Earlier this month, Panopto traveled to the 2023 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference in Chicago to join higher education professionals and technology providers worldwide.

 We connected with our current customers, learned about the latest trends in education and technology, met new folks excited about Panopto, and reflected on the future of higher education.

 There were plenty of opportunities to learn. From poster sessions to center-stage keynote speakers, networking, and the vast exposition hall, EDUCAUSE burst with insights, energy, and excitement.

Here are Panopto’s four takeaways from EDUCAUSE 2023:

1. Generative AI is changing how we learn–and think about learning.

An agent of technological change is here, and it’s impacting everything.

Yet aligning AI use cases to institutional goals remains difficult. What are the implications for students, faculty, and administrators–from functionality to ethics, risks, and tools? 

This year, AI was a central theme at EDUCAUSE, from new product innovation to strategy discussions and tech case studies. Unpacking AI understanding, ethical dilemmas, data governance best practices, and technology discovery took center stage at the conference–and remains top-of-mind for higher education decision-makers in the post-chat GPT era.

2. Data that drives insights is critical for institutional sustainability.

Data that drives insights–from student behavior to performance, predictive analytics, academics and advising, and operational efficiency–is becoming increasingly critical to higher-education decision-makers and strategists.

The role of data is becoming more evident, but the methodologies employed and the technologies used are still up for debate. To increase value and effectiveness, institutions need to adopt a culture of data to make meaningful decisions and design effective strategies, supporting enrollment, student interventions, course and faculty effectiveness, and more.

3. Institutions must prove their worth to new student models today.

Student identity is changing. The demographics of students have shifted, and colleges serve more nontraditional students than ever–including working people, parents, first-generation students, and immigrants.

The new student model pressures institutions to adapt, providing flexible learning opportunities and environments spanning new modalities, micro-credentialing and skill certification, and more asynchronous coursework. And this means providing students with universal access to learning opportunities and services to meet them where they are.

4. It’s time to make virtual and asynchronous learning more collaborative.

With the rise in new modalities for learning online, institutions grapple with a central dilemma of next-generation classrooms: how to make digital classrooms and learning models more collaborative?

From better technological integrations with virtual conferencing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams to new workflow pedagogy and content best practices, institutions design new models for socialized learning even in digital spaces.

These models are reflected not just in institutional best practices but in greater demand for technological innovation that fosters team-based learning, collaboration, and higher frequencies of instructor analysis and feedback.

Don’t miss these video learning trends.

Video learning remains integral to any institution’s future flexible learning strategy, whether through new emphases on AI, data, or collaboration.

Many takeaways from this year’s EDUCAUSE aligned with our 2023 Video Trends in Higher Education report findings. For example, institutions must consider new student-centric approaches to learning that provide global students with flexible access to courses and content.

See you next year. 

Many thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth. We received much feedback and enjoyed discussing all things higher education, technology, and video learning. The conference helped us better understand what institutions need most.

 

Panopto is the leader in innovative video learning.

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