Giving Compass' Take:

• Employees at Entangled Solutions discuss their predictions for higher ed in 2019, and what trends in tech, education, and personalization will materialize this year. 

• Many people in the education field are discussing online education as a popular option. Are online courses useful for students? 

• Read about these other higher education trends to watch for in 2019. 

Last year my colleagues at Entangled Solutions offered their predictions for what would unfold in higher education in 2018. We talked about financial challenges facing schools, mergers and closures, cutting-edge technology, personalization and more.

So how did their predictions fare? And what do they foresee for 2019? Here’s what Paul Freedman, Terah Crews, Jeff Selingo and Mike Berlin had to say.

What are the three topics or trends that will dominate higher education in 2019? 

Terah Crews: 1) Mega-philanthropy. Michael Bloomberg’s $1.8 billion gift to Johns Hopkins was only the beginning. We will continue to see game-changing mega-gifts, assuming we don’t go into full recession, that could change institutions for generations to come.

2) Bricks and clicks. With over 30 percent of students taking at least one course online, look to colleges and universities creating a more seamless experience between online and in-person.

3) Consolidation and radical collaboration among small colleges, particularly those in the Midwest and Northeast. The demographic destiny here looks foreboding.

Jeff Selingo: 1) Finances are going to be big, both at big public universities continuing to face headwinds in states given where public funding is going, but also not well-endowed tuition-dependent colleges and universities.

2) Student learning and outcomes. Obviously there’s been a big focus on student success, meaning retention and graduation.

3) Equity and inclusion. Specifically, how do we deal with new demographics coming into higher education who not only look different from who higher education has traditionally served in the past?

Mike Berlin: 1) The OPM market will continue to see this type of activity with consolidation and new entrants changing the dynamics of the market.

2) The educational philanthropy space is beginning to have more conversations about learn-work interoperability and opportunity pathways.

3) California Community College’s new online community college will successfully launch and serve as a model for system-level innovation in other states.

Read the full article about higher education biggest pressure cookers by Michael B. Horn at EdSurge