The New Media Consortium (NMC) has released its annual report, which is a collaboration between NMC and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. The document, titled NMC Horizon Report > 2016 Higher Education Edition (there are other editions for different levels of schooling, in addition to one for libraries), is based on yearly findings from the ongoing NMC Horizon Project. The Project identifies and examines those emerging technologies that are most likely to have a significant effect on learning and teaching in the future, particularly as they relate to creative inquiry. Through these findings, the report zeroes in on the key trends, developments, and challenges in educational technology, over both the short-term and the long-term. The report is intended for not just educators and technology experts, but also administrators and other leaders in higher education.
The 2016 edition identifies the following key issues in technology and higher education.
Trends
Short-Term Impact
- Increased emphasis on measuring learning
- More use of blended learning models
Mid-Term Impact
- Reconfiguring learning spaces
- Moving to deeper approaches to learning
Long-Term Impact
- Promoting cultures of innovation
- Reconsidering how institutions function
Developments in Technology
Near-Term (1 year or less)
- Bring your own device
- Learning analytics and adaptive technology
Mid-Term (2-3 years)
- Augmented and virtual reality
- Makerspaces
Far-Term (4-5 years)
- Affective computing
- Robotics
Challenges
Solvable
- Mixing formal and informal learning
- Increasing digital literacy
Difficult
- Competing educational models
- Personalization of learning
Wicked
- Balancing “wired” and “unwired” lives
- Ensuring that education remains vital
To access the full report, go here.