NMC Horizon Report > 2014 Higher Education Edition · NMC The research behind the NMC Horizon...

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Horizon Report > 2014 Higher Education Edition NMC

Transcript of NMC Horizon Report > 2014 Higher Education Edition · NMC The research behind the NMC Horizon...

Page 1: NMC Horizon Report > 2014 Higher Education Edition · NMC The research behind the NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition is jointly conducted by the New Media Consortium

Horizon Report > 2014 Higher Education EditionNMC

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Interested in these emerging technology topics? Learn more about them and other edtech insights by “liking” us on Facebook at facebook.com/newmediaconsortium and following us on Twitter at twitter.com/nmcorg.

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1

Executive Summary 3

Key Trends Accelerating Higher Education Technology Adoption 6 FastTrends:Drivingchangesinhighereducationoverthenextonetotwoyears > Growing Ubiquity of Social Media 8 > Integration of Online, Hybrid, and Collaborative Learning 10 Mid-RangeTrends:Drivingchangesinhighereducationwithinthreetofiveyears > Rise of Data-Driven Learning and Assessment 12 > Shift from Students as Consumers to Students as Creators 14 Long-RangeTrends:Drivingchangesinhighereducationinfiveormoreyears > Agile Approaches to Change 16 > Evolution of Online Learning 18

Significant Challenges Impeding Higher Education Technology Adoption 20 SolvableChallenges:Thosethatweunderstandandknowhowtosolve > Low Digital Fluency of Faculty 22 > Relative Lack of Rewards for Teaching 24 DifficultChallenges:Thoseweunderstandbutforwhichsolutionsareelusive > Competition from New Models of Education 26 > Scaling Teaching Innovations 28 WickedChallenges:Thosethatarecomplextoevendefine,muchlessaddress > Expanding Access 30 > Keeping Education Relevant 32

Important Developments in Educational Technology for Higher Education 34 Time-to-AdoptionHorizon:OneYearorLess > Flipped Classroom 36 > Learning Analytics 38 Time-to-AdoptionHorizon:TwotoThreeYears > 3D Printing 40 > Games and Gamification 42 Time-to-AdoptionHorizon:FourtoFiveYears > Quantified Self 44 > Virtual Assistants 46

The NMC Horizon Project: 2014 Higher Education Edition Expert Panel 48

Contents >Click on a topic or page number to jump to that page.

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NMC

The research behind the NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education

Edition is jointlyconductedbytheNewMediaConsortium(NMC)and

theEDUCAUSELearningInitiative(ELI),anEDUCAUSEProgram.TheELI’s

critical participation in the production of this report and their strong

support for the NMC Horizon Project is gratefully acknowledged. To

learnmoreaboutELI,visitwww.educause.edu/eli;tolearnmoreabout

theNMC,visitwww.nmc.org.

©2014,TheNewMediaConsortium.

ISBN978-0-9897335-5-7

PermissionisgrantedunderaCreativeCommonsAttributionLicenseto

replicate,copy,distribute,transmit,oradaptthisreportfreelyprovided

thatattributionisprovidedasillustratedinthecitationbelow.Toview

a copy of this license, visit creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ or

sendalettertoCreativeCommons,559NathanAbbottWay,Stanford,

California94305,USA.

Citation

Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., Freeman, A. (2014). NMC

Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition. Austin, Texas: The New

MediaConsortium.

Cover Photograph

The Spring 2013 hackNY student hackathon brought in hundreds of

studentstoColumbiaUniversity’sFuFoundationSchoolofEngineering

and Applied Science for 24 hours of creative collaborative hacking for

NewYork City startups. Photo by Matylda Czarnecka. www.flickr.com/

photos/61623410@N08/8650384822.

InsideFront and Back Cover Photograph

Photo by Marlboro College Graduate School. www.flickr.com/photos/

mcgc/8190116423.

Designbyemgusa.com

The NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition isacollaborationbetweentheNewMediaConsortiumandtheEDUCAUSELearningInitiative,anEDUCAUSEProgram.

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heinternationallyrecognizedNMCHorizon Report seriesandregionalNMC Technology Outlooks arepartoftheNMCHorizonProject,acomprehensiveresearch venture established in 2002 thatidentifies and describes emerging technologies

likelytohavealargeimpactoverthecomingfiveyearsin education around the globe.This volume, the NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition,examinesemergingtechnologiesfortheirpotentialimpactonanduse in teaching, learning, and creative inquiry withinthe environment of higher education. While there aremany local factors affecting the practice of education,therearealsoissuesthattranscendregionalboundariesandquestionscommontohighereducation;itwaswiththesequestionsinmindthatthisreportwascreated.TheNMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Editionisthe11th in the annual higher education series of reportsand is produced by the NMC in collaboration with theEDUCAUSELearningInitiative(ELI).

Each of the three global editions of the NMC Horizon Report — higher education, primary and secondaryeducation(K-12),andmuseumeducation—highlightssixemergingtechnologiesorpracticesthatarelikelytoenter mainstream use within their focus sectors overthenextfiveyears.Keytrendsandchallengesthatwillaffectcurrentpracticeoverthesameperiodframethesediscussions. For the NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition, an expert panel identified 18 topicsverylikelytoimpacttechnologyplanninganddecision-making: six key trends, six significant challenges, andsiximportantdevelopmentsineducationaltechnology.Thediscussionsoftrendsandtechnologieshavebeenorganizedintothreetime-relatedcategories;challengesare discussed within a similar three-part frameworkrelatedtothescopeofthechallenge.

Tocreatethereport,aninternationalbodyofexpertsineducation, technology,andotherfieldswasconvenedasapanel.OverthecourseofthreemonthsintheFallof2013,the2014HigherEducationExpertPanelcametoaconsensusaboutthetopicsthatwouldappearhereintheNMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition.The examples and readings under each topic area aremeanttoprovidepracticalmodelsaswellasaccesstomoredetailedinformation.

Once identified, the framework of the Up-ScalingCreativeClassrooms(CCR)project(go.nmc.org/scaleccr),developed by the European Commission Institute forProspectiveTechnologicalStudies(IPTS)andpicturedinthechartonpage4,wasusedto identify implicationsfor policy, leadership, and practice that are related to

each of the six trends and six challenges detailed inthereport’sfirsttwosections.Thesixtechnologiesaredescribed in detail in the third section of the report,whereadiscussionofwhatthetechnologyisandwhyitisrelevanttoteaching,learning,orcreativeinquirycanalsobefound.

Each topic closes with an annotated list of suggestedreadings and additional examples that expand onthe discussion in the report. These resources, alongwith a wide collection of other helpful projects andreadings, can all be found in the project’s opencontent database that is accessible via the free NMCHorizon EdTech Weekly App for iOS (go.nmc.org/ios)and Android devices (go.nmc.org/android). All thebackgroundmaterialsfortheNMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition, including the research data,the preliminary selections, the topic preview, and thispublication, can be downloaded for free on iTunes U(go.nmc.org/itunes-u).

The process used to research and create the NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition is rootedinthemethodsusedacrossalltheresearchconductedwithin the NMC Horizon Project. All editions of theNMCHorizon Reportare informedbybothprimaryand

ExecutiveSummary

3

TOver the decade of the NMC

Horizon Project research, more than 850 internationally recognized practitioners and

experts have participated on the panels.

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secondaryresearch.Dozensofmeaningfultrends,criticalchallenges, and emerging technologies are examinedforpossibleinclusioninthereportforeachedition.

Everyreportdrawsontheconsiderableexpertiseofaninternational expert panel that first considers a broadset of important trends, challenges, and emergingtechnologies, and then examines each of them inprogressively more detail, reducing the set until thefinal listing of trends, challenges, and technologiesis selected.Thisprocess takesplaceonline,where it iscaptured in the NMC Horizon Project wiki.The wiki isintended to be a completely transparent window intothe work of the project, one that not only providesa real-time view of the work as it happens, but alsocontainstheentirerecordoftheresearchforeachofthevariouseditionspublishedsince2006.Thewikiusedforthe NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Editioncanbefoundathorizon.wiki.nmc.org.

The panel was composed of 53 technology expertsfrom 13 countries on six continents this year; theirnamesandaffiliationsarelistedattheendofthisreport.Despitetheirdiversityofbackgroundsandexperience,

they share a consensus view that each of the profiledtechnologies is going to have a significant impact onthepracticeofhighereducationaroundtheglobeoverthe next five years. The key trends driving interest intheir adoption, and the significant challenges highereducationinstitutionswillneedtoaddressiftheyaretoreachtheirpotential,alsorepresenttheirperspective.

The procedure for selecting the topics in the report isbased on a modified Delphi process refined over thenow 12 years of producing the NMC Horizon Report series, and began with the assembly of the panel.The panel represents a wide range of backgrounds,nationalities, and interests, yet each member bringsa relevant expertise. Over the decade of the NMCHorizonProjectresearch,morethan850internationallyrecognizedpractitionersandexpertshaveparticipatedon the panels; in any given year, a third of panelmembersarenew,ensuringaflowoffreshperspectiveseachyear.Nominationstoserveontheexpertpanelareencouraged;seego.nmc.org/horizon-nominate.

Oncethepanelforaparticulareditionisconstituted,theirwork begins with a systematic review of the literature —

NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition4

Infra

structure

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Content & Curricula

Organization Teaching practices

Lear

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pra

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practices22

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1 / Emotional intelligence

2 / Cross- and trans-disciplinary

3 / Open Educational Resources

4 / Meaningful activities

5 / Engaging assessment formats

6 / Formative assessment

7 / Recognition of informal & non-formal learning

8 / Learning by exploring

9 / Learning by creating

10 / Learning by playing

11 / Self-regulated learning

12 / Personalized learning

13 / Peer-to-peer collaboration

14 / Soft skills

17 / Multiple modes of thinking

16 / Multiple learning styles

15 / Individual strengths

Innovating services / 18

Innovative timetables / 19

Monitoring quality / 20

(Social) entrepreneurship / 22

Social inclusion & equity / 21

Innovation management / 23

Social networks / 25

Learning events / 24

Networking with real-world / 26

Physical space / 27

ICT infrastructure / 28

Elements of the Creative Classroom Research Model

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pressclippings,reports,essays,andothermaterials—thatpertains to emerging technology. Members are providedwith an extensive set of background materials when theprojectbegins,andarethenaskedtocommentonthem,identify those that seem especially worthwhile, and addto the set. The group discusses existing applications ofemerging technology and brainstorms new ones. A keycriterion for the inclusion of a topic in this edition is itspotential relevance to teaching, learning, and creativeinquiryinhighereducation.AcarefullyselectedsetofRSSfeedsfromhundredsofrelevantpublicationsensuresthatbackgroundresourcesstaycurrentastheprojectprogresses.Theyareusedtoinformthethinkingoftheparticipants.

Followingthereviewoftheliterature,theexpertpanelengages in the central focus of the research — theresearch questions that are at the core of the NMCHorizonProject.Thesequestionsweredesignedtoelicita comprehensive listing of interesting technologies,challenges,andtrendsfromthepanel:

1 Which of the key technologies catalogued in the NMC Horizon Project Listing will be most

important to teaching, learning, or creative inquiry within the next five years?

2 What key technologies are missing from our list? Consider these related questions:

> What would you list among the established technologies that some educational institutions are using today that arguably all institutions should be using broadly to support or enhance teaching, learning, or creative inquiry?

> What technologies that have a solid user base in consumer, entertainment, or other industries should educational institutions be actively looking for ways to apply?

> What are the key emerging technologies you see developing to the point that learning-focused institutions should begin to take notice during the next four to five years?

3 What trends do you expect to have a significant impact on the ways in which learning-focused

institutions approach our core missions of teaching, learning, and creative inquiry?

4 What do you see as the key challenges related to teaching, learning, or creative inquiry that

learning-focused institutions will face during the next five years?

In thefirststepof thisapproach, theresponsestotheresearchquestionsaresystematicallyrankedandplacedinto adoption horizons by each expert panel memberusing a multi-vote system that allows members toweight their selections. Each member is asked to alsoidentifythetimeframeduringwhichtheyfeelthetopic

wouldentermainstreamuse—definedforthepurposeoftheprojectasabout20%of institutionsadoptingitwithin the period discussed. (This figure is based onthe research of Geoffrey A. Moore and refers to thecritical mass of adoptions needed for a technology tohave a chance of entering broad use.)These rankingsare compiled into a collective set of responses, andinevitably, the ones around which there is the mostagreementarequicklyapparent.

From the comprehensive list of trends, challenges,and technologies originally considered for any report,the 36 that emerge at the top of the initial rankingprocess — four per horizon — are further researchedandexpanded.Oncetheseinterimresultsareidentified,the group explores the ways in which these topicsimpact teaching, learning, and creative inquiry inhighereducation.Asignificantamountoftimeisspentresearchingrealandpotentialapplications foreachofthetopicsthatwouldbeofinteresttopractitioners.Forevery edition, when that work is done, each of theseinterimresultstopicsiswrittenupintheformatoftheNMCHorizon Report.Withthebenefitofthefullpictureofhowthetopicwilllookinthereport,thetopicsintheinterim results are then ranked yet again, this time inreverse.Thetop18topicsidentifiedarethosedetailedintheNMCHorizon Report.

5ExecutiveSummary

A key criterion for the inclusion of a topic in this edition is its

potential relevance to teaching, learning, and creative inquiry in

higher education.

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he  six trends featured in the  NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition  were selected by the project’s expert panel in a series of Delphi-based voting cycles, each followed by an additional round of desktop research and

discussions. Once identified, the framework of the Up-Scaling Creative Classrooms (CCR) project, developed for the European Commission and pictured in the executive summary, was used to identify implications for policy, leadership, and practice that were related to each of the six trends discussed in this section. These trends, which the members of the expert panel agreed are very likely to drive technology planning and decision-making over the next five years, are sorted into three time-related categories — fast-moving trends that will realize their impact in the next one to two years, and two categories of slower trends that will realize their impact within three to five or more years. All of the trends listed here were explored for their implications for global higher education in a series of online discussions that can be viewed at horizon.wiki.nmc.org/Trends.

The expert panel was provided with an extensive set of background materials when the project began that identified and documented well-known existing trends, but the panel was also encouraged to consider emerging trends or trends slow to take form as well.

Once the semifinal list of trends was identified, each was viewed within the CCR framework, which served as a lens to identify implications for policy, leadership, and practice.

PolicyWhile all of the identified trends had policy implications, two trends in particular are expected to have a strong impact on policy decisions in the next five years. Data-driven learning and assessment, currently on the rise in universities in the developed world, will reach its maximum impact in higher education in about two to three years, but many leading institutions are moving considerably faster. At the University of Wisconsin, for example, the pilot program known as the Student Success System was initiated in Spring 2013 to identify struggling students and their behavioral patterns. Early results

have provided methods to improve policies and include making infrastructure changes, documenting issues and concerns, and identifying areas for improvement for future data collection and analysis at scale.

Likewise, more universities are working to make their institutions more comfortable with change, using agile approaches to be more responsive, nimble and flexible. The expert panel placed the ultimate peak

of this trend’s impact out at least five years, but some universities are already putting policies into place that will make their institutions more agile. The University of Virginia’s School of Medicine, for example, was one of the first programs in the United States to incorporate entrepreneurial activities in its promotion and tenure criteria for faculty in the same manner in which technology startups reward employees for innovating new projects, products, and ideas.

LeadershipWhile there are leadership implications for all the identified trends that are discussed in the following pages, two trends stand out as unique opportunities for vision and leadership. Social media, already very well established in the consumer and entertainment sectors, is rapidly integrating into every aspect of university life; with its maximum impact expected to manifest itself within the next year, there is considerable room for creative ideas. For example, in the Faculty Thought Leadership Series, developed by the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, faculty across several campuses convened to re-envision the future of the higher education teaching profession, with social media as a major component. Recordings of the meetings were broadcast on YouTube and anyone could join the real-time discussions through Twitter. Examples abound

NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition6

Key Trends

TInstitutional leaders are increasingly seeing their

students as creators rather than consumers.

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inwhichsocialmediaisbeingusedbydecision-makersto engage with stakeholders in new and highly cost-effectiveways.

Further away, but trending strongly for leadersespecially,isthebroadintegrationofcreativeprocessesand hands-on learning exemplified by the growinginterest in makerspaces. Institutional leaders areincreasinglyseeingtheirstudentsascreatorsratherthanconsumers;theexpertpanelexpectsthistrendtopeakwithin three to five years. Creating an organizationalclimate in which students are encouraged to developideas big and small, and bring to market creativesolutionstorealworldproblems,willrequirevisionaryleaders,butmanycampusesarealreadyfaralonginthisprocess.AstudentatCornellUniversity,forexample,isusingKickstartertodevelopKicksat,aprojectintendedtolaunchasmallspacecraftintolowearthorbit.

PracticeEach of the six trends identified by the expert panelhas numerous implications for teaching and learningpractice, and current examples are easy to find, evenin the long-term category. The integration of online,hybrid, and collaborative learning in face-to-faceinstruction,highlightedasoneoftwofasttrendsinthefollowingpages, isalready impacting thewaycoursesarestructuredatTheOhioStateUniversity,wherefacultyin the Department of Statistics are creating a“HyFlex”model of learning that leverages a variety of onlinetechnologies.Theyreportedthattheuseofinteractivepolling,recording,andabackchannelforsynchronouscommunicationduringclasstimehasenabledstudentstoengagewiththematerialinwaysthatsuithowtheylearnbest.

Onlinelearningingeneralisinthemidstofalong-termreinvention,withmuchlearnedfromtherecentforaysinto massive open online courses. While the focuswithininstructionaldesignongenuinelymatchingthelevel of student engagement in face-to-face coursesis increasing, online learning is still at least five yearsaway from generating its maximum impact. Pearson’seffortstointegrateadaptivelearninginonlinecoursesare a good example of the current state of the art. Inthesummerof2013,PearsonpartneredwithKnewtonto offer more than 400,000 college students enrolledin first-year science and business courses access toadaptive, personalized tutoring services that detectpatterns of students’ successes and failures with thecoursematerialandprovideguidanceaccordingly.

The following pages provide a discussion of each ofthetrendshighlightedbythisyear’sexpertpanelthat

includesanoverviewofthetrend,itsimplications,andcurated recommendations for further reading on thetopic.

7KeyTrends

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ocial media is changing the way people interact, present ideas and information, and judge the quality of content and contributions. More than 1.2 billion people use Facebook regularly according to numbers released in October

2013; a recent report by Business Insider reported 2.7 billion people — almost 40% of the world population — regularly use social media. The top 25 social media platforms worldwide share 6.3 billion accounts among them. Educators, students, alumni, and the general public routinely use social media to share news about scientific and other developments. The impact of these changes in scholarly communication and on the credibility of information remains to be seen, but it is clear that social media has found significant traction in almost every education sector.

OverviewToday’s web users are prolific creators of content, andtheyuploadphotographs,audio,andvideotothecloudbythebillions.Producing,commenting,andclassifyingthese media have become just as important as themore passive tasks of searching, reading, watching,andlistening.SitessuchasFacebook,Twitter,Pinterest,Flickr, YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram, and many othersmake it easy to share and find stories and media. Inaddition to interacting with the content, social mediamakes it easy to interact with friends and institutionsthat produced the content. Relationships areultimatelythelifebloodofsocialmediaaspeopleshareinformationaboutthemselves,findoutwhattheirpeersandfavoriteorganizationsthinkabouttopicsofinterest,and exchange messages. The experience augmentsalready-established relationships while providingspaces for people who are separated by physicaldistance or other barriers to connect with each other.This helps institutions to garner broader audienceswhilecommunicatingwithexistingones.

Social media has now proliferated to the point whereitspansallagesanddemographics.ArecentstudybyFast Company revealedthatthefastestgrowinggroupon Facebook and Google+ is the 45-54 year-old agebracket,whileTwitterisexperiencingthelargestgrowthforusersaged55-64.Morepeopleareturningtosocialmedia for recreational and educational purposes than

totelevisionandotherpopularmediums.YouTube,forexample,reachesmoreU.S.adultsaged18-34thananycable networks. Furthermore, Reuters reported thatvisiting social media websites is the most commonactivitythatpeopleengage inontheweb.People logondailytocatchuponnewsandsharecontent,whichhaspromptedsocialmediasitestobecomemajornewssources with more and more journalists and mediaoutletsbreakingnewsstoriesthere.

