Higher Ed Translations

Over the next few months, I’ll be writing a series about contemporary topics (industry, leadership, culture, etc.) and will be translating them to the world of higher education. So often, I read articles or attend webinars/livestream events that have tremendous value but aren’t targeted to the higher education audience and the work being done in that space. I hope you enjoy this approach, and I am excited to start this journey with you! ~Jamie

Higher Ed Translation no. 1 – “The Age of the Individual” (Penny Wilson, Hootsuite)

I recently attended a livestream event hosted by Hootsuite called, The Future of Social. It was a FANTASTIC event and featured some incredible speakers who explained trends and movements that we could expect within industry as we move into the future. One of my favorite speakers of the event was Penny Wilson (CMO, Hootsuite), who predicted that the next big movement in consumer behavior would be, “The Age of the Individual.” While we don’t often like to consider students/learners consumers, the simple fact is -- they are. There is no doubt about it. They come to higher education with consumer expectations that have, in many ways, shaped our very culture. With so many options for learning experiences readily available, higher education must consider the needs of its “consumer learners” in order to stay relevant and retain value for those it serves and, thereby, industry at large.

In her presentation, Penny identified four areas for “The of Age of the Individual,” which include:

·        The Future of Customer Experience

·        The Future of Content

·        The Future of Advertising

·        The Future of Data

Let’s take a look at how the first two translate to higher education.

The Future of Customer Experience

“Customers expect an authentic and personalized relationship with the brands or the influencers they speak to.” – Penny Wilson

Over the last decade, we have seen a huge shift in higher education with a tremendous increase in the adult learner population who have embraced online education as a means to obtain degrees and certificates while managing real-world life obligations. Many institutions are growing their online offerings to meet this increased demand. Yet, consumer learners aren’t coming to the learning experience with traditional education expectations. They want a consumer level experience, which, according to Penny’s prediction for industry, will be more intimate than just being a part of the online learning masses. Instant messaging on mobile devices, and immediate contact with highly-personalized interaction between learners and “representatives” of the institution will be an important component of the learner experience. In this scenario, size (large online programs) and consumer expectations don’t necessarily align. Penny explains that artificial intelligence will need to be integrated into consumer experiences in order to meet expectations for highly-personalized interactions while affording companies the ability to grow and scale at the same time. In order to meet consumer expectations and stay competitive within the industry of learning, higher education will need to embrace artificial intelligence as part of the 21st century learner experience. What might this look like?

Students will engage with “representatives” (human or AI) from all elements of the institution seamlessly through a mobile message platform rather than having to call and be transferred to different departments, or directed to various resources on a full website. Questions and concerns through the assistance of AI will be addressed in this message platform quickly and personally, making the experience exceptionally valuable to the consumer. From the student perspective:

I might be at a BIG institution (or in a BIG class), but I want to feel like I’m your only student.

This will be the expectation for a highly personalized and individualized customer experience in higher education in the future.

The Future of Content

Along the same lines, the “Future of Content” for higher education will take a similar shift by moving from general content for a typical class to relaying all learning content in a way that is personally relevant to each student, his/her interests, career path etc. This would be a large shift from the educational experience many of us had ourselves in school. Essentially, learning will be individualized by how it is related to each student’s focus, or perhaps even their prior learning experiences. In her presentation, Penny referenced the Netflix announcement about the ability for customers to choose their own ending, which reflects this shift to highly personalized content. Based on this advancement, it would not be unreasonable to think that in the future learners might choose from a variety of ways to view lesson content in order to learn in a way that resonates most authentically with them. Individualized learning experiences at scale will happen by leveraging technology and artificial intelligence with human interaction and ingenuity, and may well be the future chapter of higher education’s story.

While we often think of industry when we consider shifts in consumer behaviors or advancements in technology, we must also consider the pipeline that helps prepare individuals for their work within industry. This pipeline includes higher education. Higher education must be able to keep pace with the rate of change experienced outside its brick or virtual walls in order to remain a relevant and valuable asset to learners and industry alike.

Reference:

Wilson, P. (2018, October). The age of the individual. Livestream presented at Hootsuite The Future of Social event, New York, NY.