Trends for Higher Education

The pace of change keeps speeding up. The spring issue of Trends focuses on forces and changes directly impacting higher education, now and in the future. From new learning technologies to upcoming legislation, the focus is on what’s next for colleges and universities, with questions that can help your institution keep up with change.

We’ve organized Trends using STEEP:

• Social: How people work internally (psychology) and with each other (sociology)


• Technology: How people use technology (including hardware and software), how society relies on technology, and how technology affects society


• Economic: Macro- or microeconomics, including global trends, anything related to jobs and skills needed for jobs, and industry shifts


• Environmental: Our external surroundings, including sustainability and our evolving workplaces, cities, and living spaces


• Political: Public policy, governmental systems, the people within them, and the effects of government decisions on our citizens and communities

Each trend includes a brief trend summary, a footnoted source, and discussion questions to help you analyze and act on the trend.