Higher Education Trends in 2024

In the United States alone, students who used their devices for over 60 minutes per week received extraordinary academic achievements until 2023, while 81 percent of facilitators reported having access to EdTech enhanced outputs significantly throughout the same period. In recent years, the education sector has shifted toward a more significant proportion of digital teaching and learning. We’ll look at some of the most advanced educational trends that reshaped the higher education environment.

Over the last two years, the education industry’s digitalization rate has increased considerably. From primary through higher education and business and professional training, there has been a move toward digital and cloud-based delivery methods. Furthermore, the changing demands of business and workforces have resulted in a significant shift in the interaction between adult students and providers of higher education.

The educational technology (EdTech) sector will be worth $680 million by 2027. Much of this will be because of new opportunities for affordable, engaging learning that is being created by mobile technology, cloud services, and virtual reality. From an optimistic standpoint, we may rejoice that the level of education offered in 2024 will be less constrained by where someone lives in the globe and the time they have available to take courses. On the other hand, we must keep in mind that discrepancies in access to information technology provide a new set of obstacles to achieving educational equality.

Even formerly technology-challenged people do not choose to return only to the conventional, in-person lecture. Both students and instructors like the versatility of hybrid and blended learning—the ability to study in synchronous and asynchronous modes. The staff has been compelled to incorporate technology to instruct students, learn, and socialize during the previous two years, so their apprehension of technology and transformation is disappearing. Coding is increasingly being integrated into the education curriculum. The SAT for university admissions in the United States has lately been reduced and digitized, making it easier to undertake and less unpleasant for students.

What are the areas of positive transformation in the education sector?

Following are the areas of positive transformation in the education sector-

1. The future is liquid learning

Face-to-face classroom learning will be supplemented with synchronous and asynchronous educational materials to allow greater flexibility and customization to the learner’s personality and circumstances. Education will significantly influence producing global citizens and improve employability in this changing educational environment.

Even though students prefer to attend classes on campus, hybrid arrangements and diverse online ways of distribution are here to stay. Not just because social separation and cross-border mobility continue to be an issue for regular attendance at face-to-face sessions but also because they produce more significant outcomes than traditional learning. This adaptability will be mirrored in the development and dissemination of information, instructional approaches, and other academic activities, such as recreational activities, which may become partially virtual.

2. Balancing diversity with inclusion and intellectual freedom

Inside the learning institution, we are witnessing the formation of a new partnership contract based on a growing awareness of diversity. Though much progress has been made in the past few decades to advertise and encourage diversity, there is still room for improvement. Embracing diversity entails more than just achieving an equitable balance in the composition of a university’s various stakeholder groups, from the student population to faculty and management.

It also entails demonstrating consensual respect and consideration for others, especially about gender, sexuality, ethnic background, culture, religious practice, ethnicity, and, more broadly, of all worldviews on what constitutes the good life.

3. Blending the humanities, STEM, and data sciences

Higher education must take a comprehensive approach to train the next generation of world citizens. This necessitates studying the humanities, integrating disparate fields of knowledge, offering breadth and reasoning skills, and linking us with people of all ages and cultures.

At the same time, recruiters want a good foundation in technology literacy, data sciences, and technology, and understanding these areas is vital for would-be entrepreneurs. Any remaining illusions regarding a claimed conflict between the humanities and STEM should’ve been eliminated, thanks to scholarly studies and the reality that many great business people and CEOs have backgrounds in the humanities.

Students increasingly desire hands-on job experience as part of their courses, allowing them to start working the first day following graduation, reflecting the needs of recruiters. Incorporating job assignments, consulting projects, internships, and other efforts based on real-world difficulties may help students gain much-needed practical skills.

img-alt;a-boy-taking-admission-in-a-college;Higher education institutions are charged with encouraging student accomplishment and preparing them for competitiveness in the labor market.

