Campus Review Volume 29 Issue 1 January 2019 | Seite 21

industry & research
campusreview.com.au
The trends to look for
Four higher education trends to
watch out for in the coming year.
By Jack Goodman
H
ow can Australian universities
remain relevant in a world where
the role of higher education is
constantly evolving?
With a keen understanding of important
education trends and an ability to actively
respond, a prosperous future remains for
higher education institutions. So, what are
the current key higher education trends
affecting Australia and its students?
1
Employer alignment
University enrolments are higher now
than at any other time in history. One
consequence of this is that a degree doesn’t
differentiate a job candidate the same way
it may have in the past. That’s why Google
and Ernst & Young have joined the growing
ranks of companies that no longer require a
bachelor’s degree, according to Glassdoor.
To counter this, universities should ensure
their degrees are sufficiently aligned with
employers’ needs. This includes ensuring
graduates develop ‘soft skills’ – particularly
enterprise skills such as commercial
awareness and communication skills.
Communication skills sit at the core of
every job. Graduates need exceptional
written and verbal abilities to successfully
navigate the increasingly complex
application process.
The ‘widening participation’ policy agenda
has also dramatically increased the number
of students pursuing university degrees
in Australia. Many of these students have
arrived less well prepared and need more
intensive support to develop the essential
skills required to complete their degrees and
transition successfully to employment.
Alongside this, Canberra has indicated
that university funding will increasingly be
tied to employment outcomes, thus placing
additional pressure on institutions to ensure
their graduates are successful ambassadors
when they enter the workforce.
2
Greater focus on outcomes
Not only are more people going to
university, the cost of attending is increasing
as well. Funding for universities is in flux,
meaning a degree can cost an individual
around $30,000 a year (depending on the
field) without subsidy.
With higher costs come amplified
student expectations. Universities need to
invest sufficient resources in the student
experience to ensure their students are
satisfied, for example, with the amount of
study support they receive to help them
complete their degrees. Formative feedback
is essential to this process. Universities need
to find ways of giving personalised feedback
on tasks to ensure students maintain the
standards required to complete a degree.
The ‘student experience’ is a deceptively
simple phrase that encapsulates every
aspect of university life that touches
students, from public transport and parking
options on campus to the usability of the
learning management system – the digital
interface where students access all their
digital course materials. It also covers the
quality of teaching and availability of all
manner of support services.
No matter the product or service, price
serves as a signal to value. With higher
education, the heavy debt incurred by all
students who participate in the HELP loan
scheme is a signal that the education they
are paying for should be of great value.
3
Internationalisation of universities
Universities Australia figures show
nearly one in four students at Australian
universities are from overseas. International
students often pay double the fees, placing
even more pressure on universities to
deliver exceptional learning experiences.
For students who struggle with English,
this presents challenges. As universities
increasingly rely on international
enrolments to support their budgets, they
are searching for strategies to ensure these
high-value students succeed.
The full extent of the sector’s reliance on
international students cannot be overstated.
Universities need to ensure all international
students arrive with the language skills
necessary to begin their course and that
they receive sufficient support to ensure
they can complete their course.
Whether or not international students
plan to stay in Australia to pursue
employment, universities are as obligated
to develop the career capabilities of these
students as they are for domestic students.
The ‘student experience’ should be
no different for international students.
Universities should work towards ensuring
domestic and international students benefit
from each other’s presence, as opposed to
self-segregating, as is sometimes the case.
4
Digitisation
The Netflix generation is used to
everything being online and on-demand.
Thus, it’s up to universities to replicate this
experience in academic life. E-learning, for
example, is increasingly widespread in all
courses, not just those undertaken online.
Studiosity’s online study help, for example,
is used by universities across Australia and
provides on-demand core subject support
for all students, as well as personalised
feedback on essays and assignments.
The ‘digital student experience’ isn’t
just an aspect of the broader student
experience. It is core to the way students
engage with universities and access their
learning. As such, it needs to be treated on
a par with the campus student experience.
The rule of thumb for universities should
be: any service or experience delivered on
campus should have an online corollary
that is of equivalent quality so as not to
disadvantage online students.
Additionally, campus-based and online
students are increasingly taking on each
other's characteristics. As such, the digital
student experience should be at the core of
university thinking regarding all aspects of
course delivery.  ■
Jack Goodman is the founder and
executive chair of online study support
service Studiosity.
19