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Higher education is evolving rapidly, and institutions are being asked to do more with fewer resources. Faculty need support in designing engaging courses, students need clear pathways to success, and administrators need actionable insights to make decisions quickly. Our award-winning Learning Management System, Blackboard, fully supports the needs of modern learning, providing a flexible, insightful, and inclusive learning environment that makes teaching and learning as engaging and effective as possible.
Late in 2023, Blackboard became the first major LMS to add AI capabilities, and institutions have reaped the benefits. Blackboard’s market-leading generative AI capabilities make it easier to create course structure, assessments and grading rubrics through Blackboard’s AI Design Assistant. By reducing manual workload, the tool allows faculty to focus on refining pedagogy, fostering student engagement, and enhancing learning outcomes.
What is the challenge educators face today that is fixable?
Several challenges are within reach to solve, and one of the most pressing is rethinking how we teach and learn in higher education. Higher education still relies heavily on lectures and memorization. Students deserve instruction that emphasizes application, collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking—skills that extend well beyond the classroom. Project-based learning, flipped classrooms, and active engagement strategies can help learners build lasting skills and deeper comprehension. Faculty often recognize the limitations of lecture-heavy models, but shifting practices takes time, support, and institutional will. Providing professional development, sharing model courses, and encouraging experimentation with new approaches can help faculty move from traditional content delivery to more active, learner-centered methods. These changes not only improve engagement but also mirror the kinds of collaborative problem-solving environments students will encounter in their careers.
Another area is designing instruction that supports all learners. Students come from diverse backgrounds and have different learning preferences, but many courses still cater to a single style. By incorporating multimedia content, flexible assessments, and adaptive learning tools, educators can create experiences that engage visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners alike. Equity is central here. When instruction is designed around a single style, students who learn differently are left at a disadvantage. Inclusive course design, grounded in universal design for learning (UDL) principles, gives students multiple pathways to access material, demonstrate understanding, and stay engaged. This isn’t about lowering expectations; it’s about meeting students where they are and giving them the best chance to succeed.
Mobile accessibility is another critical but often overlooked factor in course design. For today’s students, smartphones aren’t just supplemental tools—they are essential. Many learners juggle coursework with jobs, caregiving, and other responsibilities, and mobile access helps them stay connected to their education no matter where they are. Yet too many courses still assume students have consistent access to laptops or desktops, unintentionally creating barriers. A mobile-first mindset means designing interfaces, assignments, and assessments that work seamlessly on smaller screens and don’t rely on high-speed broadband or expensive equipment. In practice, this might mean simplifying navigation, ensuring videos are captioned and compressed for easier streaming, or offering assessments that can be completed offline and uploaded later.
A 2023 Anthology survey found that 55% of students worldwide rely primarily on mobile devices to study. Nearly a third (29%) don’t own a laptop, and 57% don’t have access to a desktop computer. For these learners, smartphones are their primary connection to coursework, assignments, and resources.
If institutions prioritize mobile-first design and accessibility, they can make education more inclusive and equitable. Importantly, this shift doesn’t necessarily require massive new budgets—just a more deliberate, intentional approach to how learning experiences are designed and delivered.
Ultimately, addressing these issues requires leadership buy-in. Faculty and instructional designers can innovate at the course level, but scaling impact depends on institutions making accessibility, mobile readiness, and diverse teaching models part of their strategic priorities. When these priorities are embedded into institutional culture—supported by policies, resources, and recognition—they become sustainable rather than one-off experiments. These challenges are fixable because they’re tied more to mindset and strategy than to funding alone. By embracing diverse teaching models, designing for accessibility, and leveraging tools that students already use, institutions can dramatically improve learning outcomes and engagement.
What is the challenge educators face today that will persist?
Funding will continue to be one of higher education’s most enduring challenges. Without stable and equitable investment, institutions struggle to plan for the long term, upgrade infrastructure, or retain and support talented faculty and staff. The ripple effects of underfunding touch everything from student services to research opportunities, ultimately limiting access and affordability for learners.
Public funding models that keep equity and affordability front and center are critical. Institutions can innovate with technology and pedagogy, but those advances require the foundation of consistent resources. While teaching practices will evolve and tools will change, the question of how to fund higher education fairly and sustainably will remain. Solving it requires more than institutional effort—it demands policy-level commitment.
What are the areas of education or training and workforce development that are being overlooked?
