Challenging Digital Expectations in Higher Ed for Gen Z
Our educational system – be it universities, community colleges, trade schools – is the engine that powers our society, economy, and communities. And after the Pandemic, many schools were forced to compose their first digital student experience plan, and beyond that, a comprehensive strategy. Having the appropriate tools to manage channel communications with the current and next generations of learners is essential to their continued success. In 2022 alone, 10 million students enrolled in online courses. This period has accelerated the Digital Transition – students now expect a digital experience by default from their educator.
Digital Natives Demand More
As digital natives, Gen Z and Gen Alpha demand an always-on, integrated experience. While Gen Z has grown up with the digital wave, Gen Alpha was born into a world where digital is the norm. This new generation of students and educational consumers are digital-first users- who don’t just expect omnichannel- they disengage when these experiences do not meet their standards. They expect to interact with their university brands across multiple devices, in multiple communities, on multiple platforms, demanding a consistent and cohesive brand experience. This audience may not explicitly say they demand omnichannel experiences, but their behavior, expectations, and choices do. Integrated experiences are baseline requirements, the bare minimum, qualifiers for even a moment’s consideration. Marketing technologists must look at this new buyer's journey in education now, in 2024 and 2025, rather than comfort themselves with regurgitating the pablum of past practices from past trends.
“The e-learning market is projected to grow by 20.5% from 2022-2030.”National Center for Educational Statistics
Trends for Higher Education
Omnichannel as First Principle.
As a recent graduate of grad school myself, I appreciate the hard work that is required by great schools to create alignment within their programs. However, top schools looking to attract students are realizing that siloed content experiences—and the systems that support them—are not creating the necessary synergies to appeal to today’s students. Utilizing a modern content platform (CMS) like Contentful, which integrates closely with CDPs and personalization tools, is essential. Modern systems also encourage marketers to develop a more durable content model that seamlessly integrates across channels, leading to a more cohesive recruitment and enrollment experience.
Higher education administrators are feeling the pressure to boost enrollment, especially with the increasing availability of perceived substitutes for traditional education, including online programs like edX, which Adapt has consulted on. It is imperative to adapt to this new learner journey to stay competitive.
Martech Stacks That Are Right for 2024.
As we've explored, having an integrated technology and content stack is essential for student satisfaction, and equally crucial for university professionals to maintain their enrollment numbers. To put it plainly, your technology stack must be orchestrated so that future students experience a consistent digital brand across any device they use. Many of your potential students were born after 2008, and their expectations are shaped by the digital world they’ve grown up in.
Having worked in higher education at Harvard and consulted in the field, I know firsthand the competing demands faced by educational marketing professionals. However, the reality is that strategies based on incremental change or ceremonial shifts in rhetoric alone are increasingly difficult to sustain as technology continues to evolve. We are witnessing shifts in how Gen Z (and the budding Gen Alpha) wants to interact with schools—using their own channels and expecting seamless experiences. This means that our technology stacks, like those incorporating composable solutions such as Contentful, must be robust enough to support and enhance that user experience.
Rethinking Received Wisdom from Legacy Practices (and systems).
We are noticing an approximate three-year buyer cycle for technology purchases in universities. Many of us are observing that while legacy systems like Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress are still prevalent, their roles are being re-evaluated, paving the way for newer, composable systems. To be clear, this doesn't mean older platforms are obsolete—there are still valid use cases for them. However, there is a growing curiosity among the next generation of technologists and decision-makers about what is best suited for a new range of use cases tailored to Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
One implication of this shift is that the concept of a "headless system" is no longer seen as bleeding edge, championed only by engineers. Instead, it is increasingly viewed as a practical approach to integrating optimal cloud-based marketing technologies that enhance the student experience.
University technologists are beginning to explore new options to better serve their students, which is prompting a reassessment of traditional investment patterns. Drupal, supported by platforms like Acquia and Pantheon, has rightfully earned its place in the industry. However, as university technologists seek to meet the needs of the next generation of students, they are asking important questions about how to best set up a marketing and digital experience stack. This requires new approaches, fresh ideas for observing prospective student behavior, and innovative content technology solutions.
What should an educational technologist consider?
There are shrinking budgets across the board, and that is a key assumption in any recommendation we make. I view there is an opportunity for digital first university technologists to start exploring more modern tech stacks. Simply maintaining parity with incremental improvements is not a winning strategy when many universities are doing the same—this approach risks a decline in enrollment.
Steps for Modernizing University Technology and Engagement
Assess your time horizon for change.
Assess your team’s internal capabilities. Be brutally honest with how your team’s current skills translate. Mitigate the “First Pancake Syndrome” by engaging an agency who is able to teach your team while doing the first build. Some agencies will allow your core team to shadow and even participate.
Gauge leadership’s appetite for competing for the next generation of students. Explore informally or even formally with your university leadership (Deans, Provosts) their appetite to compete for the next generation of students.
Educate yourself on the needs of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Respectfully challenge established norms within your team.
Review existing contracts and prepare for your next three years.
Learn, Demo, and Prepare for future developments.
Article by Doug Sisko, Managing Director, Adapt USA
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