Top 10 Campus Technology Stories of 2016

We review the most read articles on our website from the last year.

• By Rhea Kelly
• 01/03/17

Judging by the interests of Campus Technology readers, 2016 was a year defined by innovation and change. As new learning models such as coding bootcamps and nanodegrees threatened to dismantle traditional higher education, colleges and universities looked for ways to better serve students: new learning spaces, more engaging learning materials, lower-cost textbooks and more. All the while, IT leaders monitored the ed tech trends and challenges that would impact teaching and learning throughout the year. Here, in order of popularity, are the CT stories our readers turned to most in the last year.

1) 9 Ed Tech Trends to Watch in 2016
In this annual feature, we asked four technology and innovation experts to discuss the hottest trends in higher ed tech. They obliged, opining on everything from accessibility and competency-based education to wearables and virtual reality. (Look for this year's watchlist in our January/February issue, coming out Feb. 1.)

2) Top 10 Education Technologies That Will Be Dead and Gone in the Next Decade
In our 2016 Teaching with Technology survey, faculty members offered their predictions on what the future holds for technology in teaching — including what hardware and systems will bite the dust over the next 10 years. No. 1 on the death list: desktop computers and laptops.

3) Research: College Students More Distracted Than Ever
According to a study published in the Journal of Media Education, students tend to check their digital devices an average of 11.43 times during class for non-classroom activities. The most prevalent form of distraction: texting.

4) 7 Things Higher Education Innovators Want You to Know
Reporting from the SXSWedu event in Austin, we shared insights from a panel of higher ed leaders grappling with the challenges of student success. Top themes from their discussion included data analytics, digital learning content and college affordability.

5) 10 Tools for More Interactive Videos
Part of our "Faculty Innovation Toolkit" in our June issue, this story offered 10 apps to help make lecture videos more engaging for students

6) The Price Is Still Right: 15 Sites for Free Digital Textbooks
CT first surveyed the top sources for free digital textbooks in 2013. Here, we collected an updated roster of resources that offer quality learning content without the high price tag of traditional texts.

7) 6 Major Barriers Impeding Technology Adoption in Education
In our annual analysis of the New Media Consortium's Horizon Report, we look at the most substantial tech-related obstacles to education, ranging from the solvable to the downright wickedly difficult.

8) Will Unbundling Kill Higher Ed as We Know It?
We talked with Ryan Craig, founding managing director of private equity fund University Ventures, about how the unbundling of traditional degrees could destroy all but a handful of colleges and universities.

9) How to Go Textbook Free
The University of Maryland University College no longer expects any undergraduate to spend money on textbooks. The conservative estimate of student savings is somewhere north of $10 million per year. Here's how UMUC achieved an amazing goal.

10) Designing Learning Spaces for Innovation
How do you go about creating a space to support collaboration, creative problem-solving and innovation? Harvard and the University of Southern California share their experiences.