Foreducationalinstitutions,socialmediaenablestwo-waydialoguesbetweenstudents,prospectivestudents,educators, and the institution that are less formalthan with other media. As social networks continueto flourish, educators are using them as professionalcommunitiesofpractice,aslearningcommunities,andas a platform to share interesting stories about topicsstudents are studying in class. Understanding howsocial media can be leveraged for social learning is akeyskillforteachers,andteachertrainingprogramsareincreasinglybeingexpectedtoincludethisskill.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeA study conducted by the University of MassachusettsDartmouth found that 100% of surveyed universitiesandcollegesusesocialmediaforsomepurpose.Facultycitedtheinclusionofvideoandblogsasamongthemostcommon applications of social media for instruction.

Another survey by the Babson Research Group andPearsonrevealedthat70.3%of facultyusesocialmediaintheirpersonal lives,whichmirrorsthatofthegeneralpopulation, and 55% use these networks specifically inprofessionalcontexts.However,facultyandadministratorswho are involved in policymaking still harbor concernsover maintaining privacy as they want classrooms tobe perceived as safe spaces for open discussion and topreserve the integrity of student submissions. It will beuptopolicymakersoverthenextyeartocreateguidelinesfor effective and secure uses of social media, including

NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition8

GrowingUbiquityofSocialMediaFast Trend: Driving changes in higher education over the next one to two years

S

Relationships are ultimately the lifeblood of social media.

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the prevention of cyberbullying and the formalizationof penalties. A recent report, “Cyber Bullying in HigherEducation,”fromresearchersatWaldenUniversityrevealedthat even instructors have been subject to this virtualformofostracism.Thereportstatedthatsomefacultyinthe study did not report their encounters because theysimplydidnotknowwheretoreportthem.

There is room for leadership among universities andcollegestodocumentcreativesocialmediaprojectsthatdemonstratethebenefitsofsocialmediaforeducation.EffortssuchasVanderbiltUniversity’sYouTubechannelgivestudents,faculty,andthegeneralpublicaglimpseintoimportantworkhappeningoncampus,forinstance,while Texas State University leverages Facebook andTwitter as formal and informal discussion forums.Ultimately, social media is fostering opportunitiesfor thousands of students to collaborate — evenacross institutions. A prime example is how MurdochUniversity in Australia partnered with Duke Universityon a social mapping project in which students couldcontribute their observations about NorthwesternAustralian ecosystems. Then there is the compellingdimension that field experts can be easily contactedonsocialnetworks tobringrealworldperspectives tothesubjectmatter,whichcansupplementknowledgegainedfromformallectures.

What also makes social media exciting for highereducation is the inherent public aspect. Whetherthrough posting a video, image, or a text responsein a conversation, anyone in the social network canengage with the content. The University of HawaiiProfessional Assembly launched the Faculty ThoughtLeadership Series in which they invited faculty acrossvarious campuses to re-envision the future of thehigher education teaching profession, with socialmedia as a major component. Recordings of face-to-face sessions were broadcast onYouTube and anyonecould participate in real-time discussions that wereencouraged and tracked with a special hashtag onTwitter.Socialmediahaschangedthenatureof theseimportant conversations so that they are not alwaysbehinddoors,butinsteadviewedasanopportunityforsubstantialcollectivethinkingandaction.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewhowishtolearnmoreaboutthegrowingubiquityofsocialmedia:

In Higher Education, Social Media Is Your Jobgo.nmc.org/hiedsoc(JamesNolan,The Huffington Post,16September2013.)

The author believes that academics can no longerafford to ignore social media — it is an increasinglyimportantvehicleforinstitutionstocontinuouslybuildrelationshipsandconstituencies.

Is it Time to Start Using Social Media to Promote Academic Projects?go.nmc.org/time(Annett Seifert, School of Advanced Study Blogs, 14August 2013.) This post describes how the School ofAdvanced Study at the University of London is usingsocial media channels to increase awareness andengagement about the impact of individual researchprojects.

Is Social Media Good for Education?go.nmc.org/medgoo(Vanessa Doctor, Hashtags.org, 31 July 2013.) Theauthordiscussestheprosandconsofsocialmediausein education. She lists four positive and two negativepoints about its effectiveness in education — ease ofcommunicationiscitedasabenefitandtheaccuracyofsourcesisidentifiedasacon.

Social Media for Teaching and Learninggo.nmc.org/socmed(Jeff Seaman and Hester Tinti-Kane, Babson SurveyResearch Group and Pearson Learning Solutions,October 2013.) A series of reports launched in 2009and published annually has shown that faculty areembracing social media, but privacy concerns mustbe addressed in order to accelerate the adoption ofprofessionaluse.

Using Social Media in the Classroom: A Community College Perspectivego.nmc.org/asa(Chad M. Gesser, Footnotes, January 2013) A professorat Owensboro Community and Technical Collegedescribes his applications of social media to organizecoursesanddiscusscomplexsociologicalconcepts.

Visitors and Residents: Students’ Attitudes to Academic Use of Social Mediago.nmc.org/visres(Science Daily, 29 April 2013.) A recent study showsthatsomestudents,referredtoasresidents,usesocialnetworking to share information about their studieswiththeiracademicpeers inasimilarwaytheywouldtalktofriendsonFacebook.

9FastTrend

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ducation paradigms are shifting to include more online learning, blended and hybrid learning, and collaborative models. Students already spend much of their free time on the Internet, learning and exchanging new information. Institutions

that embrace face-to-face, online, and hybrid learning models have the potential to leverage the online skills learners have already developed independent of academia. Online learning environments can offer different affordances than physical campuses, including opportunities for increased collaboration while equipping students with stronger digital skills. Hybrid models, when designed and implemented successfully, enable students to travel to campus for some activities, while using the network for others, taking advantage of the best of both environments.

OverviewThetremendous interest intheacademicandpopularpressinnewformsofonlinelearningoverthepastfewyears has also heightened use of discussion forums,embedded videos, and digital assessments in moretraditionalclasses,withtheintentionofmakingbetteruseofclasstime.Anincreasingnumberofuniversitiesare incorporatingonlineenvironments intocourses ofall kinds, which is making the content more dynamic,flexible,andaccessibletoalargernumberofstudents.These hybrid-learning settings are engaging studentsincreative learningactivities thatoftendemandmorepeer-to-peercollaborationthantraditionalcourses.

Online learning has amplified the potential forcollaboration because it incorporates outlets thatstudentscanaccessoutsideoftheclassroomtomeetand exchange ideas about a subject or project. In acommentary for The Chronicle of Higher Education,DavidHelfand,oneofthefoundersofQuestUniversityCanada, makes a case for more collaboration in 21stcentury learning. In an age where multi-tasking issecond nature and modes of communication arebecoming more efficient, Helfand argues that it isthe university’s responsibility to foster students’collaboration skills so they are better prepared toconfronttheproblemsof theglobalizedworld.Manyeducators are finding that online platforms can beused to facilitate group problem-solving and build

communication skills, while advancing students’knowledgeofthesubjectmatter.

Thequalityofcommunityandinteractionisbecomingakeydiscriminatoramonghybridlearningenvironments,as emerging digital tools make it easier for studentsto ask and respond to each other’s questions and forinstructors to provide feedback in real-time. At TheOhio State University, for instance, educators in theDepartment of Statistics are experimenting with acombinationoftechnologiestocreatea“HyFlex”modeloflearningthatincorporatesonlineinteractivepolling,lecture recording, and a backchannel for synchronouscommunication. According to the instructors, thisexploratory endeavor has succeeded in creating amodel that suits the interests and desires of students,whoareabletochoosehowtheyattendlecture—fromthe comfort of their home, or face-to-face with theirteachers. Additionally, findings from the formal studyshow that students felt the instructional technologymadethesubjectmoreinteresting,andincreasedtheirunderstanding,aswellasencouragedtheirparticipationviathebackchannel.Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeTo encourage collaboration and reinforce real worldskills, universities are experimenting with policiesthat allow for more freedom in interactions betweenstudents when working on projects and assessments.The experience of Peter Nonacs, a professor ofBehavioral Ecology at UCLA, is a strong example ofhowaninnovativetestingsituationcanleadtodeeperunderstandingofasubject.Todeterminehowwellhisstudents understood game theory, Nonacs prepareda challenging exam that his students were able towork on together. Nonacs told them they could useany resources for the test.This was the ideal scenariofor them to authentically experience game theory asthey hypothesized, debated, and devised a system tofind the best answers. Nonacs argues that there is nodetriment in allowing students to use the intellectualresources they need to answer questions because thebestassessmentsgobeyondmemorization,andinsteadinspire thinking in creative ways through discussion,collaboration,andcriticalthinking.

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IntegrationofOnline,Hybrid,andCollaborativeLearningFast Trend: Driving changes in higher education over the next one to two years

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resources fromprofessorsworldwide toenhance theirowncurriculum.

Arizona State University Selects HapYak Interactive Video for eLearning Video Initiativesgo.nmc.org/hapyak(HapYak, 2 December 2013.) Arizona State Universityuses an interactive video platform HapYak in theirhybridcoursestoaddinteractiveelementssuchasquizquestions,chapters,andlinks.ThesoftwarealsocreatesengagementreportsthatletASUfacultyandstaffknowwhoiswatchingwhichvideos,whatsegmentsaremostimportant,andhowtheycanimprovethem.

Blended Learning: College Classrooms of the Futurego.nmc.org/colcla(The Huffington Post, 16 July 2013.) Blended learninginitiativesattheUniversityofMarylandhaveledtomoretimeforclarifying,hands-onactivities,anddiscussionsduring class time rather than introducing material forthefirsttime.

Is Blended Learning the Best of Both Worlds?go.nmc.org/blen(Online Learning Insights, 17 January 2013.)This articleexplores the purpose, definitions, and implications oftheblendedlearningmodelinhighereducation,whichis a balance of web-based and traditional face-to-faceinstruction.

A New Way of Learning: The Impact of Hybrid Distance Education on Student Performancego.nmc.org/neww(Rosa Vivanco, George Mason University, accessed 17December 2013.) A study at George Mason Universityshowed students who collaborated with othersoutside of the classroom for online components of amanagement course reported enjoying it more andlearningmore.

Watering the Roots of Knowledge Through Collaborative Learninggo.nmc.org/roots(David J. Helfand, The Chronicle of Higher Education,8 July 2013.) The author shows how a progressivecollaborative learning system in higher education canproduce graduates who are skilled in communication,quantitativereasoning,andteamwork.

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Universities are staying ahead of the curve in bestteaching practices by experimenting with onlinelearning environments and tools that promote peer-to-peer collaboration. At Indiana University-PurdueUniversityIndianapolis(IUPUI),studentresearchersareworkingwithinstructionaltechnologistsandprofessorsto explore how web-conferencing platforms can beused for Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL), a model ofteachingusedinthesciencesinwhichsmallgroupsofstudentssolveproblemstogetherinworkshopsledbypeerleaders.Theteamtestedcommercialandno-costplatforms,andtheyevaluatedhoweffectivelythetoolsin web-based environments such as Adobe Connect,Vyew, Blackboard Collaborate, and Google Hangoutsallowed students to work together. After determiningthe best solution, the PLTL was implemented in thefirstsemesterofgeneralchemistrycoursesatIUPUIandintroductorybiologycoursesatPurdueUniversityandFlorida International University. Further research willaddress how technology-enhanced PLTL models canexpand to other disciplines and incorporate e-texts,virtual labs, and more video assets into these onlineenvironments.

Instructors can also leverage components of onlinelearningtomakepersonalizedlearningscalableinlargeintroductoryclasses.Comparedtothetraditionalmodeloflearning,inwhichspaceisneededtoaccommodatehundredsofstudents,hybrid learningcanaddressthelearningpathofeachindividualstudent.TheUniversityofTexas,forexample,launchedaninitiativein2013toincorporatenewtechnologiesinlower-divisionhistory,calculus, statistics, government, and classics courses,withtheaimofestablishingahybridmodeltoimproveundergraduate engagement. Based on increases inpersistence rates among freshmen in the past threeyears, as well as marked improvements in grades,attendance, and passing rates, three-year $50,000grantswillbegiventoeachdepartmenttosupportthedevelopmentofonlinecontent,suchasvideomodulesandtoolsthatpromotein-classdiscussion.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewhowishtolearnmoreabouttheintegrationofonline,hybrid,andcollaborativelearning:

After Setbacks, Online Courses are Rethoughtgo.nmc.org/setb(Tamar Lewin, The New York Times, 11 December2013.) Though MOOCs alone have not proven to beas successful as hyped, the publicity around themhas nudged many universities toward developing anInternet strategy and incorporating quality online

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here is a growing interest in using new sources of data for personalizing the learning experience and for performance measurement. As learners participate in online activities, they leave an increasingly clear trail of analytics

data that can be mined for insights. Learning analytics experiments and demonstration projects are currently examining ways to use that data to modify learning strategies and processes. Dashboards filter this information so that student progress can be monitored in real time. As the field of learning analytics matures, the hope is that this information will enable continual improvement of learning outcomes.

OverviewData have been measured, collected, and analyzed inthe consumer sector since the early 1990s to informcompanies about customer behavior and preferences.A recent trend in education has sought to employsimilar analytics to improve teaching and learning atthe course and institutional levels. As students andeducators generate more and more data, especiallyin online environments, there is a growing interest indevelopingtoolsandalgorithmsforrevealingpatternsinherent in thosedataandthenapplyingthemtotheimprovement of instructional systems. While interestis considerable, higher education in general has yetto fully embrace these sorts of processes. Privacy andethics issues are just beginning to be addressed, butthepotentialofusingdatatoimproveservices,studentretention,andstudentsuccessisclearlyevident.

The emerging science of learning analytics, discussedin more detail later in this report, is providing thestatisticalanddataminingtoolstorecognizechallengesearly, improve student outcomes, and personalize thelearning experience. With recent developments inonline learning in particular, students are generatingan exponential amount of data that can offer a morecomprehensive look at their learning. Dashboards, afeature of many learning management systems thatprovidesbothstudentsandteacherswithanoverviewofsuchdata,arecurrentlybeingusedbyanumberofuniversitiesasawaytoimprovestudentretentionandpersonalizethelearningexperience.Thesesortsoftoolscanprovidestudentswiththemeansofunderstanding

their progress and can help instructors identify whichstudents are at risk of failing a class and deploy theappropriate support services before a student dropsout. Examples of commercially available dashboardsincludeEllucian’sCourseSignals,Blackboard’sRetentionCenter,andDesire2Learn’sStudentSuccessSystem.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeIn online environments especially, students andprofessors are generating a large amount of learning-relateddatathatcouldinformdecisionsandthelearningprocess, but work remains on structuring appropriatepolicies to protect student privacy. An increasing

numberofuniversitiesareformalizingpoliciesregardingthe gathering and use of data in making instructionaldecisions.Thisshiftinattitude,documentedbytheU.S.Department of Education’s report Enhancing Teaching and Learning Through Educational Data Mining and Learning Analytics,hasthepotentialtoimproveservicesacrosstheuniversitylandscape.

A five-year initiative at Eastern Connecticut StateUniversity is using a data-driven approach to increasethesuccessoflow-income,minoritystudentsandfirst-generationstudents.Gatheringdatafromsourcessuchas residential, library, tutoring programs, and surveys,the university is hoping to understand and predictwhy some students are more likely to drop out thanothers.AttheUniversityofWisconsin,thepilotprogramStudent Success System (S3) was initiated in spring2013 to identify struggling students and behavioralpatterns. Early results have provided methods fortackling infrastructure changes, documenting issues

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RiseofData-DrivenLearningandAssessmentMid-Range Trend: Driving changes in higher education within three to five years

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As learners participate in online activities, they leave an increasingly clear trail of

analytics data that can be mined for insights.

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colleges are beginning to use predictive analyticsto transform data into active intelligence. This postexamineswherethedataoriginatesandhowitcanbemosteffectivelyapplied.

University Data Can Be a Force for Goodgo.nmc.org/forc(Ruth Drysdale, Guardian Professional, 27 November2013.) Many higher education institutions are nowlooking at a variety of data in addition to attendanceto determine student engagement and anticipateretention. An analysis by Manchester MetropolitanUniversityhasrevealedadirectcorrelationbetweenthetwo.

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and concerns, and identifying areas for improvementforfutureiterations.

Adaptive learning software is a related area whereconsiderable development is under way, and manyeducation leaders and policymakers see promise inincorporating these tools into online offerings, wherethey are already being used to measure studentcomprehension in real time and adjust content andstrategy as needed. Another use of adaptive learningsoftware istoprovideexpandedtutoringandpracticeopportunitiestostudentsmoreefficiently.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewho wish to learn more about the rise of data-drivenlearningandassessment:

How Can Educational Data Mining and Learning Analytics Improve and Personalize Education?go.nmc.org/datamin(EdTech Review, 18 June 2013.) This post explores howeducationaldataminingusesnewtoolsandalgorithmstodiscoverpatternsandilluminateshowlearninganalyticsthen applies those tools and techniques to answerquestionsregardingstudentprogressandgrading.

How Data is Driving the Biggest Revolution in Education Since the Middle Agesgo.nmc.org/revo(Rebecca Grant, VentureBeat, 4 December 2013.)Udacity founder, Sebastian Thrun, advocates that westudylearningasadatasciencetoreverseengineerthehumanbrainsothatcurriculumcanbedesignedbasedonevidence.

Mixed Signalsgo.nmc.org/mix(CarlStraumsheim,Inside Higher Ed,6November2013.)Purdue’s claims that using the early-warning systemSignalsimprovesstudentretentionrateshaverecentlycomeintoquestion,bringingtolighttheimportanceofevaluatinglearninganalyticstechnologies.

Smart Analytics in Educationgo.nmc.org/smarta(JayLiebowitz,The Knowledge Exchange,6June2013.)To ensure student, faculty, and institutional success,more higher education institutions are leveraging thepowerofbigdatatoinformlearninganalytics.

Smart Education Meets ‘Moneyball’ (Part I)go.nmc.org/moneyb(John Baker, Wired, 9 April 2013.) Universities and

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shift is taking place in the focus of pedagogical practice on university campuses all over the world as students across a wide variety of disciplines are learning by making and creating rather than from the simple consumption

of content. Creativity, as illustrated by the growth of user-generated videos, maker communities, and crowdfunded projects in the past couple years, is increasingly the means for active, hands-on learning. University departments in areas that have not traditionally had lab or hands-on components are shifting to incorporate hands-on learning experiences as an integral part of the curriculum. Courses and degree plans across all disciplines at institutions are in the process of changing to reflect the importance of media creation, design, and entrepreneurship.

OverviewThere is a growing trend on university campuses inwhich students are doing more content creation anddesign,acrossthespectrumofdisciplines.Morecolleges,universities,andlibrariesaredevelopingenvironmentsandfacilitatingopportunitiestoharnessthiscreativityandbuildingphysicalspaceswherestudentscanlearnandcreatetogether,integratingcontent-andproduct-centeredactivitiesaspartoftheirinstruction.Thistrendis gaining strength and should reach its full impact inaboutthreetofiveyears.

Makerspaces (also known as hackerspaces) began toappeararound2005incommunitiesaslocationswhereindividuals could experiment using a range of metal-working, wood, plastics, and electronics tools thatwerepurchasedbyandsharedamongstthegroupviaa number of strategies including memberships, time-sharingandfeestructures,orcollectiveownership.Inthepast fewyears,academicmakerspacesandfabricationlabs have popped up on university campuses in avariety of places, including libraries. These dedicatedspaces are equipped not only with traditional crafttools,butalsodigitalequipmentsuchas lasercutters,microcontrollers, and 3D printers. The availability ofthese expensive resources has turned maker labs intocommunal spaces where students can work on classand self-directed projects, in addition to participatingin managing and maintaining the facilities. University

makerspacesarebeginningtodemonstratethevalueofthesesitesforteachingandlearningininterestingnewways.TheMakerLabintheHumanitiesattheUniversityofVictoria,forexample,iscurrentlyconductingresearchinto humanities physical computing, which bringsdigital and analog materials into dialogue throughthe construction of interactive systems. This maker-centeredresearchishelpingtofosterthegrowthofthefieldofdigitalhumanities.

