Campus Technology Insider Podcast April 2022
Listen: Trends to Watch in 2022: Takeaways from the Horizon Report
00:08
Rhea Kelly: Hello and welcome to the Campus Technology Insider podcast! I'm Rhea Kelly, editor in chief of Campus Technology, and your host.
One of the takeaways from this year's Educause Horizon Report is that there's likely no such thing as a return to normal: Many of the changes that higher education has undergone over the past couple of years are here to stay. At the same time, the trends, technologies and practices impacting teaching and learning have developed more depth, more nuance. For example, while hybrid learning was addressed broadly in last year's report, this year the report drilled down into important facets such as hybrid learning spaces and professional development for hybrid teaching. To delve into the details of what's on the horizon for higher ed in 2022, I spoke with Kathe Pelletier, director of Educause's Teaching and Learning Program and co-author of the report.
And a quick note: On May 18th, Campus Technology is hosting a virtual summit on digital transformation in higher ed. We will be talking about what digital transformation means to different institutions, how to enable a digital-first campus, taking digital learning beyond the new normal, and more. The event is free to attend — just register at campustechnology.com/summit. I hope you'll join us!
Now, here's my chat with Kathe.
Hi Kathe, welcome to the podcast.
01:40
Kathe Pelletier: Thanks, it's so nice to see you again.
01:44
Kelly: Yeah, it's great to have you back. So in the latest Educause Horizon Report, I feel like there's a sense that many of the changes that higher ed has undergone over the past couple of years are really here to stay. And the report actually explicitly says that there is likely no return to, quote unquote, normal. So I'm wondering, do you think these are changes for the better?
02:09
Pelletier: That's a great question. You know, with the forecasting that we do with the Horizon Report, we really are looking both at, you know, current day as well as the past to understand possible futures. And from there we look at, you know, what are the trend lines that we're seeing? And what are the things that we think that the higher education community really needs to pay attention to? And certainly there is a definite trend line toward a digitally transformed campus, more attention to sustainability, more attention to supporting faculty, and working both in hybrid and remote teaching. And, you know, to answer the question about do I think these are changes for the better, you know, time will tell. Certainly there are really great things that can be, you can imagine and are currently happening with these shifts, including students and faculty who are wanting more flexibility are more likely to be able to either teach or learn in the modality of their preference. At the same time, we're still grappling with issues of equity and access, pedagogy and policy. So there's a lot of unresolved things that we're still learning our way into. And even just when you think about a hybrid future, we seem to be advancing toward clearer language to describe what each campus is talking about when they are, you know, trying to put a name to the various ways that they're engaging students and faculty with technology. But we have a long way to go there, you know, there's still a lot of flexes out there, a lot of hybrid or blended, and, and so, you know, that, that has yet to fall out, and, you know, and show itself in the future. But you know, one, I'm gonna jump to the end of the report, briefly, to also answer your question about the changes for the better. You know, we really are trying to signal potential futures while we're looking at what we're seeing happening in current day. And so the scenario section is a great place to really not just look for the future that you hope might come to pass in 10 years, that's our time horizon is 10 years, but also the other possible futures that might come to pass. And really, you know, the report and the scenarios gives agency and power to individuals to, to think about, okay, so if I have this lever, in terms of where I'm investing, or the things that I'm paying attention to on my campus, or the things that I'm paying attention to in the environment around me, how can I help to create a future that is, quote unquote, better, or the future that I really want to be able to see. And so things like, you know, investing in professional development for faculty, which is a technology or practice that came out in the report this year, that's something that institutions can be investing in now, so that when you are 10 years down the road, that might lend itself to a higher quality teaching and learning experience for students, for example. So, again, I, you know, I think the changes definitely seem to be very clear. But it'll, it'll depend on what our higher education community is able to do, and certainly what the, the other environmental factors around us will, as they press on us in different ways, how that ends up looking like.