Editor’s note: This piece was first published on GovDataDownload and provides insights regarding the challenges faced in the higher education sector and the need to digitize, innovate, and transform through the use of data and technology. The eBook referenced in this piece can be found here.
Amid the digital transformation, industries of all kinds are affected including the education sector. As campuses and education facilities across the U.S. are impacted their IT departments face arising IT issues that come as a result of new technologies. According to EDUCAUSE’s 2020 Top 10 IT issues for higher education, IT departments serving in the education sector must focus on simplifying, sustaining, and innovating in order to conquer IT issues and stay ahead during the digital transformation.
According to EDUCAUSE’s VP of Communities and Research, Susan Grajek, “The challenges facing higher education are unprecedented in scope and complexity. Institutions know they need to innovate to achieve a competitive advantage in today’s complex marketplace, and almost none of today’s innovation can happen without data and technology.”
Meghan Steele, senior director, state and local government and education (SLED) for NetApp agrees. When considering how education customers evolve this year, Steele predicts “2020 will be the year of digitization, innovation, and transformation.”
Of course, in order to digitize, innovate, and transform, CIOs for campuses will need to address the known IT issues that would accompany digital transformation in education, starting first with information security and privacy. Ransomware, according to Steele, is one area that continues to plague the education sector, and IT departments will continue to “grapple with and attempt to put policies in place” to deal with the growing issue.
Sustainable funding, digital integrations, affordability, and the integrated CIO all continued to rank in the Top 10 issues collected by EDUCAUSE, yet there were a few new items added to this year’s list. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) for student retention ranked in fifth place, followed by student-centric higher ed, improved enrollment through use of technology, data, and analytics, and administration simplification.
These 2020 IT issues, according to EDUCAUSE’s Grajek, “reveal where the integrative CIO must simplify, sustain, and innovate as higher education drives to digital transformation.” Doing so will lead these campuses into the new decade with the ability to innovate.
According to a Campus Technology survey, the future of technology is bright based on responses from faculty. Ninety-seven percent of faculty has a positive view on the future of technology in education. Many faculty respondents predict while desktops and non-interactive displays will likely go away in the next 10 years, more innovative, emerging technologies will create a more interactive experience for students while improving accessibility.
To see the full trends, read the Campus Technology eBook here and click here for EDUCAUSE 2020 IT Issues. EDUCAUSE will be issuing an in-depth research report this month to look deeper into the IT issues and trends for 2020.
