What will the digital learning environment look like in just ten short years? Think about it—high school students graduating today will live that future and be the ones entering the digital “classroom” as newly minted PhD’s in 2029. But what will the digital teaching and learning environment be like? How do institutions prepare for that digital future and, perhaps more importantly, how do they influence the future in ways that allow them to evolve to meet the changing demands from students, faculty, parents, employers, regulators and a host of others?
There is no question that technology will play a major role in the future of education. But, it can be argued that technology by itself only provides the tools for building that future, not the reason itself. To reimagine the future of digital learning, we must understand the reasons and drivers pushing higher education to change. There is perhaps no greater drive to change than building a future focused on student success.
Three distinguished speakers will look into the future and provide their views of the factors driving this change. Dale Allen from the DXtera Institute will kick off the discussion by describing how institutions can impact student outcomes through greater and more efficient access to information that allows greater insights into successful teaching and learning. Laura Rendon, Professor Emerita from the University of Texas-San Antonio will talk about the factors that impact student success through themes such as the importance of validating students and the need for an asset-based framework with the goal of building an inclusive culture of student success that includes all learners. Clark Shah-Nelson from the University of Maryland School of Social Work will speak of the importance of non-traditional approaches, such as micro-credentialing, and how adopting these approaches will allow institutions to be more agile in meeting the needs of both teachers and learners.
Join us as Ashford University and OLC explore these topics on June 4th at OLC Collaborate – San Diego.