{"id":1344,"date":"2015-05-17T13:53:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-17T13:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnhub.aucegypt.edu\/cltnewsletter\/?p=1344"},"modified":"2024-02-14T15:33:20","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T15:33:20","slug":"trends-challenges-and-technologies-for-higher-education-where-does-auc-and-our-new-strategic-plan-stand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learnhub.aucegypt.edu\/cltnewsletter\/?p=1344","title":{"rendered":"Trends, Challenges and Technologies for Higher Education Where does AUC and our New Strategic Plan Stand?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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What you see above is an \u201cinfographic\u201d (used with permission) summarizing the findings of this year\u2019s influential NMC Horizon Report, Higher Education Edition (Johnson, Adams Becker, Estrada & Freeman, 2015). This edition is produced annually (since 2002) by the New Media Consortium (NMC)i<\/sup> in collaboration with the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A panel of 56 experts from 17 countries collaboratively produced this year\u2019s 2015 report. The experts\u2019 research identified the six emerging technologies, the six key trends and the six challenges that would most likely influence higher education within the next five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would not be saying anything new when I say that Higher Education has been facing complex and disruptive changes in the last 25+ years. Based on research on how people learn, the teaching and learning landscape has been adjusting and adapting to new paradigms involving pedagogical and technological shifts. Emphasis has shifted from a teacher-centered model to a student-centered one, where active learning strategies, experiential learning and assessment are emphasized and where emerging technologies continue to offer innovative ways to facilitate and enable learning. Quoting AUC\u2019s new strategic plan,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Successful institutions are not necessarily the developers of such technologies or practices but they are both alert and nimble in assessing innovation in higher education and in selectively incorporating appropriate practices into their own operation. <\/p>\n(Strategic Plan for AUC at its Centennial, p. 7)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In the spirit of our new strategic plan, let us examine where we stand with regards to the report above. I will only focus on<\/strong> what is seen as \u201cshort term\u201d trends and technologies<\/strong> given the space limitations of this short newsletter. The report defines \u201cshort term\u201d trends as those that have already impacted the learning environment and would typically become mainstream in the next one to two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. TRENDS: I think it is safe to say that with regards to the short-term trends we are making baby steps towards Blended Learning, (Strategic Plan for AUC at its Centennial, Objective III, D.2) although I maintain that we are far behind our peer US universities and many regional ones, including AUB.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    According to the most recent ECAR i study (to which 75, 306 undergraduate students responded from 213 campuses, in 45 US states and 15 countries including AUC):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    More students than ever have experienced a digital learning environment.The majority say they learn best with a blend of online and face-to-face work <\/p>\n(Dahlstrom & Bischsel, 2014)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    The quantitative results, summarized in the opposite graph, should give us pause for reflection. How many of our students benefit from partially online learning, and if they do what is the quality of this online learning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n