Horizon report 2023 - overview

Not too many surprises in the latest Horizon report for teaching and education. 

As per usual, the report begins with horizon scanning of the various social, technological, economic, environmental and political trends. The effects of the pandemic will be a key influence across the coming years. Hence, the rise and integration of digital technologies into work, education and society, have now become mainstream. 

The key technologies and practices distilled include AI-enabled applications for predictive, personal learning. The increasing sophistication and acceptance of generative AI. The blurring of boundaries between learning modalities. The increase in deployment of hyflex and microcredentials. And the increasing need to support students' sense of belonging and connectedness when learning is distributed, delivery is multi-channel, and multimodal.

Speculation on the scenarios for growth, constraint, collapse and transformation is presented. The report predicts growth of digital technologies for teaching and learning, constrained by the effects of climate change, with possible collapse of traditional long campus-based undergraduate education, and the challenges for the transformation of education to incorporate AI, flexible learning and personalised education.

A series of implication essays then provided to encourage discussion on topics including learning spaces, equity and accessibility, digital connectivity, adult learners, innovation in research and learning, faculty challenges, and under-resourced institutions.

All in, summation of where things are at, in a post-pandemic world wrestling with social, economic and political fall-out from the uncertainties of several years of disruption. Changes in education move at glacial speed but the pandemic showed that it is possible to shift rapidly when required. What is needed now is to work out what of the emergency changes could be retained, how to leverage off the improved capabilities of faculty, and reengage students', now used to several years of disruptions and changed delivery.