Dec 15, 2021

12/15/2021 | 02:29pm EST Message : *Required fields Higher education is facing a new normal. Institutions that were initially structured to rally againstrapid change by anchoring society in historic principles are now being asked to do something they're not natively designed to do: adapt fast. Globally across our partners, 2U sees how universities are overcoming turbulence in a pandemic world. They are investing in designing long-term, comprehensive approaches to digital education that go beyond offering "remote learning" in order to accelerate the innovation curve and survive in the current and future competitive landscape. Earlier this year, I made the case for why a digital transformation strategy is an imperative for universities, now more than ever. On a recent keynote panel for this year's European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Global Annual Conference , I offered my perspective on how universities can embrace this imperative in a way that minimizes risk, maximizes opportunity, and meets student needs, market demand, and institutional sustainability. To an international audience of leaders from the worlds of education, business, and management development, I proposed that universities can best prepare for the future by developing an intentional digital strategy founded upon four core pillars. 1. High Quality Universities have done a masterful job of teaching learners face-to-face; it's their hallmark and their legacy. But today's new normal compels universities to examine how they can still achieve great outcomes but apply different, more future-forward inputs. Higher education is at the forefront of gathering and implementing the latest in learning science. Universities are actively in the process of determining how students learn differently online, and what those "a-ha" cues and measures of success are, so that they can purposefully design curriculum for online learning experiences that drive the same quality student outcomes that they've achieved on the ground. The burning question is, can higher education turn these inputs on their side with different toolsets and pedagogies-and with a more thoughtful and precise balance of synchronous and asynchronous content-to drive that same level of success? To determine the answer, I encourage universities to spend substantive time honing in on a conclusive definition of what quality means to them, such that they can continue to deliver the same caliber of education their students have come to expect, just through new technology-driven modes, modalities, and media. Attachments