The year 2023 was a rollercoaster for many of us, and it was an especially up-and-down year for the education industry. A combination of economic, environmental, political, and social factors impacted education, resulting in a dramatic shift across the industry’s landscape.
On the heels of so much change last year, what education trends are in store for the industry in the year ahead? Using insights from market analysis and customer conversations, here are what I think will be the top education trends in 2024.
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ncreasing enrollment will be a top priority
Due to changing demographics, colleges and universities in the U.S. are projected to see a dramatic decline in enrollment starting in 2025. To recapture the attention of prospective students, institutions will need a long-term vision for enrollment, rather than short-term tactical approaches. According to Tom Green, industry advisor for strategic enrollment management at Salesforce, many are looking at key enrollment indicators (KEI). KEIs are a set of factors that help institutions understand complex enrollment patterns in the context of their culture and enrollment profiles.
Furthermore, personalizing engagement with prospective students will help institutions improve yield, which is the proportion of students who enroll of those who were admitted. Yield is a critical america phone number list factor for institutions looking to hit or exceed their enrollment targets.
2. Diversity, equity, and inclusion will shift from a strategy to a data-driven culture
Demands from external governing and funding bodies for improved equity in accessibility and learning outcomes will influence institutions to develop and advance their missions to serve and support diverse student populations and workforces.
Given this new priority, we’ll see education leaders create data-driven cultures focused on factors like financial hardship as a barrier to better outcomes. This is especially noteworthy given that many state legislatures in the U.S. pushed back on DEI initiatives in higher education in 2023.
The difference in a DEI strategy versus a data-driven culture will be in the long-term impact. Students and the institutional workforce are more motivated when they feel a sense of belonging, which is the foundation for success, according to the 3rd edition of the Salesforce Connected Student report.
3. Data and AI will bring the personalization students are demanding
Generative AI will create a new wave of personalized education, enabling teachers to generate content that’s aligned with a student’s interests and skill level.
While it would be prohibitively expensive to scale such an idea using the large language models (LLMs) and tools of today, within the next three years we’ll start to see the proliferation of specialized ‘small language models,’ or SLMs. These specialized models will significantly decrease the cost of scaling personalized learning and enhance individualized instruction, getting institutions closer to the end-to-end personalized experience students are demanding.
4. Institutions will use AI to support students and reduce attrition rates
We’ll see the rise of generative AI assistants that can help overwhelmed student advisors better manage caseloads and be more responsive to student needs. Additionally, these assistants will help resource-strapped advisors personalize learning paths for every student. They’ll even help to identify the students more likely to drop out early based on data like badge-ins, class attendance, and grades — all of which are indicators of which students are at risk.