It’s a challenge keeping up with the changes in the area of information technology in higher education. It seems that a week does not go by without an announcement of a new or updated technology. It is a challenge to keep up and understand how these technologies will impact our teaching and student learning.

In postsecondary education, EDUCAUSE is an important resource. Each year Educause coordinates a panel of experts from higher education, teaching and learning, and technology to help identify the trends, technology, and practices that will impact the future of postsecondary education. The EDUCAUSE Horizon Report Teaching and Learning Edition is the output of this group’s work.

A unique aspect of the 2023 Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition was the focus on the blurring of boundaries between learning modalities and the implications of this for teaching and learning. With face-to-face, on-site, in-person, blended, hybrid, HyFlex, online, remote, distance, and more, institutions and faculty wrestle with the expanded mode and location of course offerings. These expanded modalities can support equity and inclusion goals, bringing postsecondary opportunities to a greater range of students. However, faculty grapple with students lacking reliable access to hardware and software and high-speed internet. Institutions need to design and equip physical spaces appropriate for learning and identify solutions for students to be able to access virtual telepresence technology.

Previous issues of the Horizon Report can provide additional information that help with institutional planning.

Horizon Report – Background Information

EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology (https://www.educause.edu/about/mission-and-organization/our-history).

In support of this mission, EDUCAUSE and its members provide leadership on major issues, help clarify the current environment, document effective practices, and highlight how emerging trends and technologies may influence the evolution of IT in higher education.

As part of support for higher education, Educause publishes the Horizon Report which profiles emerging technologies and practices shaping the future of higher education. The Horizon Report is created by individuals recruited from Educause member institutions. The Horizon Reports are typically organized around trends, technologies, scenarios, and implication essays.

• Trends – Panelists provide input on the trends they believe will impact higher education in the near future.
• Key Technologies and Practices – Panelists are asked to list and describe the key technologies that they think will impact postsecondary education.
• Scenarios – In this section of the report, panelists are asked to envision 4 potential futures based on the trends and technologies identified.
• Implication Essays – The final component is a series of essays drafted by panelists from certain institutions to provide a more concrete idea of these impacts.

References
2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report | Teaching and Learning Edition. 8 May 2023, https://library.educause.edu/resources/2023/5/2023-educause-horizon-report-teaching-and-learning-edition.