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What to See at Educause 2017

If you're headed to Philadelphia this month for the Educause Annual Conference (Oct. 31-Nov. 3), you won't want to miss these timely topics.

• By Rhea Kelly
• 10/12/17

Longtime Educause attendees are no doubt familiar with this age-old dilemma: So much to do, so little time. To help sift through the options, we've scrutinized the conference agenda for sessions that best reflect current trends in higher education technology. Here are our top picks:

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: The Art of the Possible
Paul Erickson, assistant director for enterprise architecture at the University of Nebraska, and Kyle Bowen, director of education technology services at Penn State, will delve into the possibilities of machine learning and artificial intelligence — and how technology can bridge the gap between the data we measure and what we can do with it.

Net Neutrality: Current State and Potential Impact to Your Institution
Get up-to-date on the latest developments in net neutrality and how recent changes will affect higher education institutions.

Insights for Advancing a Digital Learning Strategy in Higher Education
Three institutions will discuss how to develop a digital learning vision, engage the campus community, drive academic innovation and more. Among the speakers: session leader Maya Georgieva, chief innovation officer at Digital Bodies, who received Campus Technology Innovators awards for her work at NYU in 2014 and 2011; and Peter Bryant, head of learning technology and innovation at the London School of Economics and Political Science, who received a Campus Technology Innovators award last year.

The Educause 2018 Top 10 IT Issues
Members of the Educause IT Issues panel will present an exclusive preview of next year's biggest topics in higher education information technology (the official list will be published in January). This is an extended hour-and-a-half-long session, so attendees will have a chance to ask questions and share opinions.

Who's Doing Our Data Laundry? … and Why?
Brad Wheeler, vice president of IT and CIO at Indiana University, will look at data laundering — the process of cleaning, organizing, enriching, repackaging and presenting data — and how to handle the issue at your institution.

Learning in Bursts: Microlearning with Social Media
Lindsey Sudbury and Clair Waterbury, both academic instructional technologists from Northeastern University, will share tools, processes and best practices for using social media to promote learning and engagement.

Perspectives on Video Creation to Enhance Student Learning: The Whys and Hows
Experts from Colgate University and LinkedIn Learning will deliver tips and techniques for using video to engage students and promote digital literacy.

Blockchain: How Can We Use It in Higher Ed?
Get a better understanding of blockchain — and its potential to transform higher education — from this panel led by Phil Long, associate vice provost for learning sciences at the University of Texas at Austin.

Women CIO Perspectives on the Ascension to Leadership
Have you experienced gender bias in higher education IT? This panel of current women CIOS will share their views on how to handle it and how to prepare the next generation of women IT leaders.