Trends for Higher Education

How is the world changing outside of higher education, and how is higher education responding to change? This report focuses on trends both inside and outside higher education. 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.