Research on universities from Cisco: 62% of students believe the pandemic has limited the value of university all together

·        Students

o   62% of students believe the pandemic has limited the value of university all together

o   Half of (49%) of decision makers at universities experienced dropouts in the last year.

o   The majority (69%) of students think universities should use technology to support student learning, and decision makers recognise this, with nearly half (49%) prioritising the improvement of the remote learning experience for students. Similarly, just 58% had positive experiences of joining lectures via video call, this fell to just 47% when joining hybrid lectures, with only a third wanted greater flexibility to attend classes physically or digitally (27%).

·        Key decision makers:

o   45% are investing in better technology to improve or expand their digital capabilities, both on and off campus.

o   Students would like to see improvements in areas such as having digital maps for navigating campus (50%), reserving desks or study space (51%) and booking lectures or seminars digitally (58%).

o   Although lack of funding tops the list of barriers that slow down decision making (55%), 42% also cited difficulty overcoming legacy technology, and a third listed a lack of technical knowledge when it comes to deploying (34%) and identifying (33%) new technologies.

Chintan Patel, Chief Technology Officer, Cisco UK & Ireland, said: “The future of the university experience will be a hybrid one like no other. After all, university is an experience in which students pay to participate, so unlike the world of work, universities and students are in the midst of figuring out their future with a power dynamic almost in reverse.

With so much thought given to how we return to the office in a hybrid way, it’s time we apply the a similar approach to education. Universities should look to a hybrid future, which enables students to study both on-campus, and remotely, without jeopardising the experience for either group. 

Using technology is about more than lessons being online and in-person simultaneously, it’s about creating or fulfilling an experience. Whether connecting people when they are in buildings or helping to manage the flow of people to make sure that as doors open, they do so safely”.