In the age of
digital technology when more alternatives are becoming available to non-traditional
students, one of the biggest challenges facing education strategists is to sustain
their business models and reinforce value propositions. As a graduate student at
Northwestern University with an interest in education and marketing strategies,
I find myself regularly involved in conversations over the impacts of digital
disruptions across industries and reflect on my educational experience. I
recently found two insightful articles discussing the future of education and
thought it would be useful to share with you the key take-aways to prepare
better for any challenges that may come your way.
In his Huffington
Post article “Welcome to the Campus of 2019,” Dr. Scott D. Miller of Virginia Wesleyan College
discussed how technology influenced the way students perceive the world today,
how this in turn emphasized the need for campus facilities to retool and for
academic departments to restructure. His argument was that technology would redefine
students’ role as curriculum drivers and knowledge regenerators. Therefore, the
new academic model will require departments to collaborate, offer
inter-disciplinary course offerings to add dynamic skill sets to the mix. He
also proposed that the campus of the future will fully bloom as a center of
marketing, where those institutions with clearly defined missions, markets and
audience insights, communication strategies and operational efficiencies would
come out on top.
Source:
Carleton
While the above
article envisioned the overall future education landscape, “Three trends that will influence
learning and teaching” by Debbie Morrison examined specific themes with
real life examples and key drivers statistics. Morrison strongly suggested that
MOOCs facilitated a large variety of learning options that disrupted higher
education and more institutions would be joining the movement to create more
alternative learning pathways. She supported the “reinvention of teaching
models and learning spaces” as the appropriate response to digital technology
and culture, where the approach will shift from instructors-focused and passive
to students-centered and active.
Reviewing
these articles from the perspective of an aspiring marketing strategist, I have
developed 3 action items you could consider now to make technologies work for
you and sustain your institutions’ business models:
1. Put
students first - Design the
educational experience around the needs of digital-age-students. Use
technologies such as interactive video exercises to free up classroom time spent
on lectures (instructors-focused) and instead focus on mentoring interaction and
even peer-to-peer coaching (students-centered).
2. Personalize learning - Make use of big data (comprehensive dashboard) and small data (real-time
interaction) to monitor performance and progress. While this allows students to
be in control of their learning goals and pace, it helps ensure appropriate intervention
to each student’s learning pattern.
3. Redefine
achievement - The future
of transcripts will likely be more similar to portfolios: projects involved,
products built, people helped… Rethink achievements - give employers reasons to
believe and your students reasons to be proud.
Changes are
inevitable, and education leaders should be the ones well prepared enough to
navigate the radically changing environment and support students to thrive in
the digital age. The above 3 initiatives could be the core to a compass system
that will help education leaders keep up with the dynamic development of demand
for educational services.
Amy Dang is a digital technology enthusiast and lifelong learner. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications at Medill - Northwestern University. She will be graduating in December 2017 with specializations in Brand Strategy and Media Strategy. Amy has 4 years of professional experience in marketing and aspires to work on higher education development strategies. You can get in touch with her on Twitter @a_myzing
