McKinsey & Company has released a research report that showcases how technology has been shaping the higher educational field, revealing students and faculty are eager to continue using classroom learning technologies adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, but institutions could do more to support the shift.
The report looked at various areas of how technology has impacted higher education by surveying 600 faculty members and 800 students from public and private colleges and universities across the United States.
Some of the technologies that were looked at and discussed in the study included the use of augmented reality, machine learning-powered teaching assistants, group work tools, AI courses, and tech that enables connectivity and community building.
The survey found that lack of awareness was the top reason new learning tools have not been adopted, with 43 percent of respondents saying that was their biggest barrier to using learning tech. The survey also found that 81 percent of faculty believe that the adoption of new technologies would help in the classroom learning environments.
Some of the key takeaways from the study for higher ed institutions include the following:
- It’s important for administration leaders, IT, and faculty to agree on what they want to accomplish by using a particular learning technology.
- Factor in student access to technology before deployment.
- High-quality support eases adoption for students and faculty.
- Agree on impact metrics and start measuring in advance of deployment.
“Despite the growing pains of digitizing the classroom learning experience, faculty and students believe there is a lot more they can gain,” the report said. “Faculty members are optimistic about the benefits, and students expect learning to stay entertaining and efficient.”
