In this final episode of the season, we reflect on the future of higher education with Professor Stephen Parker. Over the last 30 years, Stephen has held a number of high-profile roles in the Australian education sector including the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Canberra, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President of the Monash University and Director of Global, Development and Strategy at The Conversation. Most recently, Stephen worked as the Special Adviser at KPMG Australia.

Stephen discusses the history of higher education, why and how funding structures are changing, and the integration of technology with the student experience. Future predictions, philosophic quotes, and more up next on today’s episode of Education Empowered.

Key Takeaways:

• Creatively Engaging with Alumni: Universities are finding creative ways to engage with their alumni, some even piloting free content or guest lecture webinars that relate to the degrees their alumni received. Universities have a large amount of information about each of their students which they could be synthesizing to create up-to-date profiles (information about new jobs and career shifts that person has experienced) 10+ years after graduation. Then you could leverage this data to market to the needs and possible future goals they already have. 
• A Shift in the Way Education is Funded: When education is prohibitively expensive and students aren’t able to appreciate the value of in-classroom learning, reform to the way that education is funded needs to happen. Education is starting to see more buy-in and funding from government and businesses who see the need to invest in the most valuable resource of all, human capital. 
• The Power of AI in Higher Education: As the abilities of artificial intelligence advance, their use in education reaches way beyond a conversation about HOW students are being taught, all the way down to WHAT students will be taught and get a degree for. The argument of practicality and applicable use of higher education versus the more academic, study for study’s sake continues. Certain highly educated fields may be rendered at least partially useless in the coming decades.  

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If you enjoyed this episode, and want to explore these topics in greater detail, be sure to check out the second edition of Salesforce.org’s Connected Student Report. The survey includes insights from more than 2,000 students and staff across 10 countries about student and staff wellbeing, career readiness, flexible learning options, and so much more! You can find the report at sfdc.co/connectedstudentreport.