Trends in higher education

Social Trends

1. Diversity in higher education students and faculty Higher education institutions are charged with encouraging student accomplishment and preparing them for competitiveness in the labor market. Educators must acknowledge the educational advantages of racial and ethnic variety and endeavor to break down the obstacles that prevent adequate diversity. While many schools and institutions proclaim to provide an explicit commitment to and vision for diversity, only a handful have faithfully walked the walk early on. To summarize, by the 1980s, students of color accounted for 17.33% of all undergraduates (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). However, in the 1990s, higher education institutions appreciated the need to provide adequate training to students from all backgrounds. Consequently, pupils of color in the United States increased to 29.6 percent in 1996. Since then, this figure has steadily risen to 45.2 percent by 2023, a clear testament to the increased diversification initiatives (American Council on Education, 2024). Globalization and immigration, which have introduced rich cultural components and variety to many sectors, including education, are driving growth—no more meaningless platitudes. Every school is currently putting up its best effort to create diversity, not just in student bodies but also in administration. Diversity characteristics can ensure the variability of a student population (Mahlangu, 2022). Aside from the expanding number of students of color, racial and ethnic minorities now hold 23% of higher education posts in the United States (College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, 2020). According to the same source, racial and ethnic minorities are overrepresented in fiscal affairs (28%) but underrepresented in research/health sciences (11 percent ).
2. Mental health awareness According to the American Psychological Association, research on mental diseases among first-year students in eight nations found that 35% suffer from mental illness. Furthermore, in a survey conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, 19.9 million of the 20 million students in 2019 experienced mental health issues (Imagine America Foundation, 2024). Depression, binge eating, anxiety, addictions, and suicide are just a few mental health challenges that today’s college students cannot ignore. As per the American College Health Association (ACHA), 60% and 40% of pupils experienced anxiety and sadness, respectively. This difficulty has prompted schools and universities to develop unique techniques, online tools, and initiatives to raise mental health awareness. Institutions address the challenges early on by providing students with mental health information during orientation meetings. Panelists, role-playing, student testimonies, and short movies are some of the approaches that have been employed. According to studies, delivering mental health treatments is effective in favorably improving students’ behavioral and emotional well-being (O’Brien et al., 2023). Some schools, such as Drexel University, provide free mental health tests to urge students to check their mental health conditions and combat stigma. The university entices students to visit the psychological health kiosk for a short series of questions: “get a checkup from the neck up.”

Technological Trends

1. Embracing artificial intelligence for learning
   • The purpose of technology in education is not just to provide students with knowledge but also to provide access to high-quality instruction.
   • It should assist in overcoming time and geographical barriers to create education opportunities for everybody while fostering creativity, curiosity, and cooperation.
   • Artificial intelligence is one technology that has an enormous potential to accomplish these advantages for higher education (A.I.).
   • A.I. has created quite a stir since its introduction into higher education, owing to the way it is revolutionizing the methods of production in this field.
   • Naturally, there is a lot of hope that this new technology would automate and streamline laborious and time-consuming operations and processes.
   • Many institutions and colleges are already utilizing A.I. to unload time-sensitive academic and administrative chores, increase enrollment, optimize I.T. operations, and improve student learning experiences.
   • The Georgia Institute of Technology, for example, is utilizing A.I. to reduce the workload of academic staff (Korn, 2016).
   • The university employs Jill Watson, a virtual assistant, to react to frequently repeated queries asked by pupils in a master’s-level A.I. program.
   • While artificial intelligence offers limitless potential for higher education institutions, its acceptance in the education industry remains limited (McKinsey Global Institute, 2017).
   • According to a 2022 poll, while university officials are aware of the enormous role A.I. might play within the next 10-15 years, many more are dubious of its deployment.
   • According to studies, just 41% of colleges and universities have defined A.I. strategies in mind.
   • Also, cost remains a big hurdle, which explains why 57 percent of institutions have yet to devote cash for A.I. initiatives (Pells, 2023)
2. Virtual reality for education
   • Many people regard virtual reality (V.R.) as a game-changer in university education. However, it is not surprising that the education sector is predicted to receive the second-highest amount of VR-related expenditures in 2021. Perkinscoie (2021)
   • Because of the benefits that this immersive technology provides to students, instructors are increasingly looking for methods to incorporate V.R. into teaching techniques as it progresses (Yu, Ally, & Tsinakos, 2020).
   • V.R. affordances include improved motivation and engagement, exploratory and contextualized education, and interactive learning possibilities that would otherwise be unavailable.
   • Using V.R. in deep learning, particularly in science and medicine, elicits empathetic reactions that provide students with a viewpoint that has a significant long-term influence.
   • Surprisingly, 78 percent of academic institutions find these benefits too enticing. In 2018, 18% of schools and institutions had widely implemented V.R., 28% had used it to some considerable extent, and 32% were running tests for the new tech (Burroughs, 2018.; Internet2, 2019). These figures are expected to skyrocket in the years ahead as more institutions get on board.
   • For example, Arizona State University employs virtual reality to allow distant students to participate in lab activities as an online biological science degree (Paterson, 2018).
   • Among the other universities employing V.R. in higher education are San Jose State University and the University of Illinois.

img-alt;a-girl-studying-on-a-laptop;As technology progresses, education institutions must adapt, anticipate, and plan for the effect of digitalization on the workforce.

