The Future of Higher Education and Digital Transformation

[Aklima@411]

2,000 years ago, students learned by sitting in a room and listening to a teacher speak while taking notes or memorizing his words. Sometimes, that teacher would then examine his students, often asking them questions to see if they understood his teachings. When a student needed to learn from a teacher of their choice or attend a school of their choice, they would contact the school administration. Some families paid for other families’ children to attend school. In some cases, the government paid and allowed the student to pay them back over time with interest. Notice a common thread? Aside from some of these experiences moving online, not much has changed in higher education.

Just because some schools let you do certain things online doesn’t mean higher education has achieved a digital transformation. Plus, schools themselves are japan business mailing list limited in what they can “do online.” And what does that mean? Do you have to spend six hours online filling out forms and questionnaires to change your major or apply for financial aid? How long does it take to get things done? Do you have to wait weeks or months to be accepted to a school? Or to get a course authorization? Maybe you’ll just know your grades?



Schools are taking steps toward digital transformation, but not quickly enough and not always in the right direction. Schools now have smaller, more powerful computers to accommodate larger student populations. Students can take tests online, register online, enroll in classes online, and do homework online. Notice another common thread? The only real change is the medium used to do things that used to be done on paper. But when you think about how much innovation has happened in other industries over the past 2,000 years, you wonder why higher education has remained relatively stagnant.