Generation Y were the first cohort of students to start putting huge technology demands on their expectations of student accommodation. Student residences quickly turned from somewhere to simply sleep to the space students use to live, work, socialise and, importantly, digitally connect with their friends and the university.
This saw huge amounts of change in technology in response to students arriving with more and more internet-ready devices. High speed Wi-Fi internet became a must-have, communications became focused on social media, and nearly all accommodation processes are now done digitally.
And now, just as the dust is beginning to settle on this huge change, we need to start preparing for a new and exciting generation of students who have grown up with the power of technology at their fingertips.
To help you understand the tech developments you should be thinking about, StudentCom and Campuslife take a look at the next big emerging technologies to watch out for.
The Internet of Things (IoT)
Imagine a world in which all of your appliances are connected to the internet and seamlessly ‘talk’ to each other to help manage your life. What if your alarm clock wakes up you at 6am and then notifies your coffee maker to start brewing coffee for you? What if your fridge knew when you’re running low on supplies and automatically re-ordered more?
This sounds like something out of a science fiction film but in fact it’s not. Samsung has committed to making all of its products IoT ready by 2020 and it’s easy to see how technology like this would enhance a student’s living experience.
Wearable technology
Set to shape much faster than the smartphone, wearable technology has a very bright future and looks like it’s here to stay. Wearable tech like the Apple Watch or Google Glass is all about integrating technology more seamlessly with the real world. It also presents you with new and innovative ways to connect with your students.
Screenless displays
To put it simply, a ‘screenless display’ is the visual display of an image or video projected anywhere without the need of a screen. This will change the way we interact socially, stopping students from continually checking their phones and instead work in a responsive and engaging class through the use of screenless displays.
One thing that unites all of these emerging technologies is connectivity and content. Are your residences Generation Z ready? Do you know how to maximise communication using these technologies?
Over the past two years we’ve seen the number of devices accessing our network double and the number of social networks used hugely increase. StudentCom and Campuslife are passionate about understanding this and helping you plan for the future.
For more information about future trends and Generation Z get in touch with StudentCom: