Contributing Editor: Mark McCormack, Senior Director of Analytics & Research, EDUCAUSE
EDUCAUSE is helping institutional leaders, technology professionals, and other staff address their pressing challenges by gathering and sharing data. This report is based on an EDUCAUSE QuickPoll. QuickPolls enable us to rapidly gather, analyze, and share input from our community about specific emerging topics.
As stakeholders translate intention into action, data indicate that senior technology leaders feel more optimistic about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) progress than do middle management and frontline staff.
As institutions and IT units increasingly focus on building resilience, leadership training and cross-unit collaboration will be critical for success. Resilience in higher education as a whole will depend on greater equity across institutions.
The majority of higher education institutions and the units within them have now developed strategic plans and goals related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Stakeholders are asking leaders to move from aspiration to action, translating intentions into tangible outcomes.
The transformation of learning spaces is ubiquitous among higher education institutions. IT leaders can provide essential support for driving transformation toward more inclusive and effective learning spaces on their campuses.
A sizable wave of staff departures is headed toward higher education. Staff cite either institutional or personal reasons for staying or leaving, suggesting a range of institutional strategies for attracting and retaining talent.
Campus leaders are beginning to explore leveraging analytics as a vehicle for supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Critical steps include identifying barriers and engaging in collaboration that brings together experts across disciplines: DEI, analytics, data literacy, and strategy.
Extended reality (XR) adoption in higher education is expected to increase, both as a strategic priority for institutions and as a response to broader market growth for these technologies. Alignment to institutional missions and partnerships with faculty will be key for successful XR implementation.
Students’ experiences with educational technology underscore the importance of creating flexible and equitable learning environments. Leveraging recent surges in digital transformation can help higher education get there.
In a recent QuickPoll survey, EDUCAUSE asked IT professionals about vaccination-tracking plans for faculty, staff, and students at their institutions for the 2021–2022 academic year.
