In previous blogs, we have discussed how the evolving technological landscape has enabled universities to offer interactive learning material to students and create a home-away-from-home. 2016 will see an increasing number of higher education institutions leverage the capabilities of technology in a bid to cater to the needs of a diverse student population that hails from all walks of life. From our experience of working with universities, video is radically transforming the way tutors interact with students, and empowers students to create their own personal curriculum. We predict that this shift will be visible in five ways in 2016:
1) Video will permeate every aspect of university life
Today’s students belong to a generation that expects content to be available any time, any place and anywhere. Universities can capitalise on this trend by implementing IP video solutions to move away from a classroom-centric teaching approach. From enabling students to access a range of TV channels to support their studies, through to letting professors record their lectures and make that content available to students at any time, video will permeate every aspect of university life. Elite institutions like University College London have already deployed IP video systems to ensure that they cater for a connected generation.
2) Personalisation
Personalisation has become a hot topic in the technology world, and will play an increasing role in university teaching and learning in 2016. While the days during which students hastily scribbled down notes while listening to a lecturer are far from over, they will be liberated from the constraints of a traditional timetable and able to design a curriculum which meets their needs, using personalised content available on the university’s video portal. Higher Education institutions such as City University are already enabling students to make use of video material to supplement the set curriculum, ensuring that by graduation day, students have been able to acquire as much knowledge as possible – and at their own pace.
3) Video will help create a home-away-from-home
Universities will recognise that modern students’ demand for constant connectivity can become more than just a tool to deliver information. Students are now as interested in the facilities that a university provides as the institution’s academic rating and modules. In our second blog on University Business, we explained how Bath University has capitalised on that student need for a home-away-from-home feeling to remain one of the best campus universities in Britain.
4) Connected devices are here to stay
By 2019, nearly half of all classes worldwide will be done online, meaning that connected devices will work collaboratively with academia to help students design their own curriculum. Today’s students hail from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from mature students with families to students working part time, which may affect the student’s capacity to attend every lecture. As a result, remote learning will be instrumental in overcoming this hurdle by enabling students to access content, such as recorded lectures, on mobile devices on the university campus and beyond.
5) Integrated technology
Video is set to radically transform the way students and faculties access and share content. However, it becomes a lot more valuable if it is included in a broader technology overhaul. By combining video with digital signage, higher education institutions can ensure that they build the universities of the future. As part of its pledge to become the most student-friendly University and the best campus in the UK, Bath University has developed an IP-based system enabling it to deliver messages directly on the TV screen in students’ accommodation. Content can include faculty highlights, information about visiting lecturers or even the menu in the cafeteria, effectively enabling students to utilise their time in the most effective way while at university.
Technology is already part of students’ and faculty members’ life and integration is becoming easier than ever before. With more students caring about the facilities of the university where they will be spending three or more years, higher education institutions can accompany students in their learning process beyond the classroom by offering additional material at the tap of a finger, wherever the student may be.