I’ve had a great time teaching at USC’s MBA program for the past eight years. During that time the impact technology has had on students, teachers and higher education has been an incredible. However, I believe the biggest changes are yet to come. Here are three technology paradigm shifts I believe will transform K12 education and universities.
1. “IOT” - The Connected Campus
Every aspect of the student’s daily life is becoming more connected to the operation of the campus. For example, when the student arrives on campus, leaves a class, uses a laptop, buys lunch, etc. is all/will be connected to the management and predictive analysis of the campus-wide environment. This is why the IT department will become even a more powerful organizational influencer in the future. Because, every solution/product/device used on campus will have to be able to “talk” to the connected campus. Solutions that don’t will be rendered obsolete.
2. “EaaS” - Education as a Service
Across society, the balance of power has shifted from the “institution” to the “individuals” who use the institution’s services. In regard to education, this has made both parents and students more demanding of the education services provided. While the value system of education has always been based on a competition for academic excellence (school rankings, core test scores, etc.), now the key measurement criteria is shifting to the students/parents themselves. The use of technology, in the classroom, throughout campus, and as provided to the students and parents for use at home, will play an even more important role in this new customer satisfaction rating system. Educational institutions (and educators) that don’t keep up with technology will be considered obsolete by the “Individuals.”
3. “AI” - Artificial Intelligence as a Teaching Tool
Teachers have taught and scored student performance in the same basic way for decades. A big change is coming through the use of AI to augment the teachers’ bandwidth, abilities, and provide a completely customized student learning experience. For example, essays in the future will be critiqued and graded by an AI assistant prior to submission to the teacher. The student will present class projects to the AI assistant as well. This is beginning to happen now and sometime in the not so distant future students will spend more time interacting with these assistants than their teachers.
About the Author:
Steve W. Martin is the foremost expert on “Sales Linguistics,” the study of how customers use language during the complex decision-making process. His latest book is titled Heavy Hitter I.T. Sales Strategy: Competitive Insights from Interviews with 1,000+ Key Information Technology Decision Makers and Top Technology Salespeople. Steve is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review and teaches at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business MBA Program. You can learn more about Steve at www.stevewmartin.com.
