Global Report: 2020 EdTech Horizon Report™

2020 EdTech: Teaching and Learning Edition

The 2020 EdTech report attempts to identify the key trends, technologies and practices which are set to impact higher education in the future. Four alternative scenarios (Growth, Constraint, Collapse and Transformation) are presented to help institutions with strategic planning. The report, published by nonprofit organisation EDUCAUSE and sponsored by HP and Oracle, aims to help higher education institutions make better use of IT.

Social trends impacting higher education include well-being and mental health, demographic changes such as migration and the growing importance of equity and fair practices. Technological trends include artificial intelligence, the next generation digital learning environment and data analytics and privacy questions. The economic trends identified in the report include the costs of higher education, future of work and skills and climate change.

Trends impacting higher education include population change due to declining fertility rates, the alternative pathways becoming increasingly available for students such as nanodegrees and the impact of online education and distance learning. Political trends impacting higher education include a decrease in funding, changing views on the value of higher education and political polarization.

The Emerging Technologies & Practices section covers the following topics:

Adaptive Learning
AI/Machine Learning
Analytics for Student Success
Elevation of Instructional Design
Open Educational Resources
XR (AR, VR, MR, Haptic Technologies)

The report then looks at four different scenarios for the coming decade: growth, constraint, collapse and transformation. These have been included to help higher education plan for different possible outcomes.