While Higher Ed may be slow to adopt new technologies, that doesn’t mean it is any easier for IT professionals to keep up with every emerging technology and trend. Let us save you time out of your busy schedule with our picks for the must-read Higher Ed IT articles from last month.
VR Enhances Real-World Training
Virtual reality is becoming increasingly popular within Higher Ed, to the point where some believe it should no longer be considered an “emerging” technology. Several colleges and universities are currently using VR to engage students in realistic training exercises to hone their technical skills. While these use cases haven’t taken Higher Ed by storm just yet, there’s a lot of room for this technology to evolve. Learn more about how virtual reality is currently helping students prepare for the future with EdTech Magazine’s full article.
Prepare for Change with a Process Innovation Office
Although Higher Ed is generally more resistant to disruption than other fields, the same cannot be said about its resistance to change. Universities are constantly being challenged to adapt to the latest trend or technology, but without specifically trained personnel, change can be daunting. The key is to ensure that your institution has the right resources and expertise on hand to be able to respond to the changing face of Higher Ed. The University of Maryland did exactly that when they started their own process innovation office. Learn more about their project with Educause’s full article.
Community Colleges Will Abandon Textbooks by 2024
While other emerging technologies may make flashier headlines, Higher Ed stands to benefit greatly from advancements in open educational resources (OER). In fact, OER Pioneer David Wiley predicts that community colleges could potentially abandon physical textbooks by 2024. Learn more about how open educational resources could replace textbooks with EdSurge’s full article.
A.I. Smart Assistants Could Thrive in Higher Ed
With the rise in popularity of smart assistants, such as Siri and Google Home, it has become clear that similar artificial intelligence technologies could find a home in Higher Ed. While we may not be close to implementing artificial intelligence professors anytime soon, the concept of augmented intelligence that could assist a professor and their students might be more realistic. Learn more about how machine learning could impact Higher Ed pedagogy with EdTech Magazine’s full article.
What Higher Ed IT Will Look Like in 5 Years
University CIOs are not only tasked with maintaining their institution’s IT infrastructure but also looking to the future to coordinate their IT strategies. Although the trajectory of Higher Ed technology may change, it seems that augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics may guide the path of university IT strategy in the near future. Learn more about what Higher Ed technology will look like in 5 years with eCampus News’ full article.
The Best Higher Ed Technology Blogs
At Optimal Partners, we do our best to share the most important Higher Ed IT articles every month. EdTech Magazine goes one step further by gathering together the best must-read Higher Ed blogs each year. If you’re looking to hear what other CIOs, IT directors, and edtech experts are doing at their own institutions, this list is an excellent place to start. Find the full list and descriptions of each Higher Ed blog in EdTech Magazine’s full article.
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