8 Teaching & Learning trends set to reshape Higher Education in 2015

From MOOCs to mobile learning, the past few years have seen the rise of plenty of new
learning technologies and approaches with the potential to revolutionise traditional higher
education. So far, the revolution has been less than total but with external policy pressures
now bearing even more strongly on Australian universities, have we reached critical mass?
We asked some of the experts due to speak at the Future of Learning in Higher Education
Summit in February to bring out their crystal balls and predict the most dramatic shifts in
teaching and learning in 2015.

1. Growing focus on employability.

As the global economy struggles to keep pace with the volume of graduates, were going to
see the value of learning linked even more strongly to employability, says Andrew
McAuley, DVC (Education) at Southern Cross University. According to Shelley Kinash,
Director of Learning & Teaching at Bond University, the shift has already commenced.
There is widespread awareness that rates of graduate employment are the lowest in 20
years, she notes. With graduate employability a heightened focus, the challenge for
teaching and learning is to embed employability strategies into the curriculum and culture
from the first semester of a students enrolment.

2. Diverse and personalised course offerings.

Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, Vice Chancellor of the University of Bath (UK), predicts
that we will see increasing diversity of types of programme: in forms of inter-disciplinarity,
in means of delivery, length of course, in the integration of mobility for staff and students
during programmes, etc. This diversity, our experts note, will allow an equally diverse
student population with differing priorities to shape their own personalised learning
experiences. Students will choose study mode as well as subjects, says Margaret Jollands,
an OLT Project Leader based at RMIT University, making personalised learning the biggest
trend of 2015.

3. Study on demand.
Similarly, study will need to fit in around the work, family and extra-curricular commitments
of increasingly time-poor students. Were going to see more flexible delivery, with students
accessing education programs in and around their working and personal lives, says Susan
Young, Dean of Students at Victoria University. This reflects the trend away from full-time
on-campus students and the increase in the hours students are working.
4. Small group learning.
I think well see a shift back to small group and tutorial teaching, says Michelle Lincoln, a
Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. Content will largely
be delivered on-line and replaced with high quality small group face to face enquiry based
learning and teaching.

5. Credit for experience.

The focus on student learning outcomes has led to conversations about assessment of
learning in multiple settings, says US speaker Diane Lee, Vice Provost and Dean of
Undergraduate Education at the University of Maryland (Baltimore County). In addition to
continued innovation and assessment informed by technology, I believe we will see more
options for computing credit for experience. With competency-based education, service
learning, internships, study abroad, and such, I think the trend is toward more doing and
directly applying learning while in college; it is no longer about persons in seats, listening to
the learned pontificate.
 6. From teacher to team.
Alison Sheridan, PVC (Academic) at the University of New England, predicts a shift in the
teacher role. Due to changes in how we facilitate student learning, she says, we will
likely see a move away from a single academic expert to a team of collaborators with
different skills.
7. Casualisation of the teaching workforce.
In a further step away from the traditional god-professor model, Marina Harvey, an OLT
National Fellow based at Macquarie University, expects to see a continued or even
increased reliance on sessional staff. Geoff Crisp, DVC (Academic) at RMIT University,
agrees that we can expect to see teaching being outsourced more often to sessionals or
contract academics. Continuing or tenured academic positions are likely to become
increasing rare, and five-year academic appointments will become more common.
8. Competition from private providers.
Alec Cameron, DVC (Education) at the University of Western Australia, predicts that 2015
will see the further emergence of non-traditional competitors for universities, especially
private providers. The non-university higher education sector already currently accounts for
8% of the undergraduate student market, and particularly if government plans to extend
support to private providers go through it will be looking to significantly increase that
percentage in 2015. The onus will be on public universities to convince students of the
continued relevance and value of a comprehensive university education.

To join the discussion on leading change in teaching and learning, join us at the 2nd annual
Future of Learning in Higher Education Summit, 16-17 February 2015 at the UNSW CBD
Campus, Sydney. V