Acontinuousstreamofnewwaysforcreativeideastobe funded and brought to reality has put universitystudents more in control of the development of theirresearch than ever before.Through the crowdfundingwebsites like Kickstarter or Indegogo, student-ledprojects that might have stalled at the concept ormodelstagecannowbebroughttofruition.AstudentatCornellUniversity,forexample,isusingKickstartertodevelop Kicksat, a project intended to launch a smallspacecraftintolowearthorbit.Greateraccesstomediaproductiontoolsandoutletshasalsoallowedstudentstomovefromconsumersofvideotoproducers.

Campus libraries increasingly host not onlymakerspaces, but also other services that supportcreativity and production, such as video equipmentloans and studios, digitizing facilities, and publicationservices. At Dartmouth College, researchers areexploring how student-generated video can be usedto further learning and evaluate a student’s academicperformance through the collection of variousassignments housed on the Media Projects page ofthe college’s website. For example, one architectureassignment involves students capturing video of thebuilt environment from their personal perspective torevealthehistoryandcharacterofaspecificsite.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeThe National Science Foundation’s new initiative,Cyberlearning: Transforming Education,isprovidinggrantmoneytostudytheeducationalbenefitsofmakerspacesandthetransferabilityofthattypeoflearningtomathand science skill improvement. The results of theseresearchprojectswillhelptoestablishaCyberlearningResourceCenterthatwillbenefiteducators,curriculum

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ShiftfromStudentsasConsumerstoStudentsasCreatorsMid-Range Trend: Driving changes in higher education within three to five years

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The Case for a Campus Makerspacego.nmc.org/mspa(AudreyWatters,Hack Education,6February2013.)Theauthorexplainswhythemakerculturehasthepotentialtoreinvigoratehighereducationinstitutionsbyincitingmore collaboration, participatory, project-based, andpeer-to-peerlearning.

Commandeering the Decks: Baltimore’s Digital Harbor Tech Centergo.nmc.org/timc(Tim Conneally, Forbes, 18 January 2013.) After notbeing used for decades, the South Baltimore RecCenter reopened as the Digital Harbor Tech Center, acommunity makerspace where students can accesstoolstohelpthemdesignandthencreateobjectsusing3Dprintersandcircuitboards.Thisarticlediscusseshowthis is an example of the growing maker movementrecognizingthevalueofexperientiallearning.

Creativist Manifesto: Consumer vs. Creatorgo.nmc.org/creama(OliviaSprinkel,Rebelle Society,9January2013.)Beinga creator rather than a consumer requires a shift inattitude in terms of how a person engages with theworldaroundthem;thecreativist trend ismoreactiveandinformsthechoicesmadeonadailybasis.

Is Making Learning? Considerations as Education Embraces the Maker Movementgo.nmc.org/makelea(RafiSanto,Empathetics: Integral Life,12February2013.)The potential to impact learning through the makerculture has rejuvenated educators. According to thisarticle, the most important aspect of this approachis not in the product but rather the process behindmaking.

Stanford FabLearn Fellows Programgo.nmc.org/fabl(Stanford University, accessed 31 October 2013.) TheTransformative LearningTechnologies Lab at StanfordUniversityisleadinganinitiativetogenerateanopen-sourcecurriculumformakerspacesandFabLabsallovertheworld.

What Is the Maker Movement and Why Should You Care?go.nmc.org/mamove(BritMorin,The Huffington Post,2May2013.)Theessencebehind the do-it-yourself movement, traditionallyrelated to how-to instructional books, has shifted intoamovementwherepeopleinallindustriesarecreatingnewgoods,crafts,foods,andtechnology.

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specialists,andothersinterestedinlearningtheimpactof making activities. Indiana University’s Make-to-Learn Initiative is a higher education example thatbrings together makers, educators, and researchersto understand how DIY culture can advance learningoutcomes, be effectively integrated into educationalinstitutions,andengagedifferentlearningstyles.

Vanderbilt University is actively shifting the emphasisof teaching on their campuses to include moreopportunities for creative exploration and appliedlearning. Their Student as Producer initiative createssemester-long opportunities for students acrossmultiple disciplines and courses to engage inproduction activities. At the core of this initiative,studentsworkonproblemsorquestionsthathavenot

been fully answered, sharing their work with othersoutsideoftheclassroom,seekingfeedbackandinsightsfromexperts,andworkingonprojectsinalargelyself-directed manner. Student-centered activities includebiology students designing their own experiments,engineering students creating podcasts about theirprojects, and English students expressing their ideasthrough multimedia entries on course blogs. Theapproach demonstrates how students can activelycollaborate with their teachers in the production ofknowledgeandmeaning-making.

TheUniversityofMichigan’sCenterforEntrepreneurshipand several student-led organizations sponsored anumber of content creation activities in Spring 2013.MHacks was a 36-hour nonstop hackathon. OptiMizewas a competition where students created socialinnovation projects centered around the topics ofhealth, poverty, environment, or education. As part ofthis,studentbusinessdeveloperssetupastorefrontintheStudentUniontoselltheirproductsdirectlytootherstudents. 1000 Pitches was a contest where studentscreated short video business pitches to solicit theirideas.Theinvolvementofstudentleadershipwaskeytothesuccessoftheseevents.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewhowishtolearnmoreabouttheshiftfromstudentsasconsumerstostudentsascreators:

Campus libraries increasingly host services that support creativity and production.

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here is a growing consensus among many higher education thought leaders that institutional leadership and curricula could benefit from agile startup models. Educators are working to develop new approaches and

programs based on these models that stimulate top-down change and can be implemented across a broad range of institutional settings. The Lean Startup movement uses technology as a catalyst for promoting a culture of innovation in a more widespread, cost-effective manner. Pilots and other experimental programs are being developed for teaching and improving organizational structure to more effectively nurture entrepreneurship among both students and faculty.

OverviewInstitutions are increasingly experimenting withprogressive approaches to teaching and learning thatmimic technology startups. In October 2013, the U.S.Department of Commerce published a report entitledThe Innovative and Entrepreneurial University, whichhighlighted theways inwhichuniversitiesaroundthecountry are nurturing entrepreneurship within theirinfrastructure and teaching practices. Their researchrevealed a growing emphasis on both formal andinformal programs that build students’ interests insolvingsocialandglobalproblems,creatingproducts,and contributing content to help existing businesses.One noted example is the University of Illinois’ PatentClinic, in which law students work with studentinventorstodraftrealpatentapplications.

Withthedemandfromemployersforgraduatestohavereal world experience before entering the workforce,more institutions are structuring learning activitiesthat forge these opportunities early. Rice University,forexample,recentlyraisedoveronemilliondollarstolaunchabusinessplanningcompetitionwherestudentspresented strategies to start their own companies;the money was also used to provide funding for thewinningplanstogetofftheground.Additionally,moreinstitutions are developing mentorship programs forstudentstonurturethisspiritofinnovation.InstitutionssuchastheUniversityofWashingtonandtheUniversityof Florida are bringing in successful professionals

to mentor students as they formulate business andproductideas.Leveragingexpertisefromlocalbusinessprofessionals is a way to ensure that students arereceivingthelatestinsightsintotheworkforce.StudentsatChapmanUniversitycanparticipateinEntrepreneursin Residence and the Entrepreneur Mentor Program,which pairs them with successful professionalswho provide expert guidance. George WashingtonUniversityprovidesthesameserviceforfacultywhoaredevelopingtheirownstartupcompanies.

Historically, university technology transfer andlicensingofficeshavehelpedinnovatorsoncampustocommercialize their products, but the growing focuson entrepreneurship has expanded their roles to helpboth faculty and students connect with technologyinvestors and industry leaders. According to the U.S.DepartmentofCommerce,thisisleadingtoinstitutionalculturechangesandhasevenpromptedcompaniestolocate themselves in college communities. One of themost effective examples of the growing relationshipuniversities are forging with industry is CornellUniversity’sIP&PizzaandIP&Pastaoutreachprogramsthat guide faculty and students in not only betterunderstanding intellectual property issues, but moreimportantly, how their research can be made mostuseful to society. Similarly, University of Delaware’sCollegeofEngineeringandLernerCollegeofBusinesslaunched Spin In to help local entrepreneurs whohavedevelopednewtechnologiesthatrequirefurtherrevisionsanditerations.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeBy nature, many startups are equipped to quicklychange processes and workflows; if higher educationinstitutions adopt startup models, it could lead to themore efficient implementation of new practices andpedagogies. One well-known, low-cost model is PennState University’s One Button Studio, which is a videorecordingset-upthatenablesuserswithnoproductionexperience to create high quality videos with only aflash drive and the push of a button.When educatorsare able to experiment with new technologies andapproaches before implementing them in courses,they have the opportunity to evaluate them and

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AgileApproachestoChangeLong-Range Trend: Driving changes in higher education in five or more years

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companiesovertheleadersinthemarketfortechnologyservicesbecausetheyoffermorepersonalizedsolutionstoaninstitution’sproblems.

Change Is Cominggo.nmc.org/isco(DanGreenstein, Inside Higher Ed,16December2013.)Thisarticlearguesthatincludingtechnologyistheonlyway to facilitate new business models that providestudents with an education that is tailored to theirneeds, their learning styles, and their goals, includingappropriatecoachingandadvising.

John Kolko on Finding Purpose Working at an Edtech Startup (Video)go.nmc.org/flag(Capture Your Flag,30October2013.)TheVPofDesignat an edtech startup and founder of Austin Center forDesign explains what he has learned working froma venture capital funded company as a designer ofMyEdu,asoftwaresolutionformatchingstudentsandtheirfutureemployers.

Rutgers President Barchi Calls for New Business Model in Higher Education to Focus on Public-Private Partnershipsgo.nmc.org/rut(Rutgers University, accessed 16 December 2013.)Rutgers University President Robert Barchi wantsto forge public-private partnerships to gain newsources of revenue and resources, and he believesthat an important aspect of this is creating researchcollaborations.

Stanford University Is Going To Invest In Student Startups Like A VC Firmgo.nmc.org/inves(Billy Gallagher, TechCrunch, 4 September 2013.)Stanford University is working with StartX, a non-profit startup accelerator, to help students get theircompaniesofftheground.StanfordHospitalandClinicswillbeinvestingincompaniesalongsideStanfordintheStanford-StartXFund.

U-M’s Ross School Student-Led Venture Invests in EdTech Startupgo.nmc.org/ross(Greta Guest, UM News, 18 April 2013.) University ofMichigan’s student-led investing group, the SocialVenture Fund, provided funds for Mytonomy, aMarylandstartupcompanythatisdevelopingavideo-based social learning environment for first generationstudents.

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make improvements to teaching models. Faculty areusing One Button Studio to create introductions foronline courses along with demonstration modules tobetter illuminate complex concepts. Students are alsoencouraged to use the One Button Studio for greenscreenrecordingandclasspresentations,changingthescope of what is expected of them. Other institutionsaretakingnoteandlaunchingsimilarstudios,includingAbileneChristianUniversity.

The growing emphasis of university programs onentrepreneurship has created a need for policies thatmore aggressively support innovative faculty andstudent work. The University of Southern California,for example has garnered attention for its policies inrewarding and funding faculty-created projects, whilejustafewyearsagotheUniversityofVirginia’sSchoolofMedicinewasoneofthefirstprogramsto incorporateentrepreneurial activities in its promotion and tenurecriteria. The University of Nebraska Medical Center’sEntrepreneur in Residence supports the developmentof new companies that are based on the work andinnovationsoftheirfacultyandstaffresearchers.

There are many opportunities for higher educationinstitutions to become leaders in promotinginnovation across their campuses. The University ofColorado Denver, for example, offers an internationalentrepreneurship experience for faculty who wishto study abroad and learn about the most effectivepedagogies related to teaching business courseswith global applications. Similarly, the Rady School ofManagementat theUniversityofCaliforniaSanDiegoincorporates faculty training in their EntrepreneurDevelopment Services Program. A growing numberof external organizations, such as the ColemanFoundation,arealsotargetingfacultydevelopmentasa major space for nurturing campus innovation. TheyprovideaFellowsprogramtofacultytobuildcapacityfor areas such as boosting the frequency and qualityof interdisciplinary entrepreneurship, as many otherprogramsarelimitedtobusinessschools.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewho wish to learn more about agile approaches tochange:

Are Edutech Startups Plugging an Innovation Gap in Our Universities?go.nmc.org/gap(Claire Shaw, The Guardian Higher Education Network,27 March 2013.) The CEO of Mendeley, a UK-basededtechstartup,encouragesuniversitiestochoosesmall

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ver the past several years, there has been a shift in the perception of online learning to the point where it is seen as a viable alternative to some forms of face-to-face learning. The value that online learning offers is now well understood,

with flexibility, ease of access, and the integration of sophisticated multimedia and technologies chief among the list of appeals. Recent developments in business models are upping the ante of innovation in these digital environments, which are now widely considered to be ripe for new ideas, services, and products. While growing steadily, this trend is still a number of years away from its maximum impact. Progress in learning analytics, adaptive learning, and a combination of cutting-edge asynchronous and synchronous tools will continue to advance the state of online learning and keep it compelling, though many of these are still the subjects of experiments and research by online learning providers and higher education institutions.

OverviewAs online learning garners increasing interest amonglearners, higher education institutions are developingmore online courses to both replace and supplementexisting courses. According to a study by the BabsonSurvey Research Group published at the beginning of2013, more than 6.7 million students, or 32% of totalhigher education enrollment in the United States, tookat least one online course in Fall 2011 — an increase ofmorethanhalfamillionstudentsfromtheprioryear.Assuch,thedesignoftheseonlineexperienceshasbecomeparamount. A recent article from The Chronicle of Higher Education suggests that in order for online coursesto engage students from start and finish, they mustencompass interactive features, along with fostering arobustcommunitythatissupportedbyastronginstructorpresence.

The discussions among members of the 2014 HigherEducation Expert Panel indicate that the advent ofvoice and video tools is not only increasing the numberof interactive activities between online instructorsand students, but also greatly improving their quality.In a brick-and-mortar lecture hall, the instructor’spresence is easily felt because of the physical natureof someone standing in front of a room. Audio tools

suchasVoiceThreadandSoundCloud,alongwithvideocreation tools such as iMovie and Dropcam, enablefacultytocaptureimportanthumangestures,includingvoice,eyecontact,andbodylanguage,whichallfosteranunspokenconnectionwithlearners.

Part of engaging students in deep learning acrossonline environments is personalizing the experience.EffortssuchasPearson’stointegrateadaptivelearninginonlinecoursesareleadingthischarge.Inthesummerof 2013, Pearson took their partnership with big datatechnology-provider Knewton to the next level byoffering more than 400,000 college students enrolledin first-year science and business courses access toadaptive tutorial services. The technology detectspatterns of students’ successes and failures with thecourse material and provides personalized tutoringaccordingly. An initial pilot with a subset of a fewhundredstudentsrevealedbetterstudentperformanceandattitude.Asadaptivelearningservicesgaintractionin online environments at scale, it is easy to envisioncourses that genuinely cater to all types of learningstylesandappealtomorestudents.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeThe role of the instructor as leader and guide ispivotalandcanbethesinglelargestinfluencerofhoweffectivelystudents learn inonlinesettings.Accordingto StudyMode, 65% of the population consists ofvisuallearners.Whenfacultysharepersonallyrecordedvideos that demonstrate complex concepts in action,such as a chemical process or electrical circuiting, thefootagenaturallyappealstothismajoritydemographic.Through synchronous discussions, using tools suchas Google Hangout as leveraged by Clemson and theUniversity of Minnesota, students can better detectand interpret the nuances inherent in the speech andgestures of the instructor. Some of the most popularonlineeducationwebsites,suchastheKhanAcademy,makeuseofvideostomakelearningmoreengaging.

Stanford University makes extremely effective useof iTunes U, where it publishes professional videosand other learning materials, produced by experts.This model aims to equalize access to education, and

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EvolutionofOnlineLearningLong-Range Trend: Driving changes in higher education in five or more years

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through digital fluency and lifelong learning skills.Hybrid learning, use of multimedia, and increasedlearnercontrolaresomeofthesmallertrendsthatareconvergingtocreatenewonline-centeredpedagogiesinhighereducation.

Online Code School Bloc Raises $2 Million For Its Web Development “Apprenticeship” Programgo.nmc.org/bloc(SarahPerez,TechCrunch,5December2013.)BlocisanonlinewebdevelopmentschoolfoundedbyUniversityof Illinois at Urbana-Champaign grads that uses anapprenticeshipmodeltoconnectstudentsdirectlywithanexperiencedmentorwhoservesasastudent’stutorandcodereviewer.

The Online Education Revolution Drifts Off Coursego.nmc.org/drif(WFPL News,1January2014.)LeadingMOOCprovidersare now recognizing that a more expansive, human-centered support structure is vital so that studentsretaininformationandcompletetheircourses.

Online Learning Gets More Interactivego.nmc.org/seme(The Wall Street Journal, 18 November 2013.) Anorganization called Semester Online offers for-creditonlinecoursesfromcollegesanduniversitiesworldwideusing asynchronous content and live classes so thatstudents engage in real-time interaction with theprofessors, meeting once a week for 80 minutes on awebcamtodiscussthecontent.

Shindig CEO Speaks at Education Innovation Summit (Video)go.nmc.org/shindig(SteveGottlieb,Shindig,28August2013.)SteveGottliebpresents Shindig, an online teaching platform thatusesanewarchitectureofcommunicationthatallowsfor asynchronous communication and private chatsbetweenaudiencemembersorstudents.

19Long-RangeTrend

teach complex concepts through multimedia. Whileindividual instructorsmaynotbeabletoreplicatethequality of content published to Stanford’s collections,there is an increasing expectation that universitiesand colleges be leaders in online learning, and thusequiptheirfacultyandstaffwiththetoolsandtrainingneededtocreatetop-quality resources.TheUniversityof California, Irvine, for example, launched the FacultyInstituteforOnlineLearningtobetterequipfacultywiththeskillstocreatemoreeffectivecontentfore-learning.

Central to the discussion of online learning areexplorations of the policies needed to support andencourage the effort, and to guarantee quality. InMITx’sprivacypolicy,asoneexample,thereisaclausethatsuggeststhatdifferentstudentsmayseedifferent

variations of the same content in order to personalizethe learning experience. This kind of policy givescoursedesignersandinstructorstheflexibilitytomatchstudent needs with instructional strategies on the flyusing machine intelligence, which is an area whereconsiderabledevelopmentisunfolding.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewhowishto learnmoreabouttheevolutionofonlinelearning:

Creating Conceptual Capacity through Intelligent Tutoringgo.nmc.org/macq(Thomas Kern et al., Macquarie University, accessed16 December 2013.) A team at Macquarie Universityin Australia created an online Intelligent TutoringSystemtoassistintheteachingofCashFlowStatementconstruction and analysis within the financialaccountingcurriculum.

A New Pedagogy is Emerging...And Online Learning is a Key Contributing Factorgo.nmc.org/pedag(Contact North, accessed 6 January 2014.) Technologyand student expectations are driving changes inpedagogy that favor knowledge management

Part of engaging students in deep learning across online

environments is personalizing the experience.

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he  six challenges featured in the  NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition  were selected by the project’s expert panel in a series of Delphi-based voting cycles, each followed by an additional round of desktop research and

discussions. Once identified, the framework of the Up-Scaling Creative Classrooms (CCR) project, developed for the European Commission and pictured in the executive summary, was used to identify implications for policy, leadership, and practice that were related to each of the six challenges discussed in this section. These challenges, which the expert panel agrees are very likely to impede technology adoption over the next five years, are sorted into three categories defined by the nature of the challenge — solvable challenges are those that we both understand and know how to solve, but seemingly lack the will; difficult challenges are ones that are more or less well-understood but for which solutions remain elusive; wicked challenges, the most difficult, are complex to even define, and thus require additional data and insights before solutions will even be possible. All of the challenges listed here were explored for their implications for global higher education in a series of online discussions that can be viewed at horizon.wiki.nmc.org/Challenges.

The expert panel was provided with an extensive set of background materials when the project began that identified and documented well-known existing regional challenges, but the panel was also encouraged to consider emerging challenges as well as those that have been slow to take form.

Once the semifinal list of challenges was identified, each was viewed within the CCR framework, which served as a lens to identify implications for policy, leadership, and practice.

