5 Digital Transformation Trends for 2023
As higher education moves into the second wave of Dx — aligning digital efforts with institutional success — here are five key trends to watch.
"Is College Worth It?" It's the headline that keeps popping up everywhere in higher education and national headlines. That's because more than half of adults don't think the economic benefits of a college degree outweigh the cost. With enrollment declining, and growing pressure to demonstrate return on investment, more institutions are rising to the challenge, making serious efforts to measure and explain their value.
Next year and beyond, tech capabilities on campus will have a big role to play in determining ROI for students, as well as aiding colleges and universities in their institutional effectiveness endeavors. By leveraging new digital technologies and data-driven analytics, colleges are slowly but surely equipping themselves with the data and metrics they need to prove their value to stakeholders. Or, at minimum, they have begun looking into the tools and processes they will need moving forward to remain competitive and financially sustainable.
These tools and processes include digital technology adoption to enhance and improve: affordability and access; student success outcomes; digital credentials (CLR); upgrades in finance and operations; and more. The critical components that contribute to overall institutional effectiveness are also part of the larger digital transformation (Dx) taking place on college campuses.
Educause defines Dx as, "a series of deep and coordinated culture, workforce, and technology shifts that enable new educational and operating models and transform an institution's operations, strategic directions, and value proposition …. Keeping up with Dx helps higher education institutions operate effectively, stay competitive in an increasingly digital world, and prepare learners for the digital workplace."
Amid all the chaos and change the pandemic caused for higher ed, it ended up being a significant catalyst for innovation, ushering in renewed interest in Dx. The first wave of Dx focused on digitizing key student facing processes. COVID and emergency remote teaching forced major changes in higher ed's systems and processes, bringing modernization to decades old practices.
The second wave of Dx involves key administrative processes focused on institutional success (not just digitizing old analog processes). Alignment with institutional success, now and in the future, means leading with a digital-first campus.
Heading into 2023, here are five Dx trends administrators should have on their radar:
1) Data Analytics: institutional performance and competitive advantage
Data analytics serve as the foundation for many improvement initiatives. Those initiatives need stable, reliable, and accessible data across the institution. This requires investment. Settling on a patchwork of systems and metrics is becoming a liability for institutions, especially taking into consideration the growing complexity around higher ed's business issues and the growing expectation from key stakeholders to support decisions with data.