Creating the connected campus: Smart campus strategies for higher education

Colleges and universities are moving toward the converged and connected systems that power smart campuses. Today, almost 80 percent of higher education leaders who participated in a new survey conducted by the Center for Digital Education (CDE) and sponsored by Spectrum Enterprise have implemented or are planning smart campus initiatives. More than three-quarters (77 percent) believe their campuses will be completely connected within five years; nearly one in three (29 percent) say connected campuses will be a reality in just two years.

Higher education leaders and students both view the technology with optimism, saying it will make campuses safer and improve teaching and learning. Technology is also becoming an important factor for students deciding where to attend college. They expect to stream video content for classes and entertainment, and from anywhere on campus.

At the same time, higher education faces unprecedented challenges. The COVID-19 outbreak that sparked a rapid transition to online learning in spring 2020 is just the latest in a series of demographic and cultural shifts that is jeopardizing the traditional residential campus model. Some experts estimate four-year colleges nationwide could lose nearly 280,000 students by the end of the decade.

“It’s a fundamental change in how we do business going forward,” says John Fritz, associate vice president of instructional technology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). “Even when the current pandemic subsides, we [will] get back to campus and re-imagine how we do everything.”

Drawing from survey responses and interviews with forward-thinking higher education technology leaders, this report explores the technologies that make up smart campuses, identifies key challenges, and outlines strategies to help educators prepare for connected campuses and the benefits they bring.

Download the report to keep reading.