Innovations that impact on an institution’s ability to maintain a competitive edge

In my view, innovations and trends around online learning will be within the aspect of service. Whether the LMS is traditional or an augmented reality, students yearn for flexibility and continuity while receiving personal and, even, customized service. While technology continues to evolve, higher education is beginning to follow suit in aspects of ubiquity and transparency. Students want an “anytime, anywhere” experience, whether their professors are holograms, teach through conferencing tools like Collaborate, or use gaming strategies. Students will receive easy access to content, instructors, and supporting services. One of the biggest possible trends would be toward a “subscription” service. Millennials are used to Netflix, Overwatch, and Pokémon Go, and would desire the same flexibility for degrees. In a manner similar to what educators call “chunking,” students want the flexibility to binge learn or stop without penalty. The idea of mobility and transferability, both in platform and institution, is one that is not new, but not always widely embraced. Institutions are finding new ways of achieving higher education’s mission without being crippled by constraints or overpowered by greater expectations (Oblinger, 2012). Those boundaries and limitations will be addressed. Soon, students will enjoy the ability to seamlessly transition among multiple screens, cross-platform, or multiplatform in their personal lives and would appreciate the same in their scholarly lives. Lastly, online learning has the ability to be global and diverse. This trend will continue. For example, one of my classes created an online radio station with team members at various locations from around the world. Students in separate locations used social media and online tools for the purposes of design, implementation, analysis, and evaluation of an online radio station while in a mediated environment. Specific expectations involve successful cross-cultural collaboration involving social media for the purposes of communication (Simkowski & Wiggins, 2014). While it may appear that retention would be an issue, it will not. Technology and online programs will allow for tracking individuals throughout the course of their lives. With cooperation, this mindset can easily become more rooted in academia.