Colleges and universities have had to accelerate their technology implementation to meet the current needs of students and faculty for blended learning. From more bandwidth to seamless and secure access to artificial intelligence and virtual reality applications, institutions are embracing the latest technologies to keep pace with demand to deliver a better student experience.
Dr. Vistasp M. Karbhari, Professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas Arlington, presented his observations about the pace and impact of technology acceleration in a session at Fierce Education’s “Higher Education: Business & Leadership — Summer Edition.” His focus is on issues related to technology access, inclusivity, impactful research and innovation, transfer pathways, returning adult student, digital and online learning, and the integration of academic knowledge and skills need for success in the workforce. One of his driving questions is, how can technology help with access and equity, personalized learning, globalization, accountability, and digitization?
Karbhari noted that for colleges and universities, “connected” has largely meant “networked.” Even with all the current technology, there are still Wi-Fi deserts, particularly in rural areas.
“We’ve also had an evolution in dissemination of knowledge,” said Karbhari. “Can we move from bringing students to campus to enabling learners to access knowledge from wherever they are?”
Campuses have evolved from physical infrastructure to digital immersive education—linking together transactions, advising, wellness, connections, and academic support. “Up until now, physical space has shaped the community and identify,” said Karbhari. “A connected campus can enlarge the space, increase engagement, and enhance equity.”
Connecting all aspects of the student experience
Karbhari talked about the need to tie academic learning to real-world skills development prepare students for the workforce, whether they are traditional college students or the increasing number of adult students who are reskilling and upskilling. He suggests that technology can be an enabler to connect all aspects of the student experience. For today’s technology experience, here are some critical considerations:
- Designed with student and faculty at the center
- Capacity – not just headcount but number and type of devices and the types of operations (bandwidth)
- Resilience—ability to handle outages through instantaneous switching to alternates, backup systems, redundancy in networks
- Flexibility – programmable, adjustable and adaptable to traffic/demand
- Security – balance between open and secure
- Interoperability – across institutions, countries, standards
- Proactive nature – student support with SSO and portal
- Device independent – omni-present, mobile-first with education deserts
- Enable merging of on-campus and off-campus activities
As higher education evolves, Karbhari notes critical aspects for the future of technology on and off campus:
- Integrated data on demand
- Data-inspired decision making
- Learning analytics without bias
- Adaptive learning
- Mobile learning
- AI powered autonomous tutors with option to reach human
- Video-based learning
- VR and immersive learning technologies
“My take on where we are for university students is that we will not be shifting totally to the digital world,” he said. “Technology will supplement the physical world. How do we ensure that technology inspires and enables that?”
Recognized thought leader Chris Bentivegna, Principal Architect for AT&T and the sessions’ sponsor, has a keen focus on the latest emerging technologies and applications and actively works with colleges and universities to harness the power of 5G. “When we work with higher education, we begin with the software they are currently using and determine the best technology to support their work,” he said. “We want to make the student’s experience as seamless and accessible as possible whether they are working on or off campus.”
However, there is pressure from leaders, faculty, and students for more technology. Students are the customer certainly, but so are the faculty as their teaching becomes more innovative using technology. Karbhari stated that “the reality is that IT budgets are not increasing, so it is not easy for universities to adopt new technology.” There are priorities for where to invest technology funds.
Bentivegna said that AT&T is seeing IT leaders and faculty department heads work together on setting priorities. “We focus on identifying the right connectivity model for each use case,” he said.
Karbhari ended the session with a caution, “technology enables connections among learners and faculty,” he said, “but there is no substitution for the engagement between student and instructor.”
For more articles from Fierce Education’s “Business & Leadership Summit,” see:
How to Incorporate Skills-Based Training into Your Curriculum
How Connectivity is Changing the Learning Landscape