Education

Amid increasing competition, find out what higher education institutions should be doing today to help show and improve the ROI of educational programs.

To attract today’s learners and drive sustainable enrollments, institutions must explore and test bolder more customer-focused online learning experiences that address the full learning experience. In this article, we will explore four ideas that we feel you should be actively discussing at your institution.

Artificial intelligence has been around for some time. However, discussions surrounding this technology have peaked since the beginning of 2023, propelled by the arrival of powerful AI solutions such as chatbots, virtual assistants, and image generators.

For students who begin higher education programs, the dropout rate is greater than you might expect. In Latin America, it’s estimated that only half of the students graduate. One study shows that one in five Australians will drop out of their undergraduate programs. In the US, 25.7% of first-time undergraduate degree seekers drop out of their degree programs. Regardless of why students don’t finish their degrees, a learning institution’s retention rate will impact its reputation and financial stability.

Learning is about much more than facts and figures. As we encounter new situations and information, our perspectives are likely to change—or at the very least—be influenced by what we’ve learned.

According to research from the World Health Organization, about 15% of the global population experiences some form of disability. Disability takes many different forms, and individuals experience conditions regardless of whether or not they have been diagnosed.

While it’s impossible to predict the future, we can confidently say that the workforce will continue to develop and change. The advent of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) continues to change the way organizations provide goods and services. Jobs are restructured or—in some cases—eliminated altogether, and the changes aren’t stopping any time soon. Researchers predict that as much as 50% of the workforce will need to be reskilled by 2025.

It doesn’t matter if you’re instructing preschoolers or Ph.D candidates—all educators know that the most meaningful learning happens when students are highly engaged. Body language and real-time conversations make it easy to know when learners are actively engaged during in-person courses, but what about when learning happens online?

Organizations are ramping up their education technology efforts like we’ve never seen before. In 2021, EdTech investments hit $20 billion, three times the pre-pandemic amount. EdTech became a necessity when the world locked down, but as we make the return to face-to-face interactions and instruction, it’s clear that EdTech isn’t relinquishing its seat at the table any time soon.