Institute For The Future

Higher education worldwide is entering a period of creative disruption. In many ways, the space is poised to experience challenges similar to those facing journalism, manufacturing, and finance all at once, as novel funding structures, new international institutions, applied research into the neuroscience of learning, and emerging digital tools for knowledge discovery begin to converge on traditional organizational structures.

Yet an array of exciting new possibilities is also beginning to take shape. Indeed, over the next couple of decades, we will be invited to reimagine what higher education could be. Already, unconstrained by legacy assumptions and costs, new educational "superstructs"—alternative platforms and ventures—are springing up virtually every day. Some superstructs complement existing structures, but many are draining value out of them, thus speeding up their demise.

With this in mind, IFTF is expanding on its education research to engage a diverse set of players in the new educational ecology to reimagine the future of higher education. This Future of Learning research will unpack the complex forces behind the disruptive changes facing education to put forth plausible, internally consistent visions of the future. The goal of the project is to map key drivers re-shaping education, envision future scenarios for higher education, and deliver actionable insights that will help participating organizations better prepare for the future.

With the above disruptions and exciting new possibilities in mind, IFTF is expanding on its education research to engage a diverse set of players in the new educational ecology to reimagine the future of higher education. This Future of Learning research will unpack the complex forces behind the disruptive changes facing education to put forth plausible, internally consistent visions of the future. The goal of the project is to map key drivers re-shaping education, envision future scenarios for higher education, and deliver actionable insights that will help participating organizations better prepare for the future.

Our research and forecasting networks can help your organization to:

• Anticipate opportunities for new products and service offerings
• Expand your network by interacting with global thought leaders, innovators, and IFTF researchers
• Think broadly to gain an “outside-in” perspective on long-term forces and trends shaping the future
• Gain agile positioning by questioning your assumptions and systematically considering alternative futures
• Reduce uncertainty and navigate risks by focusing on what’s most important in the new education landscape
• Jump-start strategic thinking by immersing you in future possibilities and identifying flexible long-term actions

2013 Deliverables

• The Future of Learning graphic map charting the key emerging forces reshaping the higher education and learning space. This stand-alone visual tool, intuitive and easy-to-use, will serve as a compass to help identify new higher education solutions and innovations over the next five to ten years.
  
  
• Strategic toolkit with templates that can be used within universities to inform the decision-making process on issues raised by this content. These tools will help universities communicate the most relevant foresights to a wider audience and within internal strategic visions.
  
  
• Higher Education summit based on the success of our previous “Redesigning Higher Education” workshop, where participants will share innovative approaches and projects, and engage in a Foresight to Insight to Action (FIA) exercise to convert future visions into actionable strategies for their endeavors. The summit took place on March 14-15, 2013.