The COVID pandemic made so many industries including Higher Education hard press fast forward and embrace so many innovations. Established technologies such as video conferencing, QR codes, and delivery services saw massive adoption and usage which is still lingering past the peak of the pandemic. With this stage set in place, what mobile innovations lie ahead for the higher education industry?
The Mobile University Experience
An all-encompassing university mobile experience would ideally merge all aspects of the students’ life into one app. If commuting to campus, the app will recommend where to park with information based on real-time availability. A summary of the day will be the first thing to show up on the application with a list of the day’s courses, assignment deadlines, study groups, and campus life events. From the campus life angle, students will input their personal interests and the application will customize event suggestions based on previously shared interests, fields of study, and what are their friends attending. Campus services such as alumni mentoring, tutoring, career services, and wellness will be easy to find, connect and reserve a time if necessary. The student identification card should be seeing its end and be fully replaced by mobile devices. Anything from access to buildings, services, and information should be replaced by mobile devices. This is only the beginning of what is possible.
Permission is Key
The continuing intersection and blending of our digital and physical worlds pose privacy threats. Universities should continue furthering investments in privacy and data protection as ransomware attacks in higher education unfortunately become more common. Laws such as FERPA will need to be updated to make a true digital university ecosystem possible.
Just The Beginning
Education and the technologies supporting it are always evolving. Are universities truly ready to evolve the classroom beyond four walls? When will online learning be indistinguishable from in-person learning? We are just scratching the surface of what is possible. When will artificial intelligence impact faculty work and provide a custom learning experience?
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