Gartner Inc. has highlighted the Top 10 technologies that higher education CIOs should have on their radar this year, especially as they look to enhance their competitive advantage and support emerging business models.
“Institutions looking to thrive in the expanding education ecosystem must leverage technology early on that enables them to become more innovative,” said Glenda Morgan, senior research director at Gartner.
The top 10 strategic technologies impacting higher education in 2019 are:
Next-Generation Security and Risk Management
There are a variety of factors — global regulatory compliance, growing Internet of Things (IoT) landscape, expanding software as a service (SaaS) portfolio, that are starting to force higher education institutions to address security and risk matters with a multidimensional strategy.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conversational Interface
AI conversational interfaces are a subset of conversational user interfaces (CUIs), in which user and machine interactions occur in the user’s spoken or written natural language. CUIs place responsibility on the machine interface to learn what the user wants, rather than the user having to learn the software, saving user time, increasing student satisfaction, and being available to use 24/7.
Smart Campus
A smart campus is a physical or digital environment in which humans and technology-enabled systems interact to create more immersive and automated experiences for university stakeholders. Smart campus initiatives are still in the early stages, but there has been a rising interest across higher education institutions.
Predictive Analytics
Predictive analytics use historical data to recognize patterns and assess likely outcomes using statistical or machine learning techniques. They can assist in everything from calculating student demand for a certain course or identifying students at risk of failing, dropping out or transferring.
Nudge Tech
Nudge tech is a collection of technologies like cloud, mobile, social and data, that work together to achieve timely personalized interaction with students, staff and faculty, such as a just-in-time text (SMS) reminder for class.
Digital Credentialing Technologies
Digital credentials are a natural evolution from traditional credentials in eliminating fraud. The maturity of technologies like blockchain and data encryption, coupled with the evolution of professional networking sites, are driving a change in the delivery of higher education credentials. Students, faculty and the higher education institutions they are a part of are starting to expect the ability to quickly and freely exchange credentials to enhance the verification and recruitment process.
Hybrid Integration Platforms
Educational institutions are increasingly adopting cloud-based business applications, resulting in a hybrid portfolio of cloud and on-premises systems. Adding to the complexity of the multiple integration capabilities that the hybrid approach requires is the presence of the educational institution’s customer relationship manager (CRM) and learning management system (LMS) tools. A hybrid integration platform (HIP) leverages the best in-the-cloud and on-premises integration approaches, and is rapidly becoming the reference framework for next-generation integration infrastructure.
Career Software
The importance of career software has peaked globally as educational institutions become increasingly accountable for their students’ outcomes after graduation. “Historically, career software was found in the career offices in professional schools, such as business or engineering, but we are seeing institutions explore the option of deploying a single enterprise level career-focused tool,” said Ms. Morgan. “The market for career software is large and diversified, so universities must take the time to invest in the tools that fit its needs and specific ecosystem.”
Student Cross-Life Cycle CRM
Student cross-life cycle CRMs create a campus-wide, 360-degree view of a student across his or her major educational phases, beginning with precollege and moving through prospect, applicant, enrolled, graduated and alumni statuses. Historically, most higher education CRM deployments have been driven from the functional needs of individual departments without enabling a single view of the student.
Wireless Presentation Technologies
Wireless presentation technologies allow users to project material from a computer or mobile device onto a screen using a wireless network, rather than hard-wired connections like a projector. Wireless presentation technologies are likely to become more important, as higher education institutions move to bring your own device (BYOD) and as the use of mobile technologies, such as tablets, increases.
For more information, visit: www.gartner.com