A critical area often overlooked is building stronger partnerships between education and employers. Too often, students graduate without a clear sense of industry expectations, while employers still struggle to find talent with practical, job-ready skills. Strengthening pipelines—through applied learning, apprenticeships, and co-designed credentialing—would bridge this gap and make education more meaningful and measurable for learners. This kind of collaboration benefits both sides: it helps industries stay competitive and ensures higher education stays responsive to workforce needs.
Another priority is AI readiness. AI adoption in the workforce is accelerating; Microsoft’s 2024 Work Trend Index reported that 75% of knowledge workers already use AI, double the rate from six months earlier. Higher education must prepare students for this reality—not just by teaching AI tools, but by embedding conversations about ethics, adaptability, and strategic use into coursework. Graduates will need more than technical fluency; they’ll need the ability to evaluate and integrate AI responsibly.
Lifelong learning is another area with untapped potential. The half-life of skills is shrinking, and many professionals will need to reskill or upskill several times over their careers. Institutions that create affordable, modular, and accessible programs for adult learners will better serve society and expand their own reach. Flexible pathways designed for working adults—rather than one-size-fits-all degree models—are key to keeping education relevant and impactful.
Advances in adaptive technology, generative AI, and immersive simulations also offer an opportunity to rethink online education. Digital spaces should do more than replicate classrooms; they can become dynamic, interactive environments where learners practice skills, explore scenarios, and collaborate in meaningful ways.
The future of workforce development will be continuous, evolving, and deeply connected to real-world needs. By prioritizing collaboration with employers, designing inclusive and adaptable learning experiences, and leveraging technology thoughtfully, education can equip learners to thrive at every stage of life while helping institutions remain trusted, future-ready partners in workforce development.
What do you foresee will be a challenge in education in three to five years?
In three to five years, the greatest challenge won’t be a specific piece of technology. It will be proving value and rebuilding trust at a time when higher education is under unprecedented scrutiny from students, families, and policymakers alike. Public skepticism has been fueled by rising tuition, student debt, and stories of graduates who struggle to find jobs aligned with their degrees. At the same time, policymakers are increasingly tying funding to performance metrics such as graduation rates, employment outcomes, and equity benchmarks. This external pressure is forcing colleges and universities to not only adapt but to demonstrate, in transparent and data-driven ways, how they are delivering on their promises.
Enrollment is declining in many regions, and families are asking tough questions about the cost and return on investment of a degree. At the same time, new providers—bootcamps, micro-credential programs, and alternative training pathways—are giving students more choices than ever. Employers are also stepping more directly into the education space. Many large companies now offer in-house training, tuition assistance, or partnerships with alternative providers that bypass traditional degree programs altogether. If institutions don’t engage directly with industry to co-create relevant, skills-based learning, they risk becoming less central to the workforce pipeline. Building stronger partnerships will be essential to keep higher education tightly aligned with employer needs and student expectations. Institutions will need to show not only that their programs are rigorous and high quality, but also that they consistently deliver meaningful outcomes in careers, civic engagement, and lifelong learning.
Technology like AI will play a role in solving these challenges, but the harder work will be aligning programs and delivery models with evolving workforce demands. That means designing flexible pathways, shortening time to credential, and embedding real-world, work-based learning experiences that prepare students to adapt to rapid industry shifts. Artificial intelligence, for example, is already reshaping fields from healthcare to law to education itself. Students will need not only to understand these tools but also to grapple with the ethical and social implications of automation, bias, and equity. Preparing them for this future requires faculty who are digitally fluent, institutions that can adapt curricula quickly, and policies that ensure access to emerging technologies is equitable across diverse student populations.
Institutions also need to maintain the human side of education. Students succeed not just because of access to resources, but because of mentorship, relationships, and a sense of belonging. Technology should amplify, not replace, those connections.
Another related challenge will be faculty readiness. Faculty are central to creating meaningful student experiences, yet many have limited time or training to adopt new pedagogical strategies or technologies. Without significant investment in professional development and support, even the most innovative tools or models will fall flat. Institutions that proactively prepare and empower faculty will be better positioned to thrive. The challenge ahead isn’t simply adopting innovation; it’s using innovation strategically and equitably while showing measurable impact. Schools that succeed will invest in professional development, digital literacy, and intentional design, pairing cutting-edge tools with a deep commitment to access, affordability, and student success.