PolicyWhile all of the identified challenges had policy implications, two specific challenges are driving policy decisions on many campuses at the moment. The easiest one for universities to address is to revise policies that inequitably favor academic research over teaching. In Europe, ministers of education have acknowledged this problem with the belief that academic culture

must be changed accordingly. The Guardian elaborated the challenge in “University Reputations: Will Teachers Pay the Price?” noting that universities in the EU are competing to earn funding within the Research Excellence Framework (REF), an initiative of the UK government that will provide funding to institutions with outstanding rankings. Because of REF, universities are putting increased pressure on faculty to publish research; perhaps unsurprisingly, teaching staff feel the process undervalues their part of the university mission.

A more challenging policy area is that faculty that are using new pedagogies effectively often face environments that hinder the scalability of those innovations. Some institutions and programs are already taking steps to gain a better understanding of and solve this challenge. Researchers from the De

Montfort University and the University of London International programs, for example, reviewed the five projects within the UK’s Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) Curriculum Design and Delivery program. All five aim to introduce new systems to facilitate ongoing professional development and the design of interdisciplinary curricula. They concluded that teaching innovations can most effectively be scaled when they leverage a participatory, collaborative method with top-down policy development.

LeadershipAgain, while all the identified challenges have leadership implications that are discussed in the following pages, three pose roadblocks to employing effective vision and leadership. There is an urgent need to address the lack of digital fluency among faculty. The challenge is widely recognized and some major organizations are taking matters into their own

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Significant Challenges

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Competition from unexpected corners is challenging traditional notions of higher education, and especially its business models.

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Thefollowingpagesprovideadiscussionofeachofthechallengeshighlightedbythisyear’sexpertpanelthatincludesanoverviewofthechallenge,itsimplications,and curated recommendations for further reading onthetopic.

21SignificantChallenges

hands.TheAndrewW.MellonFoundation,forexample,provided Davidson College with an $800,000 grantto create a comprehensive curricular model of digitalstudiestosupportthefaculty’sdevelopmentofdigitalskills.Staffwillmeetsemi-weeklyinteachinginstitutes,workshops, and seminars to explore emerging toolsandapproaches.

Competition from unexpected corners is challengingtraditionalnotionsofhighereducation,andespeciallyits business models. Institutions are increasinglyexpected to better infuse traditional, face-to-facelearning with online learning strategies, but early for-creditexperimentswithsomeofthenewonlinemodelsindicate that the appeal of formalized online learningmay not be widespread. In the fall of 2012, ColoradoState University-Global Campus became the firstcollege to offer students the chance to book collegecredits (for a fee) when they passed a MOOC. A yearlater,thecollegereportedthatnotasinglestudenthadtakenadvantageoftheprogram.

Whereonlineprogramsarebeingrelativelysuccessful,however,ishelpingexpandaccesstolearningmaterials,aphenomenonnotedbyMITpresident,L.RafaelReifina recent essay in Time Magazine.The gap in access isparticularlyfeltbythird-worldcountrieswhereenrollinginbrick-and-mortarinstitutionsisnotafeasibleoptionfor many. Queen Rania of Jordan has established afoundation that will support Edraak, a partnershipwith MIT and Harvard University’s edX, to developArabic versions of courses, opening the door to thesematerialstotensofthousandsofpotentiallearners.TheQueen believes these MOOCs can help democratizeeducation for minorities in Arab nations by increasingand strengthening online programs. Of course, issuesofsufficientoraffordable Internetaccessstill limit theavailabilityofonlinecoursesinmanyregions.

PracticeEachofthesixchallengesidentifiedbytheexpertpanelpresentsnumerousimpedimentsforadvancingteachingand learning, but perhaps the most wicked challengerelatedtothesepracticesiskeepingeducationrelevant.Employershavereporteddisappointmentinthelackofreal world readiness they observe in recent graduateswho are prospective or current employees. With bothtechnology and the value of skills rapidly evolving, itis difficult for institutions to stay ahead of workforceneeds. NorthernArizonaUniversityhopestoovercomethischallengewiththeirPersonalizedLearningProgram,where they are using transcripts that show studentcompetenciesinanefforttotracklearninginawaythatcanbemorevaluabletofutureemployers.

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aculty training still does not acknowledge the fact that digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession. Despite the widespread agreement on the importance of digital media literacy, training

in the supporting skills and techniques is rare in teacher education and non-existent in the preparation of faculty. As lecturers and professors begin to realize that they are limiting their students by not helping them to develop and use digital media literacy skills across the curriculum, the lack of formal training is being offset through professional development or informal learning, but we are far from seeing digital media literacy as a norm. This challenge is exacerbated by the fact that digital literacy is less about tools and more about thinking, and thus skills and standards based on tools and platforms have proven to be somewhat ephemeral. 

OverviewThe American Library Association’s Digital LiteracyTask Force defines digital literacy as the ability to useinformation and communication technology to find,evaluate,create,andcommunicateinformation.Digitalliteracy has been deemed critically important to bothstudents and instructors in higher education, but it iswidely acknowledged that there is a lack of effectivetrainingtoensurethatfacultyaregettingtheskillstheyneedtoguidestudents.Alargepartofthechallengeisbasedoninsufficientprofessionaldevelopment,whichistheresultofanumberofissuesthatrangefromalackof funding, low administrative support, the paucity offormal digital literacy agendas, or ambiguity aroundthe definition of digital fluency. Another facet of thischallengeisintheattitudeshiftrequiredofinstructors;iftheyarereluctanttoembracenewtechnologiesandthe promotion of digital literacy, students will not seethe importance of these competencies to succeed intheworkforce.

Current digital literacy trainings for faculty vary ineffectivenessandavailability.Bootcamps, such as theonesheldinthesummerof2013byXavierUniversity,orworkshopsthatprovideintroductionstonewtoolsarethe most common form of professional development,but what is missing is a deep intellectual andexperientialengagementwithunderlyingconcepts.To

addressthischallengerequiresashift inmindsetfromthedeploymentofindividualtrainingstoacontinuousprocessofexplorationanddefinitionespeciallybecauseof how rapidly technologies evolve. Additionally, foruniversities toprogress in thisarea, thereneeds tobegreater institutional support and leadership from thepresidentialleveldowntothedepartmentallevel.

The Director of Secondary and Middle SchoolTeacherPreparation Programs at Mount Holyoke Collegepublished an article that proposed professionaldevelopment offerings where digital literacy is forgedthrough partnerships, mentorships, or peer-to-peerlearning, rather than a loose connection of varioustrainings, as key to overcoming this challenge. Thepairing of digitally savvy students with professors, forinstance, offers valuable insight into how studentscurrently use technology. Social media also engagesstudents in new forms of learning through theirnetworks outside of class. Instructors can take a moreactiveroleinlearningfromstudents,showingtheminturnhowtonavigatedigitalmediaforlearning.Librarieshave also been very active in this area by providingvaluable resources for university staff and instructorsseeking help with digital literacy. Individual librarians,such as those at University of Cincinnati, along withfaculty partnerships are helping instructors efficientlylocate,vet,andcite informationsources foruse in theclassroom.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeThe urgency of addressing low digital literacy forboth faculty and students has been recognized andaddressed by large funders such as the Andrew W.Mellon Foundation. The agency recently providedDavidson College with an $800,000 grant to createa comprehensive curricular model of digital studiesthat will develop faculty’s familiarity and fluency withdigitaltools.Thegrantwill fundthedevelopmentandexpansion of digital studies throughout the college’scurriculum, including support for faculty professionaldevelopment. Instead of only focusing on developingdigital tools and databases for professors, Davidson’sapproachistospreaddigitalstudiesaswidelyaspossiblethroughout the curriculum and institution. Teaching

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LowDigitalFluencyofFacultySolvable Challenge: Those that we understand and know how to solve

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mentoring, collaboration, and grants or stipends haveplayedcrucialrolesforuniversitiesincreatingengagingdevelopmentprograms.

ASTI: The Formation of Academic Support, Technology and Innovation at Plymouth Universitygo.nmc.org/ply(NeilWittetal.,PlymouthUniversity,9July2013.)Thisreport details how Plymouth University’s professionalstaffhavebeenreorganizedintoanewdepartmentofAcademic Services,Technology and Innovation, whichdevelops resources and works with the academiccommunity to successfully integrate technology intotheirpedagogies.

Digital Library Center Launches at Notre Damego.nmc.org/diglib(Inside Indiana Business, 18 December 2013.) TheUniversityofNotreDame’sHesburghLibrarieslaunchedthe Center for Digital Scholarship. This is one of anumberof institutions thathas transformed its libraryintoafertilelearningspacecompletewithdigitaltools,workshops, and technology training for faculty andstudents.

Digital Literacy for Digital Natives and Their Professorsgo.nmc.org/native(Steven Berg, HASTAC, 22 March 2013.) Responding toan article about student learning via informal socialnetwork discussions, the author agrees that studentsaretakingcontroloftheirlearning,butarguesthattheyneed guidance when it comes to choosing effectivetechnologiestomeettheiracademicobjectives.

Incentives and Traininggo.nmc.org/ince(Marian Stoltz-Loike, Inside Higher Ed, 18 December2013.)Thoughmanycollegesanduniversitiesacrossthecountry are requiring professors to teach at least oneonlinecourseinanefforttocutcosts,ofteninstructorsarenotprovidedwiththenecessarytoolstomovetoanonlineformat.

Why Universities Should Acquire — and Teach — Digital Literacygo.nmc.org/literacy(Fionnuala Duggan, The Guardian, 23 April 2013.) Theauthor believes that as more undergraduates becomeattachedtotechnology,digital literacytrainingshouldbe implemented so that they are aware of the bestpracticesforonlinecollaborationandcommunication.

23SolvableChallenge

institutes, workshops, and seminars will be reinforcedwith ongoing support in the form of digital learningcommunitieswherefacultyandstaffmeetsemi-weeklytoexploreparticulartoolsormethodologies.

Similarly, JISCsupports theuseofdigital technologiesin UK education and research, including a programthat explores digital fluency across several universitycampuses.TheJISC-fundedDevelopingDigitalLiteracyProgram promotes the development of coherent,inclusive, and holistic institutional strategies andorganizational approaches for developing digitalliteracies for all staff and students in UK further andhighereducation.Theresultsofthethree-yearprojectincludethedevelopmentofasetofrecommendationstosupportinstitution-widedigitalliteracy,examplesofbestpractice,casestudies,andfreeworkshops.ProjectDigidol, a JISC-funded project at Cardiff University,addressed the importance of changing attitudesregarding digital literacy across all areas and levels oftheuniversity.Theybeganbyestablishingabaselineofcurrentlevelsofdigitalliteracyskillsandsentimentsandthendevelopedanorganizationalmodel,gapanalysis,andchange inmanagementapproach forembeddingdigital literacy into all staff development courses andacademicprograms.

As leaders in information and digital media literacy,academic librariescurrentlyprovideservices thathelpfaculty build their confidence with learning new toolsand processes. At Fresno State University’s HenryMaddenLibrary,facultyandstaffcanobtaininformationand digital literacy resources — librarians assist withsyllabus redesign and digital literacy tutorials, as wellasthecreationofdigitalobjects,modulesandvideos.Librarians at the University of Texas are helping tointegrateinformationanddigitalliteracyincurriculumplanning as well as through collaborations withfaculty where they work together to create effectiveresearchassignmentsandactivitiesthathelpreinforceinformation literacy concepts to both students andinstructors.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewho wish to learn more about the low digital fluencyoffaculty:

5 Keys to Engaging Faculty With ITgo.nmc.org/keys(Linda L. Briggs, Campus Technology, 6 June 2013.)This article highlights several technology programsfor faculty development that have been successful,explaining why analytics, communication, mutual

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eaching is often rated lower than research in academia. In the global education marketplace, a university’s status is largely determined on the quantity and quality of its research. According to the Times Higher Education’s World University

Rankings methodology, research and citations account for 60% of a university’s score, while teaching is only half that. There is an overarching sense in the academic world that research credentials are a more valuable asset than talent and skill as an instructor. Because of this way of thinking, efforts to implement effective pedagogies are lacking. Adjunct professors and students feel the brunt of this challenge, as teaching-only contracts are underrated and underpaid, and learners must accept the outdated teaching styles of the university’s primary researchers. To balance competing priorities, larger universities are experimenting with alternating heavy and light teaching loads throughout the school year, and hiring more adjunct professors.

OverviewFaculties face increasingly high expectations fromuniversitiesthatmakeitapparentthatresearcheffortsarerewardedwithpositionsoftenure,disregardingthebreadth of an instructor’s experience as a teacher.Yetresearchshowsthatadjunctscanhaveasgreatorevengreater impact on students than tenured professors.A recent study by the National Bureau of EconomicResearch found that data from eight cohorts of first-year students at Northwestern University who tookintroductory courses with adjunct professors weresignificantlymorelikelytoenrollinasecondcourseinthe subject than those taught by tenured professors.Moreover, lower-performing students made thegreatest gains in the most challenging subjects whentaughtbyadjuncts.

There is also a body of work that indicates thatprofessorsacknowledgethatteaching isnotapriorityin higher education, yet many make conscious effortsto improve their methods with each new session ofstudents, even without incentives. The SUNY Presspublishedaqualitativestudyin2012thatsurveyed55facultymembersacrossdisciplinesattheUniversityofWashingtonaboutthewaysinwhichtheyadaptedtheirteaching to improve learning outcomes and student

behavior.The study revealed that nearly all educatorshad changed course assignments and content, andexperimentedwithwaystoengagestudentswitheachpassing semester. The findings also demonstratedthat therewerea fewhighly regardedprofessorswhoreported a lack of confidence in teaching a coursethey had taught many times in the past, suggestingthattheremaybeaneedforinstructorstoupdateandpractice their teaching methodologies continuously.Professorsgenerallywanttoimprovetheirpedagogies,but lack the resources and encouragement from theirinstitutionstodoso.

InEurope,thischallengehasbeenarticulatedbymajorstakeholders who believe that the importance placedonresearchisafacetofacademicculturethatmustbechanged.Arecentstudyofover17,000undergraduatesin the UK by the consumer reporting website Which?showed a decrease in interaction between professorsand students. Students reported that they receivedlessfeedback,ascomparedtoUKlearnersin1963.Thedownwardtrendinqualityteachingstandardshasalsobeen elaborated in the 2013 Report to the European Commission on Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning in Europe’s Higher Education Institutions,whichlaidoutthreemainpointsofthischallenge:itaddressedthe need to prioritize teaching and learning overresearch, the importance of training faculty membersto teach at a first-rate standard, and for policymakersand thought leaders to push institutions of highereducationtoreevaluatetheirmissionssothatteachingisakeystone.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeThereisaneedforgovernmentstodevelopstrategiesthat are informed by current research, with theultimate goal of fostering an academic culture thatfinancially rewards the quality of interaction in itsclassrooms. The Guardian explored this dilemma in“University Reputations: Will Teachers Pay the Price?”in which the author noted that universities in the EUare competing to earn funding from the ResearchExcellence Framework (REF), an initiative of the UKgovernment that will provide funding to institutionswithoutstandingrankings.BecauseofREF,universities

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RelativeLackofRewardsforTeachingSolvable Challenge: Those that we understand and know how to solve

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study by the National Bureau of Economic Researchfoundthatfirstyearstudentsatoneuniversitylearnedmore from adjunct professors than from tenuredprofessors, encouraging institutions to employ moreteacherswhodonothaveresearchobligations.

Helping Professors Use Technology Is Top Concern in Computing Surveygo.nmc.org/help(Hannah Winston, The Chronicle of Higher Education,17 October 2013.) The Campus Computing Project’sannual survey of senior technology administratorsfoundthathelpingfacultyacclimatetonewclassroomtechnologiesasclassesmovetoonlineplatformswillbethebiggestITconcernoverthenexttwotothreeyears.

Teaching to Teachgo.nmc.org/tote(CarlStraumsheimandDougLederman, Inside Higher Ed, 22 November 2013.) The growing popularity ofonline education leads more faculty members torecognize shortcomings of their own teaching styles,but faculty members also have a hard time breakingawayfromtheirexistingcommitmentsfortraining.

Training the Facultygo.nmc.org/trai(Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed, 16 October 2013.)AtthemostrecentannualEDUCAUSEconference,twoITeducationthoughtleadersdiscussedtheimportanceofinvestinginfacultydevelopmentatthesamerateasinvestinginanynewhardware.

Uni Teaching Underrated, Lecturer Saysgo.nmc.org/otago(John Lewis, Otago Daily Times, 10 July 2013.) Duringhis acceptance speech for an excellence in teachingaward, a long-time educator shared his concerns thatthe quality of higher education is suffering becauseuniversitieslargelyrewardteacherssolelyforresearch.

Universities Putting Research Before Teaching, Says Ministergo.nmc.org/minister(Peter Walker, The Guardian, 20 October 2013.) Aministerofhighereducationdiscussesarecentsurveyof undergraduates that showed students receivedinsufficient feedback, thus supporting his argumentthat there should be a cultural change to promoteteachingoverresearch.

25SolvableChallenge

are putting pressure on faculty to publish research,invoking negative reactions among teaching fellowswhobelievethattheyarebeingundervalued.Whilethequalityofresearchandteachingmaybetightlylinked,someuniversitystakeholdersthinkthatthereshouldbegovernmentinitiativestoallocatefundsfortheexpresspurposeofimprovingteachingandlearning.

University leaders may begin requiring doctoral andgraduate students to fulfill training requirements, inorder to make a greater impact on students. Whilethere are plenty of resources dedicated to trainingK-12 teachers, there isa scarcityofprogramswith thesingular aim of training pre-service and in-serviceprofessors to be better teachers. Former president ofHarvard University and author of Higher Education in America, Derek Bok, has used The Chronicle of Higher Educationasaforumfordiscussingtheapparentlackofpreparation pre-service faculty receive. Bok remarkedthateventhoughmorecentershaveemergedtohelpgraduatestudents learn tobeteachingassistants, thistypeoftrainingisoptional,intermittent,andsuperficialinnature.Asonlinelearningplaysabiggerpartinhighereducation, this trainingwillbecomeessentialbecauseprofessorswillbeexpectedtobefamiliarwithteachingtechniquesthataddresstechnology-facilitatedlearning.

A 2013 survey conducted by Faculty Focus polled1,247 higher education professionals and found thatover half believe that their job is more difficult todaythan it was five years ago. Among the sources ofstress were working in highly competitive, research-intensiveenvironmentswherethevalueofteachingisnot recognized. According to the National EducationAssociation, thenumberof facultyworkingoutsideoftenureissteadilyincreasing,atrendthatisunfavorableforgraduateswhohaveaknackforteaching,butdesirejob security and benefits. Even professors with PhDsareaccustomedtoworkingseveralpart-timeteachingpositionstoearntheirlivelihood,givingthemlesstimeto publish research that will increase their standings.Toaddressthisissue,institutionsmustreevaluatetheirmissionssoastoupholdexcellenceinteachingasacoretenet,whichwilltransformtherigidprocessofgainingtenure.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewho wish to learn more about the relative lack ofrewardsforteaching:

The Adjunct Advantagego.nmc.org/tenure(Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed, 9 September 2013.) A

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ew models of education are bringing unprecedented competition to the traditional models of higher education. Across the board, institutions are looking for ways to provide a high quality of service and more learning

opportunities. Massive open online courses are at the forefront of these discussions, enabling students to supplement their education and experiences at brick-and-mortar institutions with increasingly rich, and often free, online offerings. At the same time, issues have arisen related to the low completion rates of some MOOCs. As these new platforms emerge, there is a growing need to frankly evaluate the models and determine how to best support collaboration, interaction, and assessment at scale. Simply capitalizing on new technology is not enough; the new models must use these tools and services to engage students on a deeper level. 

OverviewWith free, high-quality content accessible via theInternet, both formal and informal online learning isontherise,whichsomefearcoulddampentheappealof higher education institutions. MOOCs are currentlydominating discussions about alternative forms ofeducation.Thetermmassiveopenonlinecourse,coinedin2008byStephenDownesandGeorgeSiemens,cameintobroadusein2012.Sincethen,MOOCsgainedpublicawarenesswithaferocitynotseeninsometime.World-renowned universities, including MIT and HarvardUniversity (edX) and Stanford University (Coursera), aswellasinnovativestart-upssuchasUdacity,jumpedintothemarketplacewithhugesplashes,andhavegarnereda tremendous amount of attention and imitation.Thenotionoftensofthousandsofstudentsparticipatingina single course, working at their own pace, relying ontheirownstyleof learning,andassessingeachother’sprogress,haschangedthelandscapeofonlinelearning.

A number of respected thought leaders, however,believe that the current manifestation of MOOCs hasdeviated from the initial premise outlined by Downesand Siemens when they pioneered the first coursesin Canada. They envisioned MOOCs as ecosystemsof connectivism — a pedagogy in which knowledgeis not a destination but an ongoing activity, fueledby the relationships people build and the deep

discussions catalyzed within the MOOC. That modelemphasizesknowledgeproductionoverconsumption,and new knowledge that emerges from the processhelps to sustain and evolve the MOOC environment.Despite their philosophical distinctions, one aspectthat contemporary MOOCs share is that there is littlecommongroundinanyofthis landscape.EachMOOCexample puts forth its own model of how onlinelearningshouldworkatscale.

Whilethisnewformoflearninghasimmensepromise,punditsaretroubledbyMOOCs’lowcompletionrates—5-16%overall.InUdacity’sIntroductiontoProgrammingMOOC, forexample,only14%of the160,000enrolledstudents actually passed the course. What makes this

challenge more difficult is that while MOOCs werewidely embraced in 2012, 2013 brought a major seachange in attitude. After these initial statistics werepublished,manyturnedskepticalabouthowengagingtheselearningenvironmentsactuallywere.Criticswarnthatthereisaneedtoexaminethesenewapproachesthroughacritical lenstoensuretheyareeffectiveandevolve past the traditional lecture-style pedagogies.Adding to the challenge is that many stakeholderssee competition as threatening to the very notion ofpublicuniversitiesandcolleges,whichcomplicatestheexplorationofalternativemodelsandstrategies.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeThe reach of MOOC providers and their free offeringshas called the value of degrees and certificates intoquestion. If one can learn online from some of thebest instructors in the world for free, what can more

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CompetitionfromNewModelsofEducationDifficult Challenge: Those we understand but for which solutions are elusive

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Simply capitalizing on new technology is not enough; the new models must use these tools and services to engage students on a

deeper level.

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Can Virtual Classrooms Beat Face-to-Face Interaction?go.nmc.org/face(Libby Page, The Guardian, 13 November 2013.) Thetrend toward online learning has many questioning ifeducation will become an impersonal experience thatwill leave learners isolated. In thisarticle,anumberofexperiencededucatorssharetheirinsights.

The Disruptive Business Model for Higher Education is Open Sourcego.nmc.org/opso(BrianReale,OpenSource,15October2013.)Thisarticleargues that if higher education providers focus ontalent identification, the payoff for universities willcomenotfromsellingcoursesbutrather fromfindingandnurturingtalentandreceivingpaybackintheformofcontributionstotheirendowments.

Educational Model Change Rattles Teachersgo.nmc.org/rat(Chelsea Davis, The World, 16 October 2013.) TheUniversity of Wisconsin is introducing a competency-based alternative education Flex Option that onlycosts $2,250 for three months of “all you can study”accesswiththepossibilityoffinishingadegreeinthreemonths or moving at a slower pace, depending onpersonalpreference.

Employers Receptive to Hiring IT Job Candidates with MOOC Educationsgo.nmc.org/rece(Fred O’Connor, PCWorld, 9 December 2013.) Thisarticle contains examples of students furthering theireducationthroughMOOCstohelpthemlandnewjobsorchangedirectionsintheircareers.

The Future Is Now: 15 Innovations to Watch Forgo.nmc.org/now(Steven Mintz, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 22July2013.)Ashiftinthewaystudentsconsumehighereducationischallengingtraditionalcollegestobecomemorenimbleandstudent-focused.

Higher Education: New Models, New Rulesgo.nmc.org/mode(Louis Soares, Judith S. Eaton, Burck Smith, EDUCAUSE Review Online, 7 2013.) Three essays whatneedstochangeinthecurrenteducationsystemto enable an education model that incorporatesoutcome-driven pedagogy, ubiquitous access, andcheapertuition.

27DifficultChallenge

traditional institutions offer that can compete?AccordingtorecentstoriesinThe New York Times andbyCBS,thereisagrowingnumberofstudentsconcernedabout what they are actually getting in exchange forthe tremendous costs of their education. Averageuniversity tuition is already steep (and rising), alongwith the costs of student housing and travel to andfromphysicalcampuses;MOOCspresentanappealingalternative,especiallyforgraduateswhoarealreadyinthe workforce and looking for fast-track professionaldevelopmentopportunities.Oneoftheforemostpolicychallenges is determining how to weave in formalcreditstothesenewonlineexperiences.

In one notable experiment, Indiana University-PurdueUniversity Indianapolis and the Purdue UniversityDepartment of Music and Arts Technology offered aMOOC that could be converted into credit. The six-week course covered the music of western civilizationfrom600ADtothepresentandwasdeliveredwithfulltranslationfeatures, richmedia,andsocialnetworkingtools integrated. Most institutions are now investingin the development of similar online courses andproducingcontentthatwillenticepotentialstudentstoenroll forformalcredit.However,someearlyfor-creditexperimentsdemonstratethattheappealofformalizedonlinelearningmaynotbeasbroadasinitiallythought.In the fall of 2012, Colorado State University-GlobalCampus became the first college to offer credit tostudents who passed a MOOC if they registered andpaidafee.Ayearlater,notasinglestudenthadtakenadvantage of the offer. Furthermore, in January 2013,San Jose State University partnered with Udacity todevelop a for-credit course, but early results weremixed,andtheeffortwasputonhold.

Oneofthebiggestchallengesforinstitutionsistofinda way to design for-credit MOOCs that are both cost-effectiveforstudentsandtranscendtraditionalteachingpractices.Manyinstructorswhofacilitateonlinecoursesarediscoveringthatusingrichmediaandincorporatingplentiful opportunities for interaction are key. Oneprime example of an effective online course that isorganized around the original connectivist model isthe digital storytelling course at University of MaryWashington,whichanyonecantakeandhasnowbeenadaptedatseveralotherinstitutions.Theyarecurrentlyexploring how to give credit to incoming high schoolstudentswhocompleteit.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewho wish to learn more about competition from newmodelsofeducation:

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ur organizations are not adept at moving teaching innovations into mainstream practice. Innovation springs from the freedom to connect ideas in new ways. Our schools and universities generally allow us to connect ideas only in

prescribed ways — sometimes these lead to new insights, but more likely they lead to rote learning. Current organizational promotion structures rarely reward innovation and improvements in teaching and learning. A pervasive aversion to change limits the diffusion of new ideas, and too often discourages experimentation.

OverviewIn a 2013 report on innovation in higher education,twoscholarsoneducationalpolicyfromtheAmericanEnterpriseInstitution,FrederickM.HessandAndrewP.Kelly,surmisedthattheaccreditationsystemhashelpeduphold traditional teaching practices in universitiesand discouraged the consideration of new tools andapproaches.HessandKellyhighlightedfourprinciplesfor guiding meaningful change in higher educationwhile confronting the challenges that impede theuptake of best practices. Their recommendationsfor universities include approaching new marketentrants with openness; pursuing the trend towardthe unbundling of higher education; and consideringportability, or the notion of students being able tochoose distinct parts of their learning from variousproviderstocomposetheircredentials.Aboveall,theyemphasize the need for universities to move beyondtheir standard practice of retrofitting their institutionswiththelatesttechnologies.Theoverarchingvisionisadiversehighereducationparadigminwhichprovidersarecompetingforstudentswhoarepayingfordiscretecomponentsofadegree,ratherthanthedegreeitself.

Universities are being increasingly pressured toclosely examine cutting-edge technological solutionsand teaching practices, but there are many barrierspreventing institutions from implementing newstrategies. There is a movement in the US to smooththe path to accreditation, with advocates proposingmore opportunities to experiment with new teachingmodelsthatlowerpricesandbolsterstudentlearning.Supporters of this reform argue that the potentialof technology to improve learning and scale quality

instruction for large audiences has already beenrealized, yet the red tape surrounding the processof accreditation is an impediment for universities toexpandtheirinstitutionsintounexploredterritory.Still,regional accreditors defend their status in the highereducation ecosystem, as they have started approvingmore competency-based paths and accelerateddegrees, which are not based on the standard credit-hour. Stakeholders question the motives behindeffortstochangethetraditionalmodeofaccreditationto a system where funds will be rerouted to privatecompaniesthathavespecialinterestsinthematter.

Even when more innovative curricula have beendeveloped, universities face capacity issues that limitthedepthandspeedofintegration.Thereisnocoreoffaculty to do the work that is needed for meaningfulimplementation,arguesAdriannaKezar,theco-directorof thePulliasCenter forHigherEducationatUSC.Thisis because of how universities function as employers;the number of non-tenure track faculty and part-time adjunct professors outnumber those on tenuretracks.This disparity contributes to the lack of impactpart-time faculty have in the integration of teachinginnovation.Withoutthesupportofaninvestedstaff,thepotentialofinnovativeteachingpracticescannotreachbeyond the research methods used to develop them.Kezar emphasizes the need for key stakeholders toworktogetheronavisionforthefutureoffaculty,andwhat their roles and responsibilities will be as highereducationinevitablyevolves.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeOnline learning environments show promise forextending best teaching practices to educatorseverywhere.TheWIDEWorld is an online resource forteachers,professors,teachertrainers,andadministratorsthat has been promoting the development ofconstructivist teaching practices since its inceptionin 2004. Developed by the Harvard Graduate Schoolof Education, the WIDE World delivers semester-longcourses in which participants study new, research-based pedagogies, apply the approaches they havelearned with their students, interact regularly withexpert coaches, and contribute to ongoing dialogues

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ScalingTeachingInnovationsDifficult Challenge: Those we understand but for which solutions are elusive

O

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January2014.)Thisarticlediscussescomponentsoftheeducationallandscapethatmakereformandinnovationinteachingdifficult.Theauthorurgesastrategythatisnationallysupportedwithlong-termgoals.

Beyond Retrofitting: Innovation in Higher Educationgo.nmc.org/huds(AndrewP.KellyandFrederickM.Hess,HudsonInstitute,June 2013.) Existing higher education institutionsare offering online courses, implementing LMS, andcreating technology-enhanced student services, butthe authors believe that these new products do notchangeexistingcoststructuresorprices.

The Dean of Parsons: Design Education Must Changego.nmc.org/pars(Katherine Allen, ArchDaily, 10 November 2013.) TheParsonsNewSchool forDesign ispioneeringadesignprogram that uses exploratory methods of cross-disciplinary and technology-based learning, teachingstudentstoapplydesignintherealworld.

Higher Education: A Canary in a Privatization Coalminego.nmc.org/cana(ChristinaGonzalez,University World News,8November2013.) Chilean universities are among the mostexpensive in the world, making upward mobility inChile difficult, but the system remains fundamentallyunchangeddespiteescalatingstudentprotests.

Innovation — Doomed to Fail?go.nmc.org/doom(Adrianna Kezar, Inside Higher Education, 6 December2013.) In order to innovate effectively, there areunderlying capacity issues that must be addressed atthe same rate in which institutions incorporate newtechnologies. The article reveals that unfortunately,many current high-tech pedagogies reinforcememorizationorcatertohighlyprivilegedlearners.

Time to Change the Rules?go.nmc.org/rule(PaulFain, Inside Higher Ed,1November2013.)Duringa hearing of the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Health,Education, Labor and Pensions, lawmakers discussededucation reform, looking at competency-basedaccreditation options and the changing financial aidpolicy.

29DifficultChallenge

withtheirpeers.Whilethisapproachaimstobridgetheknowledge-actiongapwithampleresearchandstronginstructionaldesign,thescaleremainslimitedbecauseits success relies on demonstrated demand for thecourses.

The European Commission has demonstrated theimpactaprinciplevisioncanhaveinguidinginnovationin teaching practices with the Opening Up EducationInitiative, which proposes actions at national levels.Foundedon the idea thatopeneducational resourcescanbeleveragedtoprovideprofessionaldevelopmentto teachers, the project will fund efforts to developopen online courses and scale up existing teachers’communities of practice, such as e-Twinning andSCIENTIX, to make training in best practices moreaccessible to European educators across sectors.Supportingresearchbehindthisinitiativehasrevealedthatrigidgovernancestructures,inflexiblebudgets,andlack of reward for innovative educators are all factorsthat inhibitthespreadofemergingteachingpracticesamongtheMemberStates.

Someinstitutionsaredeterminingwhatcharacteristicsof university culture make it challenging to scale newteaching practices in meaningful ways. Researchersfrom the De Montfort University and the Universityof London International programs, for example,reviewed the methods in which five projects withinthe JISC Curriculum Design and Delivery programwere employed from a management perspective.These projects introduce new technical systemsto facilitate various activities, including deliveringongoing professional development and designinginterdisciplinarycurricula.Eachstrategyaddressedthedynamic and behavior of personnel who are workingwithin a culture where change happens as a resultof influence, personal credibility, and the decision-making tactics of sub-cultures and committees. Theresearchers looked critically at the top-down versusa bottom-up approach to implementation, andconcludedthatinnovationsaremosteffectivelyscaledusingaparticipatory,collaborativemethodto identifyproblems and solutions, with leadership distributedamongthestakeholders.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewho wish to learn more about scaling teachinginnovations:

2014 is the Perfect Time to Reform Our Schoolsgo.nmc.org/refor(Gene Budig and Alan Heaps, The News-Gazette, 5

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he global drive to increase the number of students participating in undergraduate education is placing pressure across the system. The oft-cited relationship between earning potential and educational attainment plus the

clear impact of an educated society on the growth of the middle class is pushing governments to encourage more and more students to enter universities and colleges. In many countries, however, the population of students prepared for undergraduate study is already enrolled — expanding access means extending it to students who may not have the academic background to be successful without additional support. Many in universities feel that these institutions do not have sufficient time and resources to help this set of students. 

OverviewThe current shift from labor-oriented economiestowards knowledge-based economies, compoundedbyagrowingglobalpopulation,isputtingpressureoncountriesaroundtheworldtoexpandaccesstohighereducation. According to the World Economic Forum,40%ofglobalyouthareunemployed;apostsecondaryeducation is becoming less of an option and moreof an economic imperative. Universities that wereonce bastions for the elite need to re-examine theirtrajectories in light of these issues of access, and theconceptofacredit-baseddegreeiscurrentlyinquestion.Complicating the challenge are wide-ranging factorssuch as financial constraints, lack of capacity, nationalpriorities,andthedigitaldivide,whichmakethescopeofthisproblemveryhardtograsp.Optionssuchastheconstruction of more college campuses, bolsteringonline learning, and removing barriers to learning areonlyworkingtheedgesofthiswickedchallenge.

The numbers of anticipated global college studentsarestaggering.Overthenext12years,theWorldBankestimates a 25% increase in global higher educationattendance from 200 to 250 million. In Africa alone,the continent would need to build four universitieswith capacities of 30,000 people every week just toaccommodatethestudentsreachingenrollmentageby2025.Withapopulationof234millionpeoplebetweenthe ages of 15 and 24, India is also faced with majordecisions on how to effectively educate current and

future students. Countries such as Singapore, Dubai,and Qatar are currently working to solve this growingcapacity issue by enticing leading internationaluniversities to establish new satellite campuses byproviding free infrastructure and facilities. India isfollowingtheleadofthesenationsthroughthepassingof a Foreign Education Providers bill, designed toencourage partnerships with quality overseas highereducationinstitutions.

Exacerbating the challenge is the digital divide whereaccess to opportunity increasingly calls for access totechnology. In both the developed and developingworld,thisgapcontinuestowiden,andthetechnology-based solutions for providing greater access toknowledge,suchasMOOCs,have littleeffectiveness iftheproperinfrastructureorconnectivityarenotreadilyavailable. Minority groups and the disabled too oftenencounter physical and financial barriers that need tobeovercomeiftheyaretosucceedinhighereducation.Nonprofit Byte Back is working to solve the problemlocallyforlow-incomeWashingtonD.C. residentsbyprovidingcomputertrainingandteachingjobreadinessskills. Similarly, in the Middle East, where access tocomputers and broadband is limited in remote areas,theonlineeducationserviceEdraak ispartneringwithcommunity-based organizations to provide computerhubsforthoseseekingfurthereducation.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeOver the next decade, the fastest growing jobs in theUnited States will require postsecondary degrees, andthe need to fill these middle class jobs is stimulatingpolicy action at the federal level. The White Housereports that the United States currently ranks 16th intheworldindegreesandcertificatesawardedtoadultsages25-34.Additionally,justoverhalfofUnitedStateshighschoolgraduatesfromthenation’spoorestquarterof families seek further formal education. In responsetothesestatistics,theObamaadministrationhassetanewgoalthattheUnitedStateswouldhavethehighestproportion of graduates in the world by 2020. Toaddressaccessandaffordabilityissues,thegovernmentproposesformalpoliciestohelpfamiliesaffordcollege,lower tuition costs, strengthen community colleges,

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ExpandingAccessWicked Challenge: Those that are complex to even define, much less address

T

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the U.S. has reached levels not seen since the GreatDepression,puttingthecostofacollegeeducationoutof reach for many students. Community colleges arecriticaltosupporttheselow-incomestudentsbecausethey are cheaper to attend, but funding for them iscurrentlymuchlowerthanstateandprivateuniversities.

Digital Divide Not Just About Hardware, But People (Video)go.nmc.org/peop(Kelley Ellsworth, The Washington Post, 6 November2013.) Educating people is not just about whattechnologies are available, but also fostering a safeenvironment that gives learners confidence in theirabilityto learn.Oncecomfortable,theywillbeabletolearnontheirownandadapttonewtechnologies.

How is Technology Addressing the College Access Challenge?go.nmc.org/chall(Getting Smart,5December2013.)AreportreleasedbyGetSchooledrevealsthattheavailableonlineresourcestosupportcollegereadinessarefewandfarbetween.Improvingcollegeaccessandcompletionratescannotbeachievedwithoutsupportandguidancethatbeginsearlyandlastsuntilgraduation.Additionally,technologyisanimportantfactorinscalingadvisingresources.

How Jordan’s Queen Plans to ‘Democratize Access’ to Educationgo.nmc.org/jord(Christina Farr, Venture Beat, 18 November 2013.) InJordan, Queen Rania Al Abdullah’s foundation hasannounced a new Arabic online education servicecalledEdraak,formedinpartnershipwithedX,thatwillpartner with community-based organizations to offera computer hub for people who do not have Internetaccessathome.

Online Learning Could Provide Answergo.nmc.org/could(Nontobeko Mishali, iOL scitech, 12 November 2013.)ThisarticleconcludesthatifinstitutionsinAfricaaretoaccommodate the students who will reach universityenrollmentagebetweennowand2025,fouruniversitieswill need to be built every week with a capacity of30,000.Additionally,forMOOCstobesuccessfulinthedeveloping world, all of the necessary infrastructurethat is currently not there, including hardware andconnectivity,mustbeinplace.

31WickedChallenge

and improve transparency and accountability. Theseeffortsaredesignedtobridgetheopportunitygapthatcurrentlyexistsbetweenprivilegedandunderprivilegedstudents.

Onlinelearningisseenasakeystrategyforincreasingaccesstohighereducation.Althoughmostofthenewonline education providers are based in the UnitedStates, their offerings are provided in many locallanguages in recognition of the over two-thirds of

students that live abroad. In response to the gapsinherent in different cultures, as mentioned earlier,Queen Rania of Jordan has established a foundationthatwill,aspartofapartnershipwithMITandHarvardUniversity’s edX, create Arabic versions of the coursesoffered on that platform.The Queen believes MOOCshavethepotentialtodemocratizeeducation,especiallyamongyoungwomen. InAfrica,MOOCsareseenasalow-cost solution to providing college educations tocountrieswithlowcollegedegreeattainmentrates.Thenonprofit Generation Rwanda is currently developinga university based entirely on teaching assistant-facilitated MOOCs with starter courses from HarvardUniversityandtheUniversityofEdinburgh.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewhowishtolearnmoreaboutexpandingaccess:

Access to Higher Education Must Be a Global Prioritygo.nmc.org/prio(AengusÓMaoláin,University World News,5November2013.) Two major demonstrations in Thailand and inCanada reveal a student movement that is defendingthe right to education as a public good, a publicresponsibility,andaninalienablehumanright.