Curriculum Trends

1. More focus on closing the skills gap
   • Mauricio Macri (Argentina’s former president) stated during the G20 conference in 2018 that “the future of employment is a battle between technology and education” (Accenture, 2020).
   • As technology progresses, education institutions must adapt, anticipate, and plan for the effect of digitalization on the workforce.
   • Higher education institutions should focus on shaping prospective employees by imparting information, skills, and competencies that are in demand in labor markets.
   • As a result, there is an urgent need to reinvent degree programs, courses, and curricula, in general, to fulfill the demands of modern learners while keeping up with the changing workforce (Educause Horizon Report, 2020).
   • The 4th Industrial Revolution, propelled by significant breakthroughs in robots, artificial intelligence, and other new technologies, has produced skills shortages across many industries.
   • More specifically, the division of work between computers, algorithms, and people will create 133 million new jobs worldwide by 2022. (World Economic Forum, 2018).
   • Similarly, the influence of technology-driven automation, the complexities of employment processes, and the dispersion of decision-making in today’s working environment contribute to an increase in skills demand throughout business industries and sectors (OECD, 2013, as cited in Wicht et al., 2019).
   • Furthermore, since the most relevant and valuable combination of abilities for each employee shifts, Competency-Based Education (CBE) is gathering steam. CBE assists universities in meeting the requirements of individual students and places a greater emphasis on widening their skill set.
   • Institutions such as Capella University and Western Governors University have renamed so-called learning outcomes as skills rather than monitoring and encouraging the macro-level performance of the institutions. (Fain, 2019)
2. The rise of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
   • Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are open courses available designed for many participants that are free to attend at any time and from any location as long as they have a connection to the internet (Bernadas & Minchella, 2016).
   • MOOCs have acquired a strong presence in the education industry by expanding on the groundwork of popular online courses. This unique notion is now altering the higher model of education.
   • To understand what has driven this disruptive education paradigm to its current prominence, we must first grasp the benefits of MOOCs.
   • Unlike typical online courses, MOOCs have limitless enrollment, fewer criteria, and are available on a worldwide scale.
   • Second, because MOOCs are delivered at a low cost, they are the best option for turning the tide on the skyrocketing expense of education.
   • Another intriguing point is that Standard university semester structures don’t bind MOOCs. This implies that students can begin a program at any moment and at any time.
   • Even better, most of the programs are brief and intensely focused on a single topic. This makes them an appealing option for those who wish to grasp a specific subject better.

Financial Trends

1. A changing pathway for fundraising campaigns
   • That is unfortunate. According to a Donations USA survey, total giving to higher education institutions declined by 3.7 percent in 2018. (Giving USA, 2019).
   • In contrast, overall payments to higher education institutions climbed by 7.2 percent to $46.73 billion. Furthermore, seven schools received at least one grant over $100 million in the same year, the most number of institutions to reach that milestone since 2015.
   • As large capital campaign donations have increased, individual alumni gifts have trended in the other direction. According to Giving USA, while total contributions to schools of higher learning are growing, they are coming from fewer people (Giving USA, 2019).
   • Michael Bloomberg’s landmark $1.8 billion contributions to John Hopkins University epitomizes the shifting giving pattern (Benson, 2019). It marks the dawn of a new practice in which many contributors have withdrawn from contributing, but the minority who are willing to donate are doing so lavishly.
2. The growing need for alternate funding options
   • Higher education institutions in the United States have been significantly reliant on federal support. The precise amount paid by every state for this course might vary considerably.
   • As per the Grapevine report, the state’s budgetary assistance for higher education was over $96.6 billion in 2019/2020, representing a 5.0 percent rise countrywide from 2018/2019. (Grapevine, 2020).
   • This rise turned out to be a ruse for certain state officials. In Alaska, for example, state financing plummeted by a stunning 11.2 percent due to the state government’s decision to reduce the funding to the University of Alaska. Other states that saw a decline in state spending were Hawaii (2.2%) and New York (0.3%). (Grapevine, 2020).
   • State government budget cuts have thrown some schools’ operations into disarray, requiring them to seek funds elsewhere.
   • As the need for funding grows, public institutions and colleges are going back to the drawing board.
   • The purpose is to develop activities that will stimulate the interest of corporations and private entities in funding education. One excellent idea was to enhance the research faculty.
   • Northeastern University, for example, has collaborated with technology entrepreneur David Roux to build The Roux Institute, a graduate education, and research campus.
   • Roux and his wife are investing $100 million to help students improve their understanding of A.I. and machine learning (Northeastern University, 2020).

What’s Next?

• “Never squander a crisis,” as the adage goes, and 2022 appears to be another hectic year for higher ed executives everywhere.
• The industry has been through an extremely challenging two years, with many sacrifices and tough decisions to improve our institutions.
• Now is the moment for our academic establishments to invest and move forward with confidence.
• Technology decisions will be critical in institutions’ capacity to differentiate themselves, provide new chances to educate new learners through creative business strategies, and follow their company’s strategic imperatives.
• Flexible and efficient digital platforms founded on confidence that integrate data and insight in a learner-centric fashion, supported by a thriving ecosphere of providers and competent higher education consumers, will be crucial to success.
• A new era is dawning, and the scene is set for institutions to become “future impact centers” for students, communities, and research.