The Changing Face of Technology in Education (And Its Effect on #HigherEd)

I had the pleasure of participating in Denver’s Startup Week last week and attended numerous knowledge-packed sessions. Topics ranged from techniques for how to rank for your #1 keyword to the notion of the over promising and over-delivering of your brand to gain marketplace dominance.

The most memorable session I attended was a panel discussion on the changing face of technology in education. And while the main focus was on the K-12 level, there were some very constructive takeaways that are applicable the higher education industry.

Since it’s been over a decade since I was a student in Lower Ed (did I just coin this term?), it was very eye opening and shocking to discover how much has changed. New generations of K-12 students are learning in new and innovative ways, which affect the decision to further their education. Colleges and universities will need to adapt in order to be more in line with what these learners are looking for in a school.

The panelists included:

• Katherin Cassey, Director, Ecosystem Innovation at Denver Public Schools
• Matthew Shifrin, Founder of Utivity and the #DoMore Fund
• Charlie Coglianese, Founder & CEO of School Runner
• Danny Medved, Principal & Lead School Designer at Denver School of Innovation & Sustainable Design

Here are some key insights I gained from the discussion:

There has been the same basic model for curriculum in K-12 schools for the last 100 year.

• Mastery of skills and personalization are major impactful practices that have been changing the face of education in the past few years.

New fast-track programs like Early College Start Program at Denver Public Schools allows students to obtain up to 45 college credits in-house.

• That is between 1-2 years’ worth of Higher Ed credits and directly affects which college or university students are choosing based on whether these credits accepted.

Standardized testing/assessments have become very outdated, obtuse and often times are ineffective at examining intelligence.

• Denver Public Schools have begun implementing cognitive skills rubrics (created by Stanford University education thought-leaders) in order to give students a growth-based trajectory in building on their subject knowledge.

The ability for students to evaluate themselves and improve their skills has evolved – mastering a skill and teaching it to their peers has been proven to have a much higher retention rate than a lecture.

• This article by Heather Landers details how Colorado State University is embracing this technique: http://teaching.colostate.edu/tips/tip.cfm?tipid=180

The individual student is being given more and more control and making more decisions about the way they learn and obtain knowledge. They are becoming an integral part in the decision-making techniques of their teachers and administrators.

• As with the shift from direct to inbound marketing, the power of the decision is now in the hands of the customer (or in this case, the learner).

Colleges and universities will need to closely monitor and reevaluate practices in accordance with these changes in ever-evolving technology. These findings brought me to the following closing questions:

How do you think that changes in technology and learning will affect students’ decisions about furthering their education? And how will they make the difficult choice of deciding between a specific college, university, tech school or jumping straight into the workforce?

Please feel free to continue the conversation in the comments below. We look forward to discussing what’s new and next in higher education with you.