What We Can Learn From the Evolution of Education Technology

While today one would consider distance education to be synonymous with virtual education, the origins of distance learning far predate the internet. In the United States, the first institutionally sponsored distance education program began in 1874 at Illinois Wesleyan University. They offered external degrees to non-local students to expand the reach of higher education, but the term “distance education” wasn’t officially coined until 1892 by the University of Wisconsin - Madison.¹ In both instances, courses were conducted through letter writing; instructors would send a letter with learning materials and assignment prompts, and students would respond by sending their work through the postal service. What today can happen in a matter of seconds through tools like Zoom, Google Classroom, and learning management systems (LMS) would sometimes take over two weeks in the 19th century.

Higher education institutions have been instrumental in developing countless technologies that have not only improved academia, but have also had an incredible impact on daily life. In 1960 the University of Illinois Urbana Champagne was responsible for developing the operating system PLATO, meaning “Programmed Logic for Automated Teaching Operations.” PLATO is the origin of the LMS, first being used for instruction at Orange Coast College in 1963.

This incredible technology had implications far beyond the classroom — PLATO set the stage for a series of advancements throughout the 60s and 70s that ultimately led to the development of the internet. In 1993, computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee released the code for the first web browser and editor, altering human communication and academia forever. LMSs could grow in complexity and utility, and as more students gained access to the internet, the possibilities for distance learning were seemingly endless.

Each of these advancements contributed to the development of future technology that helped colleges and universities operate during COVID-19. Yet the pandemic also brought to light the higher education processes that failed to adapt to the “new normal” — processes that are virtually unseen to those outside them. Self-study and assessment, accreditation and reaffirmation, and the collection of student feedback are necessary processes that, though may feel removed from student life, have a significant impact on student success.

Without the right tools, these processes can look like binders and filing cabinets filled with unindexed data, static Excel sheets that can’t reliably communicate real-time information, and paper-based course evaluations that are tedious to analyze. But hidden in these broken processes lies opportunity.

The next evolution in higher education technology is a solution that can streamline all of these disjointed responsibilities and provide impactful insights. For this tool to be effective, it requires cross-departmental cooperation, buy-in from administrators and faculty, and a long-term vision for how the product will be used. Institutions must change both their internal structures and their day-to-day workflows, and this can be a tough case to make. But is there an alternative?

According to Alex Leader, Chief Impact Officer of Watermark and long-time tech innovator, there isn’t. After seeing how quickly higher education could incorporate technology during COVID-19, student expectations have been permanently altered. “There is a need to create high-performing institutions that can change and continuously improve at a rapid pace, while ensuring that they can maintain their quality education and accreditation, and also support students along the way.” It’s a tall order, but one that can be more easily achieved when breaking down technological and institutional silos.

Leader continues, “Institutions historically have had digital sprawl, where over time they’ve purchased solutions that solve one particular pain point without solving the overarching challenges that exist. An institution could have 20 to 50 core software solutions that don't talk to each other, that can’t exchange data. It's created all sorts of problems, not only with the amount of expenditure in terms of dollars, but in terms of decreasing productivity of staff, coupled with a more limited view of how the institution is performing overall.”

These results can cause institutions to push back against progress, and gain a false sense of nostalgia for the pre-tech processes of yesteryear. But the reality is that higher ed enrollment is declining, and keeping with the status quo could lead to campuses shutting their doors for good. Institutions must do everything they can to support their students, not only to create a generation of well-rounded, educated individuals, but also to preserve the schools themselves.

“This is the goal of an Educational Impact Suite (EIS),” Leader says. “In one hub, institutional effectiveness and student success leaders can effectively view and analyze  insights to achieve the best outcomes for not only their institution, but the students they support and the communities they serve.”

If there is one thing the past teaches us, it is that progress has no reverence for tradition. Colleges and universities that embrace new technology and streamline their internal processes will not only survive the current times, but set themselves up to thrive for years to come.