From tablets and eBooks to mobile websites and apps, new technologies are just starting to transform pedagogy and marketing on our campuses, while a surprising setback has transformed the online higher ed landscape in Canada.
Based on consumer and policy research conducted by Academica Group and others, and news stories covered in the past year of Academica's Top Ten, Ken Steele will highlight 15 new trends that are starting to impact higher education, and that serve as signposts for the road ahead.
