1) Video: Video is of course, a necessity to maximize student engagement and interaction. Live video conferencing software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet will continue to be used. More higher education institutions will begin to understand that it isn’t just important to use online video, but it is vital to use it well. Simply replicating the face-to-face time with live online video is not professional online instruction and instead is a better definition of emergency remote learning. More online instructors will start to see that what they need to do is use a mixture of synchronous (live interaction like Zoom) and asynchronous (on one’s own time interaction like stand-alone videos and online forum/message boards) instructional methods.
More and more instructors will also see the extended power of video and use it for not only student to instructor, student to student, and student to content interaction, but also for student creation equaling content mastery. Allowing for less live video conferencing and more mixed synchronous/asynchronous instruction will also be seen as helping with “Zoom Fatigue” general online burnout and increase learning motivation and create a better online learning experience (Anders, 2020a; Morgan, 2020).
2) Community of Inquiry/Learning Community: Along with properly using video online (mixing both synchronous and asynchronous modalities) more online instructors and institutions will start to learn the importance (practically a necessity) of establishing a good online community of inquiry/learning community. Beyond the proven advantages of using the Community of Inquiry Model (Anders, 2017; Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 1999) such as enhanced interactions and learning experiences, actively helping students to cooperate with one another and obtain social connectedness online through a “real” online learning community greatly helps students’ mental health and general wellbeing (MacPhee, 2020). More schools will start to do more to ensure opportunities for students to get together online and interact beyond individual class learning. Instructors can help by doing simple things like having small periodic group projects and encouraging students to make outside private social groups for the class (like a Facebook Group page). This can greatly enhance a course’s sense of learning community.
3) Active Learning: Continuing with a similar theme to the first two predictions/trends, online active learning will gain in popularity as instructors/facilitators improve their instructional capabilities and students demand more than simply online lecture videos and multiple-choice tests. Beyond the most powerful tool of live active video discussions, many tools such as live polling, use of live breakout rooms, allowing students to create/present their own video content, and the presentation of questions (requiring students to select an answer) within stand-alone online instructional videos are easily available to instructors so that online learning can be active learning. This ties in and correlates well with the EDUCAUSE Horizon Report’s own emerging trend dealing with the growing understanding of the importance of instructional design and learning engineering to ensure proper student-centered instruction to maximize students’ educational experiences (Brown, et al., 2020).
4) Artificial Intelligence (AI): With continuing advancements in student facial expression (emotion/behavior) – engagement detection, drop-out predictions, improvements in math and languages instruction, instructional content personalization, and at-risk student engagement, use of Artificial Intelligence in education has continued to rise and will keep becoming better and used by more educational organizations (Chen, Xie, & Hwang, 2020). Additional developments such as intelligent tutoring systems across multiple domains such as science (like math, application development, and health care), English, and even art will also continue to push the use of AI in 2021 (Al Rekhawi, 2020; Kochmar, et al., 2020; Randhawa, & Jackson, 2020; Williford, et al., 2020). The use of AI for automated essay grading also continues to improve, prompting greater interest and implementation (Aldea, Haller, & Luttikhuis, 2020; Hendre, et al., 2020).
5) Extended Reality (XR: includes virtual and augmented reality): As predicted last year (Anders, 2020b), virtual reality headsets have exploded in popularity, with the Oculus Quest dominating the market (Hamilton, 2020). In fact, it is in such high demand that the exhilarating virtual reality headset has been out of stock for the last few months and is only now starting to become available again at stores such as Wal-Mart and Amazon (Order an Oculus Quest for $479.99 through Amazon).
XR continues to grow in educational applications through multiple ways such as language acquisition, chemistry explanation, simulated laboratories, history reenactments, VR field trips, and virtual campus visits (Coleman, 2020). Research specifically done on the use of virtual reality in teaching medical subjects, indicated improvements in efficacy and performance (Polce, et al., 2020). Literature reviews on the use of VR in education across multiple subjects found positive results as well (Hamilton, et al., 2020; Radianti, et al., 2020).
6) Added Value of Higher Education: For higher education to properly flourish in the future, it will need to fully express the added value that it brings to individual students. Focusing specifically on a well-rounded liberal arts education, universities will need to properly articulate how a full degree not only helps the student gain all the current and future needed hard-skills for their chosen profession, but also helps them master priceless soft-skills such as critical/creative thinking, teamwork, professional communication, empathy, and general emotional intelligence that businesses desperately need (Gately, 2020). Additionally, universities will need to integrate full credentialing (such as any needed technical certifications/licensing) and focus on guaranteeing post graduations job placement.
7) 5G Will Revolutionize the Internet and Education: As 5G connectivity starts to roll out across the world the unbelievable jump on connectivity will drastically affect all aspects of the internet and education along with it. Right now, a really good/excellent internet speed is about 100 megabits per second, but with 5G you’ll be able to reach connectivity of up to 10 gigabits per second (Bernstein, 2020)! Imagine what can and will be done regarding video communications, virtual reality, and even hologram utilization for educational purposes. Universities that want to succeed in 2021 must plan for and fully capitalize on what having 5G connectivity will bring to the student learning experience.
That wraps up my predictions for higher education in 2021. What are your thoughts/observations for what we will see in 2021 and why do you think that? Please share with the rest of our learning community below.
References
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