Community Colleges are On the Front Lines of Battling Inequalitygo.nmc.org/commu(Eduardo J. Padron, Aljazeera America, 3 December2013.) The latest figures show income disparity in

Over the next 12 years, the World Bank estimates a 25% increase

in global higher education attendance from 200 to 250

million.

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any pundits worry that if higher education does not adapt to the times, other models of learning (especially other business models) will take its place. While this concern has some merits, it is unlikely that universities

as we know them will go away. There are parts of the university enterprise, however, that are at risk, such as continuing and advanced education in highly technical, fast-moving fields. As online learning and free educational content become more pervasive, institutional stakeholders must address the question of what universities can provide that other approaches cannot, and rethink the value of higher education from a student’s perspective.

OverviewThe higher education sector has reached a criticalpoint where it must address the innovations thathave changed the way its learners, and the rest ofsociety, seek and engage with knowledge. Studentsare turningtothe Internet toacquire informationandnews, and are spending more time there than sittingin classrooms. Textbook providers were among thefirst to acknowledge this intrigue in digital media byincludingsupplementalmaterialthatcouldbeaccessedviaCD.Today,manyofthesevendorshavemovedalloftheir content online, offering subscription models forinstitutions or individual students.The transformationobserved in higher education has been comparedto that of the newspaper industry, when many long-standing businesses failed because they ignored howtechnology was influencing their audiences. Someeducation leaders believe that if universities do notadapt quickly enough to change, they will suffer thesamefate.

Open online learning environments, particularly intheformofMOOCs,areattheforefrontofdiscussionssurrounding this challenge. Since the explosion ofMOOCs in 2012, a number of top-tier universitieshaveofferedfree,high-qualitycoursestaughtbytheirbest instructors. According to a recent survey by theConsumerFinancialProtectionBureau,totalUSstudentdebtisover$1.2trillion,with39millionyoungpeopleowing an average of $24,803. With mounting fearsof debt and an unfavorable job market ahead, some

high school graduates are reconsidering the value ofa traditional college degree. It is generally acceptedthat the return on investment of attending a brick-and-mortar institution is not immediately guaranteed,especially for professions in the humanities, includinglaw. This notion is forcing university leadership torethinkwhattheexperienceoflearningattheinstitutionthroughaformaleducationproviderisworth,atatimewhenthereisanabundanceoffreeresourcestoattainemployableskillswithoutadegree.

Highereducationstakeholdersarefacingarealitythatisdifficulttodigest;theparadigmthathasworkedforover a century is gradually becoming obsolete, anduniversitiesmustrenovate—orinsomecases,rebuild— their foundations if they want to stay relevant.Some thought leaders believe that the bulk of thistransformation will happen when the credit hoursystemisoverhauled.Establishedin1893,thisbasicunitofcollegeeducationhasbecomefoundationalformanyother facets of university life.With the costs of tuitionsteadilyrisingandadocumentedlackofskilledworkersin the global marketplace, many are questioningwhether class time can be equated with meaningfullearning. This and related concerns have led manyuniversity leaders to propose more student-centeredprogramsthatfocusonthedemonstrationof learningoutcomes. Northern Arizona University’s PersonalizedLearningProgramisonesuchinitiativethatisbasedontranscriptsthatshowstudentcompetenciesratherthancredits,inanefforttotracklearninginawaythatcanbeapplicabletofutureemployers.

Implications for Policy, Leadership, or PracticeAdapting higher education systems to currenttechnological trends requires progressive leadershipand the ability to envision how formal institutionswill remain relevant in a time when quality learningmaterials are more accessible than ever. The futureof higher education is being shaped by those whoacknowledge how online learning will redefine thevalueofadegree,andareopentoexploringalternativemeansofprovingskillacquisitionthroughcertificates,badges,ande-portfolios.Institutionalleadersmusttakethese options seriously if they are to make decisions

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KeepingEducationRelevantWicked Challenge: Those that are complex to even define, much less address

M

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Are You Competent? Prove It.go.nmc.org/compe(AnyaKamenetz,The New York Times,29October2013.)Many universities are introducing competency-basedprograms that let students earn credit for what theyalreadyknowsotheycanfocustheir timeandmoneymore in the areas in which they need to expand theirknowledgeandskills.

Can Policy Keep Up with Technology? go.nmc.org/poli(ToddBishop, GeekWire,13September2013.)Microsoftisdonating$1.7milliontotheUniversityofWashingtonfor their Tech Policy Lab, which will address the gapbetweenpolicyandtechnologybystudyingandtestingnewtechnologiestoinformandshapenationalpolicies.

Change: An Unstoppable Force of Nature — and Information Technologygo.nmc.org/uns(Greg Hunt, CIO New Zealand, 7 November 2013.)Thisarticle explores the idea that the way organizationsnavigate change dictates their long-term success, andtheseapproachescanbeadoptedtohelprespondinapositivemannertoforcesbeyondtheircontrol.

Tech Launching New STEM-Focused MBA Programgo.nmc.org/focu(BlakeUrsch,A-J Media,5December2013.)TexasTech’sRawls College of Business is launching a one-yearMBA program specifically tailored for students withbackgroundsinSTEMeducation,togivethemawiderskillset than a purely technical background offers andallowthemtomarkettheirideas.

Vocational Education 2.0: Employers Hold the Key to Better Career Traininggo.nmc.org/voc(TamarJacoby, Insider Online,25November2013.)Thisreport discusses how employers must recognize theirresponsibilitytohelppreparetomorrow’sworkforcebypartnering with educators and government to createbettertrainingoptions.

WISE — Can Universities Keep Up with the Future?go.nmc.org/keep(Yojana Sharma, University World News, 1 November2013.) The International Association of UniversityPresidents’ session at the WISE conference in Dohasparked debate over how universities can survivethroughtechnologicaladvancesandglobalization.

33WickedChallenge

thatwillkeepauniversityeducationrelevantinatimewhenit iswidelyacknowledgedthatacollegedegreedoes not guarantee a direct return on investment.Determininghowtodevelopthemosteffectiveonlinelearning scenarios and integrate them with face-to-facelearningisamongthemostcriticalconsiderationsrelatedtothisissue.

University stakeholders need to take into account theprogress that has been made by their predecessorswhen designing and implementing new approaches.Thisrequiresathoroughsurveyofinstitutionsthathavealreadybeenexploringcreativewaysofdemonstratinglearningoutcomes.Thereareanumberofuniversities

that have been offering competency and assessmentbased learningprogramsforyears, forexample.Otheronline learning programs award degrees based ontests,papers,andprojectsinsteadofnumberofcreditscompleted, such as College for America at SouthernNew Hampshire University. The latest developmentsin competency-based higher education are in newly-conceptualized “flex” programs, such as those beingdeveloped by the University of Wisconsin, which areoffered in a subscription period of three months, andcombine online learning and in-person practicumsalongwithaccesstomentorsandacademiccoaches.

Instructorsareoftenconfrontedwithmajoruncertaintiesthat stem from this challenge, especially as the trendtoward increased implementation of hybrid modelssets new expectations of university faculty. Some oncampuseswonderifthesekindsofcourseswillbecomethenorm,andwhat thatmeans for facultyworkloads,noting that it is impossible to undermine the valueof experiences and interactions students share withtheirprofessors.Thereisconsiderableneedformodelsthat leverage high-quality online learning platformswhile taking into account what professors do best —facilitating inquiry, guiding learners to resources, andimparting wisdom that comes with experience in thefield.

For Further ReadingThe following resources are recommended for thosewho wish to learn more about keeping educationrelevant:

The paradigm that has worked for over a century is gradually

becoming obsolete.

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he six technology topics featured in the NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition were selected by the project’s expertpanel inaseriesofDelphi-basedvotingcycles,eachfollowedbyanadditionalroundofdesktop

research and discussions. These technologies, whichthe members of the expert panel agreed are verylikely to drive technology planning and decision-making over the next five years, are sorted into threetime-related categories — near-term technologiesthat are expected to achieve widespread adoption inone year or less; mid-term technologies that will taketwo to three years; and far-term technologies, whichare forecasted to enter the mainstream of educationwithinfourtofiveyears.Theinitiallistoftopicswasalsoarranged through particular lenses, or categories thatillustrate the primary origin or use of the technology.Allofthetechnologiesfeaturedherewereexploredfortheirimplicationsforglobalhighereducationinaseriesof online discussions that can be viewed at horizon.wiki.nmc.org/Horizon+Topics.

The expert panel was provided with an extensive setof background materials when the project beganthat identifies and documents well-known existingtechnologies, but the panel was also encouraged toconsideremergingtechnologieswhoseimpactmaystillbedistant.Akeycriterionfortheinclusionofanewtechnologyinthiseditionisitspotentialrelevancetoteaching,learning,andcreativeinquiryinhighereducation.

Inthefirstroundofvoting,theexpertgroupselected12technologies,whichwerethenresearchedin-depthbytheNMCstaffandwrittenupasinterimresultsintendedto inform the final round of voting.Technologies thatdonotmakethe interimresultsor thefinal reportareoften still thoroughly discussed on the project wiki athorizon.wiki.nmc.org.Sometimestheydonotgetvotedin because the expert panel believes a technologyhasalreadyarrived,or, inmanycases,theybelievethetechnologyismorethanfiveyearsawayfromwidespreadadoption.Sometechnologies,while intriguing,donothaveenoughcredibleprojectexamplestosubstantiatethem. The technologies tracked for the NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition were organizedintocategories.

There are currently seven categories of technologiesthat the NMC monitors continuously. These are notaclosedset,but ratherare intendedtoprovideawayto illustrate and organize emerging technologies into

pathwaysofdevelopmentthatareormayberelevanttolearningandcreativeinquiry.Newtechnologiesareaddedtothislistinalmosteveryresearchcycle;othersare merged or updated. Collectively, the categoriesserve as lenses for thinking about innovation; each isdefinedbelow.

> Consumer technologies are tools created forrecreational and professional purposes and werenot designed, at least initially, for educational use—thoughtheymayservewellas learningaidsandbe quite adaptable for use on campuses. Thesetechnologiesfindtheirwaysontocampusesbecausepeople are using them, rather than the other wayaround.

> Digital strategies are not so much technologies astheyarewaysofusingdevicesandsoftwaretoenrichteaching and learning, whether inside or outside oftheclassroom.Effectivedigitalstrategiescanbeusedin both formal and informal learning; what makestheminterestingisthattheytranscendconventionalideasandlearningactivitiestocreatesomethingthatisnew,meaningful,and21stcentury.

> Internet technologies include techniques andessential infrastructure that help to make thetechnologies underlying how we interact with thenetworkmoretransparent,lessobtrusive,andeasiertouse.

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ImportantDevelopmentsinEducationalTechnologyforHigherEducation

TThe initial list of topics was arranged through particular

lenses, or categories that illustrate the primary origin or use

of the technology.

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cluster of tools and processes for mining large datasets, exploring dynamic processes, and generallymakingthecomplexsimple.

> Enabling technologies are those technologiesthat, like location awareness, have the potential totransformwhatweexpectofourdevicesand tools.The link to learning in this category is less easyto make, but this group of technologies is wheresubstantive technological innovation begins to bevisible. Enabling technologies expand the reach ofourtools,makethemmorecapableanduseful,andofteneasiertouseaswell.

The following pages provide a discussion of the sixtechnologies highlighted by this year’s expert panel.Each includes an overview of the technology; adiscussion of its relevance to teaching, learning, orcreative inquiry; and curated project examples andrecommendationsforfurtherreading.

35ImportantDevelopmentsinEducationalTechnologyforHigherEducation

> Learning technologies include both tools andresources developed expressly for the educationsector, as well as pathways of development thatmay include tools adapted from other purposesthat are matched with strategies to make themuseful for learning.These include technologies thatare changing the landscape of learning, whetherformalorinformal,bymakingitmoreaccessibleandpersonalized.

> Social media technologies could have beensubsumedundertheconsumertechnologycategory,buttheyhavebecomesoever-presentandsowidelyused in every part of society that they have beenelevatedtotheirowncategory.Aswellestablishedassocialmediais,itcontinuestoevolveatarapidpace,with new ideas, tools, and developments comingonlineconstantly.

> Visualization technologies run the gamut fromsimple infographicstocomplexformsofvisualdataanalysis.Whattheyhaveincommonisthattheytapthe brain’s inherent ability to rapidly process visualinformation, identify patterns, and sense order incomplexsituations.Thesetechnologiesareagrowing

Consumer Technologies> 3DVideo> ElectronicPublishing> MobileApps> QuantifiedSelf> TabletComputing> Telepresence> WearableTechnology

Digital Strategies> BYOD> FlippedClassroom> GamesandGamification> LocationIntelligence> Makerspaces> Preservation/Conservation Technologies

Internet Technologies> CloudComputing> TheInternetofThings> Real-TimeTranslation> SemanticApplications> SingleSign-On> SyndicationTools

Visualization Technologies> 3DPrinting/RapidPrototyping> AugmentedReality> InformationVisualization> VisualDataAnalysis> VolumetricandHolographic Displays

Enabling Technologies> AffectiveComputing> CellularNetworks> Electrovibration> FlexibleDisplays> Geolocation> Location-BasedServices> MachineLearning> MobileBroadband> NaturalUserInterfaces> NearFieldCommunication> Next-GenerationBatteries> OpenHardware> Speech-to-SpeechTranslation> StatisticalMachineTranslation> VirtualAssistants> WirelessPower

Learning Technologies> Badges/Microcredit> LearningAnalytics> MassiveOpenOnlineCourses> MobileLearning> OnlineLearning> OpenContent> OpenLicensing> PersonalLearningEnvironments> VirtualandRemoteLaboratories

Social Media Technologies> CollaborativeEnvironments> CollectiveIntelligence> Crowdfunding> Crowdsourcing> DigitalIdentity> SocialNetworks> TacitIntelligence

2014 NMC Master List of Tracked Technologies

Key Emerging Technologies

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he flipped classroom refers to a model of learning that rearranges how time is spent both in and out of class to shift the ownership of learning from the educators to the students. In the flipped classroom model, valuable class time is devoted

to more active, project-based learning where students work together to solve local or global challenges — or other real-world applications — to gain a deeper understanding of the subject. Rather than the teacher using class time to dispense information, that work is done by each student after class, and could take the form of watching video lectures, listening to podcasts, perusing enhanced e-book content, and collaborating with peers in online communities. Students can access this wide variety of resources any time they need them. Teachers can devote more time to interacting with each individual. After class, students manage the content they use, the pace and style of learning, and the ways in which they demonstrate their knowledge; the teacher adapts instructional and collaborative approaches to suit their learning needs and personal learning journeys. The goal is for students to learn more authentically by doing.

OverviewThe flipped classroom model is part of a largerpedagogical movement that overlaps with blendedlearning, inquiry-based learning, and other instructionalapproaches and tools that are meant to be flexible,active, and more engaging for students. The first well-documented example of the flipped classroom was in2007 when two chemistry teachers atWoodland ParkHigh School in Colorado wanted to address the issueof students missing class when they were traveling toand from school activities. Students were strugglingto keep up with their work. The teachers, JonathanBergmann and Aaron Sams, experimented with usingscreencapturesoftwareandPowerPointtorecordlivelessons and post them onYouTube.They immediatelyobservedadramaticchangeintheclassroom:thefocusshiftedtoincreasinginteractionsandfosteringdeeperconnectionsbetweenthemandtheirstudents,aswellas between students. Their roles transitioned fromlecturers to coaches, guiding the learning of studentsindividually. They observed students as they workedon assignments in small groups, made more accurateassessments about who needed extra attention, and

thencreatedmini-lecturevideosthatcateredtothoselearners.

Aroundthesametimeofthisimplementation,SalmanKhan founded the not-for-profit Khan Academy withthe mission of providing a free world-class educationto anyone, anywhere.The website and apps house anextensivelibraryofprofessionalvideolectures,rangingfrom science to economics to finance to humanities.WhilemillionsofstudentsoftenvisittheKhanAcademyto supplement their formal education, educators arealso using the videos as resources for their flippedclassrooms.The Khan Academy has inspired a host ofsimilar endeavors, including the Code Academy andLearnersTV. With a vast array of free resources readilyaccessible, faculty thatareflippingtheircoursesoftendo not have to create any materials from scratch, butinstead focus on curating the best content for thesubjectmatter.

Seven years after the first iteration of flipped learningand the launch of the Khan Academy, educators allover the world have successfully adopted the model,substantiating the topic’s near-term position on thehorizon.Whereasmanylearningtechnologytrendsfirsttakeoffinhighereducationbeforeseeingapplicationsin schools, the flipped classroom reflects an oppositetrajectory.Today, many universities and colleges haveembraced this approach, enabling students to spendvaluable class-time immersed in hands-on activitiesthat often demonstrate the real world applications ofthesubjecttheyarelearning.

Relevance for Teaching, Learning, or Creative InquiryTheflippedclassroommodelisbecomingincreasinglypopular in higher education institutions because ofhowitrearrangesface-to-faceinstructionforprofessorsand students, creating a more efficient and enrichinguseofclasstime.Forfaculty,thisoftenrequirescarefullycreatingorselecting thehomeworkmaterials thataremostrelevantforaparticularlesson.Thesecantaketheform of self-recorded video lectures and screencasts,a curated set of guiding links, or a variety of openeducational resources (OER). Jorum, based out of theUniversity of Manchester, for example, is a free online

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Flipped Business Courses in India go.nmc.org/bschTheIndianSchoolofBusinessinMumbaiisusingCreatistsoftware tomanagecontent, security,anddelivery,aswellastotracklearners’responsesandactivitiestohelpfacilitatetheirflippedlearningmodel.

Flipped Classroom for Literary Textsgo.nmc.org/litThe University of Queensland School of English inAustralia is using the flipped classroom to encourageeffective reading of literary texts. Students use onlinequizzes and online marking to ensure that they arepreparedtodiveintogroupdiscussionsanddebatesintheclassroom.

Security and Forensics at UAlbanygo.nmc.org/digforWith support from the National Science Foundation,digitalforensicsstudentsattheUniversityofAlbanyarereviewing lectures and working in virtual laboratoriesoutside of class while they work with instructors onsolvingcybersecurityproblemsduringclass.For Further Reading Thefollowingarticlesandresourcesarerecommendedfor those who wish to learn more about the flippedclassroom:

6 Expert Tips for Flipping the Classroomgo.nmc.org/fliptips(JenniferDemski,Campus Technology,23January2013.)A Harvard University professor, assistant director ofEducationTechnologyServicesatPennStateUniversity,and a math professor at GrandValley State Universityprovidestrategiesforflippingauniversitycourse.

Flipping Med Edgo.nmc.org/flip(Carl Straumsheim, Inside Higher Ed, 9 September2013.) A senior associate dean of medical educationat Stanford University and the founder of the KhanAcademybelievetheflippedclassroommodelcangivemedicalstudentsmorehands-onlearningtime.

A Review of Flipped Learninggo.nmc.org/fln(TheFlippedLearningNetwork,accessed6November2013.) The Flipped Learning Network released acomprehensive review of the flipped learning model,concluding that existing research demonstrates thatthe flipped learning approach fosters a classroomenvironmentthatismorelearner-centered.

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educational repository for thousands of resourcessearchablebysubject,author,orkeywords.

Beyond watching recorded video lectures, othertechnologiessuchasdigitalreadingswithcollaborativeannotationanddiscussionsoftwareenable instructorstobemoreintunewiththeirstudents’learningpatternsandneeds.Byreviewingthecommentsandquestions

thatstudentsposeonline,instructorscanbetterpreparefor class and address particularly challenging ideasduring face-to-face time. The learning environmenttransformsintoadynamicandmoresocialspacewherestudents can participate in critiques or work throughproblemsinteams.AninstructoratMarshallUniversitynotedthathenolongerneededtospendpreciousclasstime with an individual student if they missed a class;hecouldinsteadhandhimatabletloadedwithcontentandcontinueworkingonhands-onprojectsamongthewholeclass.

Anaddedbenefitoftheflippedclassroomisthatithelpsstudentsdeveloptheskillsneededtobesuccessful intheworkforce.Healthcare ismovingtowardsteamsofcollaboratingpractitioners;theDukeInstituteforBrainScience has used the flipped classroom as a way todevelop stronger collaboration and creative thinkingskills in emerging practitioners. Studies are currentlyexamining how flipping the classroom impactslearning,andpreliminaryresultsareveryencouraging.A study conducted on foundational pharmaceuticscoursesat theUniversityofNorthCarolinashowsthattheflippedenvironmentincreasedtestscoresby5.1%.HarveyMuddCollegeisalsoengagedinastudyoftheimpactof this learningstrategyon STEMcourses, andresearchers are evaluating learning gains, retention,andtransfertodownstreamcourses.

