Higher education already facilitates greater volume and intensity of online stakeholder interactions than virtually any other sector, but the next two decades will bring exponential demands and ever-accelerating change. Sure, Gen Y is addicted to mobile and social media, but Generation Z will bring the first true “digital natives” to your campus, with heightened expectations for mobile and wearable access to everything from library resources to student services. The rise of work-integrated learning, universal design for learning, online and blended delivery will increasingly mean that the web will provide students with their most crucial ongoing connection to the entire institution. Research projects are rapidly increasingly in scope and scale, involving thousands of investigators spread across the planet, or even crowdsourcing millions of amateur researchers. Every aspect of the campus experience is migrating online, from MOOC lectures and OER textbooks, to online collaborative projects, peer grading, AI tutors, electronic badging and portfolio platforms. Digitization of library resources and museum artifacts, virtualization of the classroom, online simulation environments and gamification will strain campus IT infrastructure and ultimately transform the whole notion of a higher education institution.

Higher ed futurist Ken Steele presents his unique perspective on emerging trends and future scenarios to scores of college and university leadership teams and boards of governors every year. In this dynamic, multimedia-rich keynote, Ken will outline the megatrends in research, pedagogy, student services, demographics, and technology that will transform the campus environment between now and 2036. Be sure to bring your smartphone or tablet, so we can gather some wisdom from the crowd, too!