Students and Higher Ed Leaders Come Together to Tackle the Challenges of Higher Education

To successfully adapt to a learning environment disrupted by COVID-19, university faculty and students must look to one another.

We recently teamed up with our friends and partners at Pantheon to host a meeting of the minds – a panel featuring both higher education leaders and students. The topic? Digital transformation and the future of the university experience.

Participants included:

• Megan Lynch, Class of 2020, Loyola University Maryland
• Benjamin Ballah, Class of 2020, University of Maryland Baltimore County
• Dionne Curbeam, Deputy Chief Information Officer for IT Development & Innovations, Coppin State University
• Greg Walsh, Associate Professor and Director of D.S. in Information and Interaction Design, University of Baltimore
• Moderator: James Rutherford, Manager, Strategic Partnerships at Pantheon

Check out the full recording here, as well as the highlights listed below.

Show notes:

• 6:30: How students’ prior experience with online learning affected and informed their college experience up until this point
• 9:09: Initial hurdles of transition to digital and changes to the university experience that stood out as effective to students
• 12:00: Managing the faculty’s anxiety in a time of sudden change and chaos
• 15:27: New factors affecting how students decide which university to attend
• 22:14: How disruption creates opportunities for innovation in education
• 24:10: The challenge of building relationships virtually, and the importance of seeing past the data to view both students and instructors as holistic human beings
• 31:37: Why faculty should be given the time and autonomy to right-size their instruction model for the group
• 33:00: The importance of empathy, authenticity, and setting expectations for both students and faculty
• 36:20: Avoiding digital fatigue
• 36:48: Creative tools to engage large groups of students
• 38:12: The importance of perspective and staying positive
• 41:14: On building school pride while social distancing or remote learning
• 50:30: Pros and cons of asynchronous classes and tools that foster dynamic, engaging conversations

Jump start your university’s digital transformation with a technical roadmap that drives results. Connect with our team today.