A report by Destiny Solutions on the nature of
higher education indicates that future changes are likely and at a much more
rapid pace than what has been experienced in the past. Over the past thousand
years higher education has not changed much but in the past 20 years has
capitalized on technology to create a much more transformational environment. This
environment requires new tools to master and organizations are in the process
of developing these tools. The very paradigm by which colleges operate is
starting to change create new possibilities and hazards.
The demographics of the student have changed. A
total of 73% of students are considered non-traditional in that they are
generally not fresh out of high school and may hold a job. Some of them work
part time. The trend in non-traditional students appears to be continuing and
colleges will need to adjust their practices to meet these unique needs.
At present there are over 9 million adults over the
age of 25 enrolled in college. There is a latent market of up to 80 million
non-traditional students that may be interested in going back to school to earn
degrees, update skills, and obtain certificates. There are approximately 6,900
accredited higher education entities within the United States and students are
no longer bound to a few in their area.
Higher education is seen as a service to many of the
78% of shoppers who use online services and shopping. They expect the same
levels of service and quality as they might find in a number of other services.
This connection between higher education and the service industry will create
new challenges for colleges that are working under older paradigms. Students
will browse and research available college education ranging from MOOCS to full
educational programs.
The report suggests a number of new improvements are
necessary for colleges:
Search
Engine Optimization: 60% of students search online for
information about colleges.
Rich
Experience: Once students have found a potential
college they will need to have a rich experience that draws them from the
website to enrollment.
Personalization:
The students desire to personalize their experience and colleges should start
considering their needs to be unique in an online environment. Personalization
encourages 70% of shoppers to make purchases.
Trustworthy
and secure: 52% of data breaches that involved
hackers were in higher education. Such universities will need to protect their
data from theft or misuse.
After reviewing this report it does become apparent
that education is beginning to adjust their approaches to the high data and
high convenience needs of its customers. Such colleges are no longer bound by
specific locations or time frames. Yet students are seeking higher quality and
service within their experiences. Making the information easy to find, creating
personalized and interactive college experiences, and protecting student
data/research from misuse are important. However, it is also important to
consider the potential of integrating service related research into the design
of online educational practices and its potential on student retention and
success. Service and IT management research is available for integration and
capitalization.
You may obtain a copy of the report HERE
