Page 24 - Campus Technology, January/February 2020

VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE
EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY goes be- yond the classroom. Increasingly, the tech that supports teach- ing and learning must factor in the bigger picture of a student’s entire pathway through college, from individual course all the way to graduation and handoff to a career. So when we talked to three higher education and tech- nology leaders about the ed tech trends to watch this year, their responses reflected that broader view of what’s important for to- day’s students. From extended reality to predictive analytics and industry partnerships, here’s what they told us about today’s top issues in ed tech.
1) WORKFORCE READINESS
Bridget Burns: I expect to see more colleges think about how data and technology can help to address the “communica- tions gap” we face in the tran- sition from college to careers. We need useful and effective solutions to help support col-
OUR PANELISTS
leges in their quest to communicate what their graduates know and can do. In an era of LinkedIn profiles and digital credentials, the analog transcript is a woefully insufficient way to translate educa- tional experiences into searchable workplace skills. I expect we’ll see more institutions tap technologies like digital badges or even virtual internships to bridge the gap.
Ernie Perez: I think we need to keep a lookout for what is hap- pening with the micro-credentialing space. For instance, recently edX announced that it would be offering MicroBachelors to help adult learners progress in their careers. This is on top of the many MicroMasters that already exist within edX and other similar plat- forms. These micro-credentials will be stackable and will have
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | Jan/Feb 2020
Bridget Burns
Executive Director
University Innovation Alliance
James Frazee
Chief Academic Technology Officer and Associate Vice President, Instructional Technology Services San Diego State University
Ernie Perez
Director, Educational Technology, Digital Learning & Innovation Boston University