The following post is from guest blogger, Craig Chanoff. Craig is the GM of Blackboard Student Services.

 

Today’s Challenge

To say that students today are demanding consumers is an understatement. Studies tell us that 60% of students say school does not meet their technology expectations and even more say higher education doesn’t provide a good value for the money. All institutions recognize that there is a new kind of student, teacher, and parent that we must service today in ways that are beyond current capabilities. When you have constituents that are used to the service levels they get from the Genius Bar at their nearby Apple store, expectations are clearly high. Facing a generation of students who grew up with information at their fingertips is a daunting task. These students have multiple devices and seemingly endless demands. They want to “plug in,” get instant information, and go about their day. When those needs can’t be met they go someplace else. Or they escalate their poor experience using mobile social networking applications to alert their friends and colleagues.

 

Case in Point: Embry-Riddle Worldwide

I’ve had the opportunity during my career at Blackboard to get to know our clients very well.  I learned that just three years ago, the team at Embry-Riddle Worldwide was in this very position.  Potential students with a passion for aviation wanted to know more about the programs available to them. They wanted information instantly. Having to wait on hold or in a line to talk to an enrollment or financial aid advisor simply wasn’t acceptable to them. For Embry-Riddle Worldwide, every Monday started with 40+ calls in their support office voicemail box and hundreds of waiting email inquiries. Student demand for information was at an all time high, but the institution’s ability to meet that demand was at an all time low.  And the reality is that Embry-Riddle Worldwide was not alone in today’s education environment.

These days it’s almost impossible to have a conversation about education without hearing the rallying call for the adoption of new technology in the classroom – and with good reason! Technology and social media have changed traditional consumption patterns for today’s students, and consequently the priorities of educators may need to change accordingly. Here are some statistics that may surprise you:

• Forty-six percent of drivers aged 18 to 24 said they would choose Internet access over owning a car, according to the research firm Gartner. Getting the keys to your first car used to be the ultimate rite of passage (I know it was for me a more than a decade ago), but today’s learners are more interested in having easy access to the information highway than the interstate. Recognizing this shift drives home the need to create dynamic learning spaces that seamlessly integrate online and offline components.

Student affairs and technology blogger Eric Stoller is not afraid to lay things out and tell it like it is. His blog over at Inside Higher Ed takes a macroscopic approach to examining how student affairs practitioners can leverage technology in a variety of educational settings. His expertise and insight extend from high-level analysis of what it means when we talk about innovation in the classroom to the nitty-gritty details of new tech adoption.

BbWorld 2012, Blackboard’s education technology conference, is happening this summer in New Orleans! And we called upon you to be our VIP bloggers from the event! We received over 30 blog entries as part of this contest so, before I announce the winners, I would like to call attention to some of the incredible posts we received. Every single entry was creative in its own way. Aside from blogging four separate times, Laura Orsetti from Frontier Nursing University, blogged while holding her 23-month old on her lap! JD Ferries-Rowe from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, an Edline user, not only has a lot to say about BYOT (bring your own technology) but he’s excited for some olive sauce on his muffaletta (must be a NOLA thing). And, Kelt Dockins from University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a 2012 Golden Catalyst Award winner for Innovative Development definitely had the coolest blog layout that I’ve seen Well enough stalling… It is my great pleasure to announce the following individuals as the BbWorld 2012 VIP Bloggers!

Today’s the day! Our VIP Blogger contest for BbWorld 2012, Blackboard’s education technology conference, closes tonight.  So, if you’ve been procrastinating your entry, now’s the time to act. I’ve been amazed with the level of creativity and thoughtfulness that each of these bloggers have put into their entries. I wish you could all be VIP’s! Here’s another clever submission, the first of a few, from Laura Orsetti, an Instructional Designer Frontier Nursing University. Check out her blog for more! Hmm. Well, who really doesn’t want to be a VIPBbWB?