Much like retail has had to evolve to meet the demands of shopping across physical and digital channels, education is also being forced to evolve. Contemporary students require new ways of learning, both in terms of content structure and delivery, that build more on the shifts in media than traditional education--leaving academic institutions largely unable to meet demands without reliance on external partnerships with ed-tech companies. 

The current university model is heavily reliant on an in-person, on campus experience. Not only is this how it’s “been done” for more than a century, it also provides institutions with multiplicitous profit centers from cafeterias, dorms, sports events and more. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, universities weren’t able to bring students on campus, meaning profit was no longer coming from these sources--and in fact, had become a liability in the form of empty classrooms and dorms. It is no wonder that these institution’s first priority then was to get students back in person. These preparations began in earnest once a shift to online learning was facilitated in spring 2020. By fall 2021, most universities were back open for business despite the Delta variant. 

In all of this, the stark contrast was that university development over the past 50 years was largely focused on building new buildings and expanding the campus footprint, while the rest of the world was turning more digital. Universities were putting very little thought (and budgets) into the development of new digital learning technologies, modalities and support systems, including the purchase of video equipment, recording studios and even digital pedagogy.

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