Flipped Classroom in PracticeThe following links provide examples of the flippedclassroominuseinhighereducationsettings:

The learning environment transforms into a dynamic

and more social space where students can participate in critiques or work through

problems in teams.

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earning analytics is an educational application of “big data,” a branch of statistical analysis that was originally developed as a way for businesses to analyze commercial activities, identify spending trends, and predict consumer

behavior. As web-tracking tools became more sophisticated, many companies built vast reserves of information to individualize the consumer experience. Education is embarking on a similar pursuit into new ways of applying to improve student engagement and provide a high-quality, personalized experience for learners.

OverviewLearninganalyticsresearchusesdataanalysistoinformdecisionsmadeoneverytieroftheeducationsystem,leveragingstudentdatatodeliverpersonalizedlearning,enableadaptivepedagogiesandpractices,andidentifylearning issues in time for them to be solved. Otherhopes are that the analysis of education-related dataon a much larger scale than ever before can providepolicymakers and administrators with indicators oflocal, regional, and national education progress thatcan allow programs and ideas to be measured andimproved. Adaptive learning data is already providinginsights about student interactions with online textsand courseware. One pathway to creating the level ofdata needed for effective learning analytics is seen increatingstudentdevicesthatwillcapturedataonhow,when,andinwhatcontexttheyareused,andthusbeginto build school-level, national, and even internationaldatasets that can be used to deeply analyze studentlearning,ideallyasithappens.

Since the topic first appeared three years ago in thefar-term horizon of the NMC Horizon Report: 2011 Higher Education Edition,learninganalyticshassteadilycaptured the interest of education policymakers,leaders, and practitioners. Big data are now beingused to personalize every experience users haveon commercial websites, and education systems,companies, and publishers see tremendous potentialintheuseofsimilardataminingtechniquestoimprovelearning outcomes. The idea is to use data to adaptinstruction to individual learner needs in real-time inthe same way that Amazon, Netflix, and Google use

metrics to tailor recommendations to consumers.Analytics can potentially help transform educationfromastandardone-size-fits-alldeliverysystemintoaresponsiveandflexibleframework,craftedtomeetthestudents’academicneedsandinterests.Formanyyears,theseideashavebeenacentralcomponentofadaptivesoftware, programs that make carefully calculatedadjustmentstokeeplearnersmotivatedastheymasterconceptsorencounterstumblingblocks.New kinds of visualizations and analytical reports arebeingdevelopedtoguideadministrativeandgoverningbodies with empirical evidence as they target areasfor improvement, allocate resources, and assess theeffectiveness of programs, schools, and entire schoolsystems. As online learning environments increasinglyaccommodate thousands of students, researchers andcompanies are looking at very granular data aroundstudent interactions, building on the tools of webanalytics.PearsonLearningStudio,forexample,providesanLMSinfrastructurethatisaggregatingdatafromthemillionsoflearnersusingtheirsystems,withtheaimofenabling school leaders and national policy makers tomoreeffectivelydesignpersonalizedlearningpaths.Similarly,agroupatStanfordUniversityisexaminingvastdatasets generated by online learning environments.TheseeffortsaretakingplacethroughtheStanfordLyticLab,whereresearchers,educators,andvisitingexpertsarecurrentlybuildingananalyticsdashboardthatwillhelp online instructors track student engagement inaddition to conducting a study of peer assessment ina MOOC on human-computer interaction, based on63,000peer-gradedassignments.InApril2013,theBill&MelindaGatesFoundationawardedStanfordmorethan$200,000infundingtosupporttheLearningAnalyticsSummerInstitute,whichprovidedprofessionaltrainingtoresearchersinthefield.

Relevance for Teaching, Learning, or Creative InquiryLearning analytics is developing rapidly in highereducation, where learning is happening more withinonline and hybrid environments. It has moved closerto mainstream use in higher education in each of thepast three years. Sophisticated web-tracking tools are

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Competency Mapgo.nmc.org/capelThe competency map at Capella University helpsstudents own their learning by constantly showingthemwheretheyareineachcourse,howmuchisaheadof them, and where they need to concentrate theireffortstobesuccessful.

Gradecraftgo.nmc.org/gradeThe University of Michigan uses Gradecraft, whichencouragesrisk-takingandmultiplepathwaystowardsmastery as learners progress through course material.Theanalyticsemployedguidestudentsthroughouttheprocessandinforminstructorsoftheirprogress.

For Further Reading The following articles and resources are recommendedforthosewhowishtolearnmoreaboutlearninganalytics:

Data Science: The Numbers of Our Livesgo.nmc.org/datasci(Claire Cain Miller, The New York Times, 11 April 2013.)AccordingtoareportbyMcKinseyGlobalInstitute,therewillbealmostahalfmillionjobsindatascienceinfiveyears.Institutionsarecreatingprogramstotrainhybridcomputerscientist/softwareengineerstatisticians.

Learning to Adapt: A Case for Accelerating Adaptive Learning in Higher Educationgo.nmc.org/case(AdamNewman,PeterStokes,GatesBryant,EducationGrowthAdvisors,13March2013).Awhitepaperfundedby the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation illustrates thecurrent adoption of adaptive learning technologies inhighereducation,relevantobstacles,andthesolutionsbeingexplored.

The Role of Learning Analytics in Improving Teaching and Learning (Video)go.nmc.org/lerana(George Siemens, Teaching and Learning withTechnology Symposium, 16 March 2013.) Siemensreviews a number of case studies to show that whenanalytics are applied to education in a similar mannerascompaniesusethem,theycanimproveteachingandlearning.

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already being used by leading institutions to captureprecisestudentbehaviors inonline courses, recordingnotonlysimplevariablessuchastimespentonatopic,but also much more nuanced information that canprovideevidenceofcriticalthinking,synthesis,andthedepthofretentionofconceptsovertime.Asbehavior-specificdataisaddedtoanever-growingrepositoryofstudent-relatedinformation,theanalysisofeducationaldata is increasingly complex, and many statisticiansand researchers are working to develop new kinds ofanalyticaltoolstomanagethatcomplexity.The most visible current example of a wide-scaleanalytics project in higher education is the PredictiveAnalytics Reporting Framework, which is overseen bytheWesternInterstateCommissionforHigherEducation(WICHE),andlargelyfundedbytheBill&MelindaGatesFoundation.The16participatinginstitutionsrepresentthepublic,private,traditional,andprogressivespheresofeducation.AccordingtotheWICHEwebsite,theyhavecompiledover1,700,000studentrecordsand8,100,000course level records in efforts to better understandstudentlossandstudentmomentum.Companies such as X-Ray Research are conductingresearchinonlinediscussiongroupstodeterminewhichbehavioral variables are the best predictors of studentperformance.Thetoolsreflectthepotentialofanalyticstodevelopearlywarningsystemsbasedonmetricsthatmakepredictionsusinglinguistic,social,andbehavioraldata. Similarly, studies at universities are proving thatpedagogies informed by analytics can improve thequality of interaction taking place online. At SimonFraserUniversityinBritishColumbiaresearchersappliedanalyticstosolveanissuethatpastexperimentsrevealed—discussion forumsused foronlinecourseswerenotsupportingproductiveengagementordiscussion.TheydevelopedaVisualDiscussionForuminwhichstudentscouldvisualizethestructureanddepthofthediscussion,based on the number of threads extending from theirposts. Learners in this study were also able to easilydetectwhichtopicsneededmoreoftheirattention.

Learning Analytics in PracticeThe following links provide examples of learninganalyticsinuseinhighereducationsettings:

Big Data in Educationgo.nmc.org/bigdaColumbia University professors offer an online coursefor educators through Coursera to learn about thestrengths and weaknesses of the various methodsprofessors are currently using to mine and model theincreasingamountsoflearnerdata.

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nown in industrial circles as rapid prototyping, 3D printing refers to technologies that construct physical objects from three-dimensional (3D) digital content such as 3D modeling software, computer-aided design

(CAD) tools, computer-aided tomography (CAT), and X-ray crystallography. A 3D printer builds a tangible model or prototype from the electronic file, one layer at a time, through an extrusion-like process using plastics and other flexible materials, or an inkjet-like process to spray a bonding agent onto a very thin layer of fixable powder. The deposits created by the machine can be applied very accurately to build an object from the bottom up, layer by layer, with resolutions that, even in the least expensive machines, are more than sufficient to express a large amount of detail. The process even accommodates moving parts within the object. Using different materials and bonding agents, color can be applied, and parts can be rendered in plastic, resin, metal, tissue, and even food. This technology is commonly used in manufacturing to build prototypes of almost any object (scaled to fit the printer, of course) that can be conveyed in three dimensions.

OverviewTheearliestknownexamplesof3Dprintingwereseenin the mid-1980s at the University of Texas at Austin,whereselectivelasersinteringwasdeveloped,thoughthe equipment was cumbersome and expensive. Theterm 3D printing itself was coined a decade later atMIT,whengraduatestudentswereexperimentingwithunconventionalsubstances in inkjetprinters.Since3DprintingappearedintheveryfirstNMC Horizon Reportin2004,thetechnologyhashelpedtheU.S.Departmentof Defense to inexpensively create aerospace parts,architects create models of buildings, medicalprofessionals develop body parts for transplants, andmuch more. In the past several years, there has beena lot of experimentation in the consumer space —especially within the maker culture, a technologically-savvy,do-it-yourselfcommunitydedicatedtoadvancingscience,engineering,andotherdisciplinesthroughtheexplorationof3Dprintingandrobotics.

During the process of 3D printing, the user will startby designing a model of the desired object using

specialized software such as CAD. While a variety ofcompanies produce CAD software, AutoDesk is theacknowledgedleaderinthedevelopmentofsuchtools.Oncethedesignissenttotheprinter,thematerials—either plastics, metals, or a variety of other materials— are dispensed through a nozzle, and graduallydepositedtoeventuallyformtheentireobject.Additivemanufacturingtechnologieschangethewaythelayersaredepositedassomeobjectscallforthematerialtobesoftened or melted. Selective heat and laser sintering,for example require thermoplastics, while electronbeam melting calls for titanium alloys. In the case oflaminated object manufacturing, thin layers must becuttoshapeandthenjoinedtogether;thetechnologyhadpreviouslyonlybeenfoundinspecializedlabs.

The adoption of 3D printing is also being fueled byonline applications such asThingiverse and MeshLab,repositories of free, digital designs for physicalobjects where users can download the digital designinformation and create that object themselves. TheMakerBot is one of several brands of 3D desktopprintersthatallowuserstobuildeverythingfromtoysto robots, to household furniture and accessories, tomodels of dinosaur skeletons. Relatively affordableatunder$2,500,theMakerBotwasthefirst3Dprinterdesigned for consumer use. Because of the inherentability for users to create something, whether originalor replicated, 3D printing is an especially appealingtechnology as applied to active and project-basedlearninginhighereducation.

Relevance for Teaching, Learning, or Creative InquiryOne of the most significant aspects of 3D printingfor education is that it enables more authenticexplorationofobjectsthatmaynotbereadilyavailableto universities. For example, anthropology studentsat Miami University can handle and study replicasof fragile artifacts, like ancient Egyptian vases, thathave been scanned and printed at the university’s 3Dprinting lab. Similarly, at the GeoFabLab at Iowa StateUniversity, geology students and amateur enthusiastscan examine 3D printed specimens of rare fossils,crystals, and minerals without risk of damaging thesepreciousobjects.

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Center forBitsandAtomstoresearchandexperimentwith digital fabrication. They have now materializedintocentersacrosstheglobe,housingtechnologysuchas 3D printers, laser cutters, and programming toolsthatstudentscanuseinexploratoryenvironments.

Organ Creation at the University of Wollongonggo.nmc.org/uw3dUsinga3Dbio-plotter,researchersattheUniversityofWollongonginAustraliacreatedtechnologyforprintinglivinghumancells,suchasmuscles,alongwithaspecialink that carries the cells. The hope is that the printermaterials can eventually be used for patient-specificimplantsandevenorgantransplants.

For Further Reading The following resources are recommended for thosewhowishtolearnmoreabout3Dprinting:

4D Printing: The New Frontiergo.nmc.org/4dp(OliverMarks,ZDNet,14March2013.)Advancesinnanobiotechnology are leading to new materials that canbe programmed to change their form over time. Thiscould spark new innovations including self-repairingpantsmadefrombiologicalmaterialsandobjectsthatassembleanddisassembledependingontemperature.

10 Ways 3D Printers are Advancing Sciencego.nmc.org/10ways(MeganTreacy, Treehugger, 16 April 2013.) 3D printersareadvancingscience,fromhelpingNASAresearchersstudying moon rocks to medical researchers workingwith 3D printed prosthetics for ears and other bodyparts. Specialized 3D printers are being used in labstoproduceavarietyofskinandother tissues thatareliterally“printed”ontoanorganiclattice.

Lab Equipment Made with 3-D Printers Could Cut Costs by 97%go.nmc.org/reduc(Paul Basken, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 29March2013.)AnewstudyfromMichiganTechnologicalUniversity shows how 3D printers can allow a sharpimprovement in the efficiency and capabilities ofresearch laboratories, cutting costs by as much as97%. Additionally, 3D-printed parts enable morecustomizationtosuitindividualneeds.

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Some of the most compelling progress of 3D printingin higher education comes from institutions that areinventing new objects. A team at Harvard UniversityandUniversityofIllinoisatUrbana-Champaignrecentlyprintedlithium-ionmicrobatteriesthatarethesizeofagrainofsandandcansupplypowertoverysmalldevicessuchasmedicalimplantsandminiaturecameras.Inthefieldofmedicalresearch,innovationatthemicroscopiclevel is seeing increasing growth. Researchers at theUniversity of Texas at Austin are caging bacteria in3D-printedenclosures inorder toclosely approximateactualbiologicalenvironmentsforthestudyofbacterialinfections. Scientists at the University of Liverpool aredeveloping3D-printablesyntheticskinthatwillcloselyresembleanindividual’sage,gender,andethnicity.

As 3D printing gains traction in higher education,universities are beginning to create dedicated spacesto nurture creativity and stimulate intellectualinquiry around this emerging technology. Examplesinclude North Carolina State University’s Hunt LibraryMakerspace, the3DLabat theUniversityofMichigan’sArt, Architecture, and Engineering Library, and theMakerLabintheHumanitiesattheUniversityofVictoriain British Columbia, Canada. These spaces, equippedwith the latest 3D scanners, 3D printers, 3D motionsensors, and laser cutters, not only enable access totools, but they also encourage collaboration within acommunityofmakersandhackers.

3D Printing in PracticeThefollowinglinksprovideexamplesof3Dprintinginuse that have direct implications for higher educationsettings:

3D Artgo.nmc.org/3dartArt students are learning the history and applicationsof 3D printed art at Aalto University in Finland. Theyrecently collaborated with a local artist collective tocreate sculptural works for an exhibition in the city ofHyrynsalmi.

3D Design Studiogo.nmc.org/udeUniversity of Delaware’s Department of MechanicalEngineeringopenedadesignstudiowitha3Dprinter,materialsrepository,machineshop,andacollaborationlaboratory so students can take design ideas fromconcepttoprototype.

Fab Labgo.nmc.org/fabFab Labs began as an outreach project from MIT’s

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he games culture has grown to include a substantial proportion of the world’s population, with the age of the average gamer increasing with each passing year. As tablets and smartphones have proliferated, desktop and laptop computers,

television sets, and gaming consoles are no longer the only way to connect with other players online, making game-play a portable activity that can happen in a diverse array of settings. Gameplay has long since moved on from solely being recreational and has found considerable traction in the military, business and industry, and increasingly, education as a useful training and motivation tool. While a growing number of educational institutions and programs are experimenting with game-play, there has also been increased attention surrounding gamification — the integration of gaming elements, mechanics, and frameworks into non-game situations and scenarios. Businesses have embraced gamification as a way to design incentive programs that engage employees through rewards, leader boards, and badges, often with a mobile component. Although more nascent than in military or industry settings, the gamification of education is gaining support among educators who recognize that effectively designed games can stimulate large gains in productivity and creativity among learners.

OverviewAccording to the Entertainment Software Association,the average age of today’s gamers is 30, with 68%of gamers over 18 years old — university age. Thepopularityofdigitalgameshasledtorapiddevelopmentin the video game industry over the past decade,with considerable advances that have broadened thedefinition of games and how they are played. Whenthe gaming industry began to incorporate networkconnectivity into game design, they revolutionizedgame-playbycreatingavastvirtualarenawhereusersfrom all over the world could connect, interact, andcompete. The Internet offers gamers the opportunityto join massively multiplayer online (MMO) role-player games, such as“Minecraft,” and to build onlinereputationsbasedontheskills,accomplishments,andabilities of their virtual avatars. In the last few years,games have converged with natural user interfacesto create an experience for players that more closely

mimicsreallife.UsingconsolessuchasMicrosoftKinectorNintendoWii, forexample,players interact throughbodymovementsandhandgestures.

Gamification,orthenotionthatgamingmechanicscanbe applied to routine activities, has been employedsuccessfully by a number of mobile apps and socialmediacompanies.Oneofthemostpopularincarnationsover the years has been FourSquare, with a rewardsystemthatencouragespeopletocheckintolocationsto accumulate rewards — a notion that has pavedthe way for a host of resources that similarly gamifyeverydaylife.UntappdandTipsi,forexample,areappsthat allow users to document and receive badges foreach different type of beer and wine they have tried,while Simple.com is a gamified banking service thathelps users master their finances. It is not uncommonnowformajorcorporationsandorganizations,includingtheWorldBankandIBM,toconsultwithgamingexpertsto inform the development and design of large-scaleprogramsthatmotivateworkersthroughsystemsthatincorporatechallenges,level-ups,andrewards.

Whilesomethought leadersarguethatthe increasinguseofgamedesignintheworkplaceisashort-livedtrendthatyieldsshort-termburstsofproductivity,companiesofallsizesinallsectorsarefindingthatworkersrespondpositivelytogamifiedprocesses.Forhighereducation,these game-like environments transform assignmentsintoexcitingchallenges,rewardstudentsfordedicationandefficiency,andofferaspaceforleaderstonaturallyemerge. Badges, for example, are being increasinglyusedasarewardssystemforlearners,allowingthem,inmanycases,topubliclydisplaytheirprogressandskillmasteryinonlineprofiles.

Relevance for Teaching, Learning, or Creative InquiryEducationalgameplayhasproventofosterengagementin critical thinking, creative problem-solving, andteamwork — skills that lead to solutions for complexsocial and environmental dilemmas. This idea is thefoundationofJaneMcGonigal’swork,arecognizedgamedesignerandresearcherwhoisraisingawarenessaboutthe power of games to change the world. McGonigalandotherresearchersattheInstitutefortheFutureare

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leaders in the video game industry and the programpromisestobecompetitiveandindustry-driven.

Mentirago.nmc.org/mentMentira, a mobile GPS and augmented reality-basedgame developed at the University of New Mexico,develops Spanish language skills as learners interactwith characters in the Albuquerque, New Mexicosetting and work through various obstacles to solve amurdermystery.

SICKOgo.nmc.org/sickTheStanfordUniversitySchoolofMedicine’sSICKOisaweb-basedsimulationgameinwhichstudentsmanagethree virtual patients simultaneously and must makecriticaldecisionsintheoperatingroom.

For Further Reading Thefollowingarticlesandresourcesarerecommendedfor those who wish to learn more about gaming andgamification:

The Awesome Power of Gamification in Higher Educationgo.nmc.org/awesome(TaraE.Buck,EdTech Magazine,18October2013.)Atherkeynote speech at EDUCAUSE 2013, game developerJane McGonigal presented a vision of the future inwhichpeople’sworkanddailylivesaretransformedintogamifiedscenariosor“extremelearningenvironments.”

Gamification Done Rightgo.nmc.org/doneright(AndreBehrens, The New York Times,11June2013.)Theauthorexploresthevarious implicationsthatthetermgamification carries, and discusses the componentsthatmakeitsuccessful.Hepointsto Simple.com asaneffectiveandcreativeexample.

