| | March 202019CIOReviewrequire higher education to be more agile in its approach in meeting the needs of a more diverse student population.The good news is that technology can be (and has been) an invaluable asset in meeting this need. Several technological trends help illustrate the importance of technology to creating appropriately modernize learning environments in higher education. They are automation/integration, analytics, and technology commoditization. These trends are integral part of developing the modern, agile institution.Automation and IntegrationAutomation and integrations refer to the pursuit of synchronous system interoperability between enterprise technology resources and associated information systems. Traditionally, higher education has trailed other economic sectors in promoting automation and integration in these systems. This is primarily a result of the organic nature of how systems were often introduced and evolve don campuses. Many higher education institutions were built on juxtaposed structural philosophies that invited shared collaboration and governance while promoting autonomy and independence. Hence, many traditional technology systems found in higher education were built and sustained to support this model.With the growingly cost-conscious student population, institutions are forced to cut cost in providing and supporting education endeavors on their campuses. This has led to a surge in using technology Commoditizing technology has many benefits for higher education, and they are all based on the idea of technology is a service (and not a capital investment)CREATING OPPORTUNITY: TECHNOLOGY'S INFLUENCE ON CONTEMPORARY HIGHER EDUCATIONBy LeRoy Butler, PhD, PgMP, PMP, CIO, Lewis UniversityCIINSIGHTSTechnology has transformed contemporary higher education. As in many sector of the modern economy, higher education has developed a dependency on technology to provide quality opportunities to its primary consumers (students).Two recent trends in higher education served as a catalyst for institutions' greater dependences on technology. The first is growing scrutiny related to the "value proposition" of higher education, which question the returns on investments of a college degree(s).As the rising cost of a collegiate education continues to outpace broader economic inflation, students are becoming more critical of the outcomes they are receiving from colleges and universities. Moreover, the post academic issues (such as the student loan debt crisis in the United States) have furthered critical analyses of the value of a post-secondary education.The second trend that has promoted a technological shift in higher education are changing student demographics. The modern student population has become much more diverse than in past years. The student population is rapidly shifting from traditional 18 to 22-year-olds to more non-traditional students. Within the last generation, the college student population has seen a growth in numerous areas, including more working adults, growing ethnic populations, more delayed entry students, and more students seeking more advanced degrees. Examination of the value proposition and the changing student demographics has forced higher education to rethink how it delivers (and supports) students' educational goals. Gone are the days of institutions developing homogenous models for providing a quality education. Today's students
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