IT can help higher education institutions differentiate: Ovum

In the new 2016 Trends to Watch report on Education Technology, analyst firm Ovum says that with factors such as rising costs, declining affordability, disruptive technologies, and for-profit competitors mean that it is the right time for institutions to grow the strategic role of IT to differentiate themselves in the market. Ovum identifies a number of key trends that will impact the education technology market in 2016. More thought will be given to how delivery models for teaching and learning will change and institutions will become more sophisticated in how they think about the student experience. The report also highlights that with increasing pressure to improve student retention and outcomes, institutions will become more sophisticated in how they think about the student experience. Navneet Johal, research analyst, education technology, Ovum, says, "Enterprise-wide deployments of constituent relationship management systems and the overlapping of enterprise applications such as learning management systems and student information systems will grow to support student experience strategies."