This document outlines the top 10 disruptive technologies in higher education. It discusses how improved campus Wi-Fi, social media use, digital badges, analytics, wearables like Google Glass and drones, 3D printing, digital courseware, small private online courses (SPOCs), virtual reality, and the disruption of higher education through unbundling and new technological approaches are changing the landscape of higher education. Many schools are upgrading their Wi-Fi and more are adopting digital badges, analytics, adaptive learning, and exploring opportunities with drones, virtual reality, and competency-based models that leverage new technologies.

1. HOTTEST
DISRUPTIVE
TECHNOLOGIES
IN HIGHER EDUCATION 10

2. 1
Campus Wi-Fi
• Important decision factor
when students select a school
• Only 17% of CIOs rate their
mobile environment as
“Excellent”
• 30% of schools are in the
process of migrating to the
latest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ac

3. 2
The Importance
of Being Social
• Growing use of live Tweeting
• Send useful content
• Meet your customers where
they are
• Be responsive and positive

4. 3
Digital Badges
• 60% believe badges will
replace diplomas and course
certificates
• Can be displayed on social
media networks and linked to
student profiles
• Provide employers and
recruiters with a better
candidate search tool

5. 4
Analytics
• Student analytics and network
analytics
• The business intelligence and
physician diagnostics of the
education world

6. 5
Google Glass
and Wearables
• Lectures in-person and live-streamed
• Interactive remote field trips
• Self-guided campus tours
• For more, see “14 Google Glass
Innovative Uses in Education”

7. 6
Drones
• Campus tours
• Inspections of buildings
• Courses on drones
• Capture sporting events
• For more see “10 Uses of
Drones in Higher Education”

8. 7
3D Printing
• Enhances hands-on learning
• Consumer market is driving
down prices
• For art, design, and
engineering
• Paired with 3D scanning

9. 8
Digital
Courseware
• Competency-based education
• Adaptive learning
• Enables personalized
education

10. 9
Small Private
Online Courses
(SPOCs)
• MOOCs have lost the limelight
• Much better completion rates
than MOOCs
• Technological core for online
classes

11. 10
Virtual Reality
• Immersive and augmented
reality
• Student enters a virtual
learning space optimized for
any topic of study
• Remote instructor can join
students in virtual classroom
• Will completely reinvent
education

12. 11
Disruption of
Higher Education
• Unbundling of higher ed
• Modularity
• New providers
• Technological core/
competency-based learning
• Digital badges

13. www.extremenetworks.com/higher-education/
Special Thanks To: @ValaAfshar, @RHNilsson and @PearlCheryl