The director of EDUCAUSE ELI describes six major trends (he calls them “trajectories”) for technology and education. It’s a very impressive article, packing a lot of insight into a short space.
Malcolm Brown begins with three major drivers: personalization, hybrid learning, and big data. Malcolm draws on those to illuminate the titular six:
device ownership and mobile-first; the textbook and open educational resources (OER); adaptive learning technology; learning spaces; the next-generation learning management system (LMS); and learning analytics and integrated planning and advising services (IPAS).
Read what follows carefully. Malcolm not only grounds each in real-world examples, but gradually interconnects these movements, as we see mobile-first and changes to textbook publishers altering the LMS, for example.
He concludes with a useful metaphor, comparing the digital learning landscape to the developing enrollment world, where students increasing draw educational experiences from a number of providers. “Swirling” enrollment means, digitally, “an individualization or fragmentation, together with a reassembly of the micro-units into new, custom configurations.”
I’d recommend this as a reading for campus leaders, especially those not connected to information services and technology.
Great article, and certainly the contextual ‘Characteristics’ are spot on as well! Thanks for the post Bryan.
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