Video Game Courses Score Big on College Campusesgo.nmc.org/scorebig(Yannick Lejacq, NBC News, 12 September 2013.)U.S. colleges and universities are now offering morecoursework and degrees dedicated to the study ofvideo games than ever before, with 385 institutionsnowprovidingeitherindividualcoursesorfulldegreesingamedesign.

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designing online games that foster participation andnewwaysofthinkingaboutsystemsandsustainabilityineducation,health,andurbancontexts.Thegoalistodevelopengagingplatformsthatsparkcuriosity, instillasenseofurgencyandgravitas,whilerewardingusersinmeaningfulways.

Digital simulations are another method being usedwidelytoreinforceconceptualapplicationsinmockrealworld scenarios. This is especially evident in businessschools. At Montclair University School of Businessin New Jersey, students play an online businesssimulation called GLO-BUS where they run a digitalcamera company and play with actual competitors inthe global marketplace. The simulated environmentchallengeslearnerstodevelopandexecuteaneffective,business savvy strategy, and provides the tools toaddressproduct linebreadth,operations,outsourcing,pricing,andcorporatesocialresponsibilityamongotherconsiderations. Scenarios like this one demonstratethe power of games to simulate real world scenes ofproductivity, requiring students to exercise executivethinking on weighty situations where their decisionsmakeaseriousimpact.

Gamificationisalsoappearingmoreinonlinelearningenvironments.KaplanUniversity,forexample,gamifiedtheirITdegreeprogramafterrunningasuccessfulpilotintheirFundamentalsofProgrammingcourse.Students’gradesimproved9%andthenumberofstudentswhofailed the course decreased by 16%. Kaplan is usinggamification software that can be embedded intoLMS and other web applications. Gamification canalso incentivize professional development. Deloittedeveloped the Deloitte Leadership Academy, atrainingprogramthat leveragesgamificationtocreatecurriculum-based missions. Learners earn badges forcompleting missions, which they can display on theirLinkedIn profiles. As gaming continues to dominatediscussions among educators, some believe it coulddisenchant students if executed poorly. To negatethis challenge, more universities are partnering withcompaniestoconductresearchthatisrelevanttoboththecurriculumandstudents’lives.

Gaming and Gamification in PracticeThe following links provide examples of gaming andgamificationinuseinhighereducationsettings:

The Denius-Sams Gaming Academygo.nmc.org/utgameThe University of Texas at Austin will be offering thefirst video game program in the nation by Fall 2014.The Denius-Sams Gaming Academy will be taught by

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uantified self describes the phenomenon of consumers being able to closely track data that is relevant to their daily activities through the use of technology. The emergence of wearable devices on the market such as watches, wristbands, and necklaces that are designed to

automatically collect data are helping people manage their fitness, sleep cycles, and eating habits. Mobile apps also share a central role in this idea by providing easy-to-read dashboards for consumers to view and analyze their personal metrics. Empowered by these insights, many individuals now rely on these technologies to improve their lifestyle and health. Today’s apps not only track where a person goes, what they do, and how much time they spend doing it, but now what their aspirations are and when those can be accomplished. Novel devices, such as the Memoto, a camera worn around the neck that is designed to capture an image every half minute are enabling people to track their lives automatically. As more people rely on their mobile devices to monitor their daily activities, personal data is becoming a larger part of everyday life.

OverviewPeople have always demonstrated interest in learningabout themselves by tracking and measuring theirbehaviors and activities. Students already spendtime in formal classroom settings gathering dataabout themselves or research topics. Quantified selftechnologiestapintothisinterestintheformofmobileapps,wearabledevices,andcloud-basedservices thatmakethedatacollectionprocessmucheasier.

Popular incarnations of the quantified self movementhave materialized in the form of health, fitness, andlife streaming tools.The Fitbit, for example, is a smallwristbandthattrackswearers’dailyactivities,includingsleep patterns, steps taken, and calories burned.Through wireless and automatic syncing between theFitbit and smartphones, tablets, and laptops, userscan see real-time progress across their devices. TheJawboneUpwristbandemployssimilarfunctionalities,allowingwearerstotracksleep,movement,anddietaryinformation that is automatically populated in theaccompanying mobile UP app. The experience caneasily turn into a social one as people can share their

accomplishmentswithotherusersandteamuptotrackand achieve specific goals. Other wearables that havegarnered worldwide attention have deeply integratedself-trackingtools, includingGoogleGlassandiWatch,but the high prices — and in some cases, the lowavailability — of these devices have some punditsconcernedthatquantifiedselftechnologiesarealuxuryfortheupperclass.Moreaffordableversionsdevelopedin the next four to five years could accelerate thistechnologytrendineducationalsettings.

These technologies provide individuals greater self-awareness of their behaviors through self-tracking, aswell as new ways to think about how to use the datacollected. Since the introduction of this concept in

2007, communities have formed around the idea ofusingtechnologytoaid inself-improvement.Throughmeet-ups and online communities, artists, self-helpseekers, and even university researchers share theirexperiences with the hope to transform themselvesandtherestofsocietythroughananalysisofthedatatheyproduceandcollect.TheQuantifiedSelfInstitute,for example, is an initiative by the Hanze Universityof Applied Sciences in the Netherlands that bringsinternationalandregionalpartnerstogethertoconductresearch on different methods of self-tracking. Thisorganization is well positioned to lead the quantifiedselfmovement intohighereducation institutionswithrecommendationsoneffectiveapplications.

Relevance for Teaching, Learning, or Creative InquiryWith the growing use of mobile apps and wearabletechnology, individuals are creating an exponentiallyincreasing amount of data. The quantified selfmovementisbreakinggroundbyintegratingthesedata

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Popular incarnations of the quantified self movement have

materialized in the form of health, fitness, and life streaming tools.

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andfitnessinanefforttodeterminehowtheirdatacanbeusedtoinformbetterpublichealth.

The Russ-ome Project at The University of Texasgo.nmc.org/brainstuAneuroscientistanddirectorof the ImagingResearchCenter at The University of Texas at Austin is using aheadbandmonitor,aheartmonitor,andasurveyappto track and report his sleep and exercise patterns fora year-long study. The information is being storedin a database that he will ultimately use for self-improvement.

For Further Reading Thefollowingarticlesandresourcesarerecommendedforthosewhowishtolearnmoreaboutquantifiedself:

Gaming the Quantified Selfgo.nmc.org/gthet(Jennifer R. Whitson, Queens University, 2013.) Thispaper explores how digital games inherently facilitatesurveillanceofuseractivities,fosteringthecompilationof statistics that can be used to monitor individualsand surface overall behavioral patterns in gamifiedenvironments.

Quantified Self: The Tech-Based Route to a Better Life?go.nmc.org/bbcquant(Karen Weintraub, BBC Future, 3 January 2013.) TheQuantifiedSelfMovementisrootedintheneedtorecordthe details of daily life, and new technologies such aswearabletrackersandappshavemadeiteffortlessforpeopletoregularlydocumenttheiractivities.

Trackers, Measuring the Quantified Selfgo.nmc.org/track(Gopal Sathe, Live Mint, 7 September 2013.) Wearabletrackers including Fitbit, Nike Fuel, and Jawbone Uparehelpingpeoplemonitortheirpersonaldatasuchassleepcycleandstepcount,andareencouragingpeopleto consider personal data as an integral part of theirroutines.

45Time-to-AdoptionHorizon:FourtoFiveYears

streamsininterestingways.Selfquantifiers,forexample,cancreatehealthier livingplansaftermonitoringtheirsleep,exercise,diet,andotherimportantpatterns.ThenewmobileappWhistleevenenablespeopletodothesamefortheirdogs.Itisimaginablethatiftestscoresandreading habits gleaned from learning analytics couldbecombinedwithother lifestyletracking information,these large data sets could reveal how environmentalchangesimprovelearningoutcomes.

Quantified self technology also has the potential toshape the future of some industries. In the medicalfield,forinstance,doctorsareusingnotonlytraditionalmedicine but also data that individuals self-collect,such as heart rate, blood pressure, and sugar levels.Advancements in thefieldcouldenablecomputers tosearchforpatternsandhelpphysiciansmoreaccuratelydiagnoseoranticipatehealthproblemsbeforepatientsstep foot into the building. Educators at the momentcanonlyhypothesizeaboutaneweraoftheacademicquantifiedself,butinterestisstrongandgrowing.

Oneofthecurrentbarriersforthemainstreamadoptionofthistechnologyrevolvesaroundprivacyconcerns.Thequantifiedselfmovementisaboutpeoplesharingwhatthey learnaboutthemselvesforthegreatergood,butthereisavulnerabilitytoexposingpersonalinformationthatwillneedtobeaddressedoverthenextfourtofiveyears.This could include a cost/benefit analysis aboutwhat data should be collected, what data should beshared, who should be responsible for making thosedecisions,andhowtobuildthemosteffectiveandsafeonlinecommunitiesofpractice.

Quantified Self in PracticeThefollowinglinksprovideexamplesofquantifiedselfinusethathavedirectimplicationsforhighereducationsettings:

Fitbit at the University of Tokyogo.nmc.org/tokyoResearchers from the University of Tokyo have useddatafromtheFitbitpedometertodetectandmeasurethe strength of workplace relationships. The initialresultsrevealthatthedatageneratedbythisquantifiedself technology can foster the creation of an accuratecompanyprofile.

Health Data Exploration Projectgo.nmc.org/hdexploreThe California Institute for Telecommunications andInformationTechnology,withsupportfromtheRobertWoodJohnsonFoundation, launchedaresearchstudythat is seeking individuals who self-track their health

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s voice recognition and gesture-based technologies advance and more recently, converge, we are quickly moving away from the notion of interacting with our devices via a pointer and keyboard. Virtual assistants are a

credible extension of work being done with natural user interfaces (NUIs), and the first examples are already in the marketplace. The concept builds on developments in interfaces across the spectrum of engineering, computer science, and biometrics. The Apple iPhone’s Siri and Android’s Jelly Bean are recent mobile-based examples, and allow users to control all the functions of the phone, participate in lifelike conversations with the virtual assistant, and more. A new class of smart televisions are among the first devices to make comprehensive use of the idea. While crude versions of virtual assistants have been around for some time, we have yet to achieve the level of interactivity seen in Apple’s classic video, Knowledge Navigator. Virtual assistants of that caliber and their applications for learning are clearly in the long-term horizon, but the potential of the technology to add substance to informal modes of learning is compelling.

OverviewVirtual assistants employ artificial intelligence andnatural language processing to provide people withsupport for a wide range of daily activities, suchas discerning the best driving routes, arrangingtrip itineraries, and organizing email inboxes. Thelatest tablets and smartphones now include virtualassistants — perhaps the most recognized of whichareApple’sSiri,Android’sJellyBean,andGoogleNow.Thesevirtualassistantsareintegratedintothemobileplatforms,enablinguserstointeractmoreauthenticallywith their devices by leveraging a conversationalinterface. Users can simply speak a request to thedevice,andthevirtualassistantwillrespondinstantly.Themostadvancedversionsof thissoftwareactuallytrackuserpreferencesandpatternssotheycanadaptovertimetobemorehelpfultotheindividual.Inthissense, virtual assistants encourage convenience andproductivity, making them particularly compellingfor their potential applications in academic settings,though they are four to five years away from beingwidelyusedinhighereducation.

The functionality of many contemporary virtualassistants is triggered by a combination of threetechnologies: a conversational interface, personalcontext awareness, and service delegation.Conversational interfaces rely on voice recognitiontools that have been enhanced by special algorithmsand machine learning to decipher meaning. Becauseeverypersonhastheirownwayofspeaking,personalcontextawarenesshelpsvirtualassistantsunderstandspecific nuances based on keywords and patternsin language. Conversational interfaces and personalcontextawarenessenablevirtualassistantstoengageinhuman-likeconversationswithusers.Finally,servicedelegation allows mobile virtual assistants to accessand communicate with users’ collections of mobileapps.Thankstothisconcept,oneofthemostappealingfeatures of virtual assistants is that they are oftendesignedtointegrateseamlesslywithotherprograms,includingmappingandrecreationalservices.

Thelatestiterationofvirtualassistantscanbefoundinsmart televisions linked with data processing systemsthatallowuserstoconnecttotheweb.Apple,Samsung,andLGhavebeenamongthefirsttomarketwiththeirversions.UsersstreamvideodirectlyfromtheInternetthrough voice-controlled web widgets and softwareapplications. Smart TVs also track users’ viewingpatterns and program preferences to make tailoredrecommendations. While there are currently fewconcreteapplicationsofsmartTVsorvirtualassistantsbeing used in higher education, the prospect of toolsthatadapttostudents’learningneedsandpreferencesmakesthetechnologyoneworthfollowingcloselyoverthenextfiveyears.

Relevance for Teaching, Learning, or Creative InquiryThe technologies that enable virtual assistants areadvancingatarapidpace,presentingconsumerswithinterfaces that recognize and interpret human speechand emotions with impressive accuracy. Studentsare already using virtual assistants in their personallives, yet most institutions have yet to explore thistechnology’s potential outside research settings. TheUniversity of Cambridge, for example, in partnershipwith the Toshiba Cambridge Research, presented a

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M*Modalgo.nmc.org/mmodalThe University of Virginia Health System is usingM*Modal, a cloud-based speech recognition engine,to facilitate thecreation,management,andsharingofelectronicmedicalrecords.Thegoalisformedicalstaffandinformaticsprofessionalstoquicklyandaccuratelycapture clinical narratives for improved billing,productivity,andpatientcare.

VAGUEgo.nmc.org/sphinxCarnegie Mellon University created an open sourcetoolkitforspeechrecognitiononKindledevicescalledVAGUE, which allows users to navigate the reader,launch various tools, and prompt more actions bywritinganewscript.

For Further Reading Thefollowingarticlesandresourcesarerecommendedforthosewhowishtolearnmoreaboutvirtualassistants:

Beyond the GUI: It’s Time for a Conversational User Interfacego.nmc.org/cuiwi(Ron Kaplan, WIRED, 21 March 2013.) Ron Kaplan — alinguist, mathematician, and technologist — predictsthe imminent emergence of the conversational userinterface, which is based on voice-recognition andmachinelearningtechnologies.

New Virtual Assistant Anticipates Needs During Conversationgo.nmc.org/needs(TylerFalk,Smart Planet,18January2013.)TheauthorofthispostdescribesthenewiPadappcalledMindMeld,which, instead of responding to questions, analyzesandunderstandsthecontentofonlineconversationsinordertoprovideusefulinformation.

Talk to the Phone: Google’s Moto X Virtual Assistant Raises Smartphone Bargo.nmc.org/talkto(Peter Nowak, CBS News, 13 August 2013.)The authorprovidesapersonalaccountofhowthevirtualassistantGoogleNowaidedheandhiswifeonatripacrossthenortheasternUnitedStates.

47Time-to-AdoptionHorizon:FourtoFiveYears

prototypeofadigitaltalkingheadnamedZoe,whichisoneofthefirstattemptstoputahuman-likefaceonavirtualassistant.TheresearchteamenlistedthehelpofaBritishactresstorecord7,000sentencesandemotivefacial expressions, which composed the data set usedto“train”Zoe’sface.Thesoftwareisdata-lightwiththepotential to be personalized with various faces andvoices.

Virtual assistants are already making an appearancein the health sector. In late 2014, intelligent solutionscompany Nuance Communications will launch anintelligent virtual assistant named Florence thatunderstands clinical language and can take directivesfromdoctorsastheyordermedications,labs,andotherdiagnostic procedures. The technology is expectedto reduce the amount of time a physician spends onadministrative work, which accounts for 30% of theirworkdayaccordingtoasurveybyNuance.Italsooffersa glimpse into a future where doctors will be able toretrieveandmakeadditionstomedicalrecordsinreal-time using natural speech with the help of intelligenttechnologies.

Further development in technologies associated withvirtual assistants such as those that teach computerstosee,listen,andthinklikehumansdo,areprogressingrapidly and bringing greater accuracy to patternrecognition, a capability that is also driving real-timetranslation technologies. Recently, Microsoft’s topscientist Richard F. Rashid demonstrated a computerprogram that displayed his words as he spoke. In thepausesbetweeneachsentence,thesoftwaretranslatedhis speech into written and then spoken Mandarin,which was heard in his own voice — a language hehasneveruttered.Thesescenariospointtoa future inwhich virtual assistants will be equipped with moreadvancedcapabilities thatwillhelppeoplenavigateaworldwherecollaborationacrossbordersandoverseasisincreasinglythenorm.

Virtual Assistants in PracticeThe following links provide examples of virtualassistantsinusethathavedirectimplicationsforhighereducationsettings:

BlabDroidgo.nmc.org/blabMIT Media Lab plans to commercialize BlabDroid, arobot that offers similar functionality to other virtualassistantsbyconnectingtoasmartphoneorthecloudso itcancommunicatepertinent informationtousers,including the weather, and post to a social networkbasedonvoicecommands.

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TheNMCHorizonProject:2014HigherEducationEditionExpertPanel

Larry JohnsonCo-Principal InvestigatorNew Media ConsortiumUnitedStates

Malcolm BrownCo-Principal InvestigatorEDUCAUSE Learning InitiativeUnitedStates

Samantha Adams BeckerLead Writer/ResearcherNew Media ConsortiumUnitedStates

Bryan AlexanderBryan Alexander Consulting, LLCUnitedStates

Kumiko AokiOpen University of JapanJapan

Andrew BarrasFull Sail UniversityUnitedStates

Helga BechmannMultimedia Kontor Hamburg GmbHGermany

Michael BermanCSU Channel IslandsUnitedStates

Kyle BowenPurdue UniversityUnitedStates

Joseph CevetelloUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUnitedStates

Deborah CookeUniversity of OregonUnitedStates

Alisa CooperMaricopa Community CollegesUnitedStates

Crista CoppLoyola MarymountUnitedStates

Eva de LeraRaising the Floor, InternationalSpain

Veronica DiazEDUCAUSE Learning InitiativeUnitedStates

Kyle DicksonAbilene Christian UniversityUnitedStates

Barbara DieuLycée PasteurBrazil

Allan GyorkeUniversity of MiamiUnitedStates

Tom HaymesHouston Community CollegeUnitedStates

Don HendersonApple, Inc.UnitedStatesRichard HoletonStanford UniversityUnitedStates

Paul HollinsJISC CETISUnitedKingdom

Helen KeeganUniversity of SalfordUnitedKingdom

Jolie KennedyUniversity of MinnesotaUnitedStates

Lisa KosterConestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced LearningCanada

Vijay KumarMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnitedStates

Michael LambertConcordia International School of ShanghaiChina

Melissa LangdonUniversity of Notre Dame AustraliaAustralia

Ole LauridsenAarhus UniversityDenmark

Deborah LeeMississippi State UniversityUnitedStates

Holly LudgateNew Media ConsortiumUnitedStates

Damian McDonaldUniversity of LeedsUnitedKingdom

Rudolf MumenthalerUniversity of Applied Sciences, HTW ChurSwitzerland

Andrea NixonCarleton CollegeUnitedStates

Michelle Pacansky-BrockMt. San Jacinto CollegeUnitedStates

Ruben PuenteduraHippasusUnitedStates

Dolors ReigOpen University of CataloniaSpain

Jaime ReinosoPontificia Universidad Javeriana, CaliColombia

Jochen RobesHQ Interaktive Mediensysteme/ WeiterbildungsblogGermany

Jason RosenblumSt. Edward’s UniversityUnitedStates

Wendy ShapiroCase Western Reserve UniversityUnitedStates

Ramesh SharmaIndira Gandhi National Open UniversityIndia

Bill ShewbridgeUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore CountyUnitedStates

Paul SignorelliPaul Signorelli & AssociatesUnitedStates

Cynthia Sistek-ChandlerNational UniversityUnitedStates

Kathy SmartUniversity of North DakotaUnitedStates

David ThomasUniversity of Colorado DenverUnitedStates

David WedamanBrandeis UniversityUnitedStates

Neil WittUniversity of PlymouthUnitedKingdom

Alan WolfUniversity of WisconsinUnitedStates

Matthew WorwoodUniversity of ConnecticutUnitedStates

Jason ZagamiGriffith UniversityAustralia

Tiedao ZhangOpen University of BeijingChina

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For the NMC Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition, an expert panel identified 18 topics very likely to impact technology planning and decision-making: six key trends, six significant challenges, and six important developments in educational technology.

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