2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report® Identifies Perspectives of Education Experts Globally Including Julie Johnston, Avaya’s Executive Education Vertical Director

Avaya, a global leader in customer experience solutions, is highlighting technology trends that are bridging the gap for universities in today’s social and economic climate with information obtained by EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association and a community of higher education professionals and industry colleagues more than 100,000 strong ─ working together for the greater good in higher education. Given the surge in AI and advances in technology, insight shared in the recently released 2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report®: Holistic Student Experience Edition¹ empowers students to bring their whole selves to college while providing holistic programming and learning opportunities for them.

Julie Johnston, Executive Education Vertical Director at Avaya, possesses more than 20 years’ experience in higher education and K-12 and was among the global panel of 59 higher education experts sharing their insights, which shaped the findings, in the report. Categories featured include social, economic, environment, and political, as well as observable evidence for those emerging trends.

Findings in the report indicate an increase in the number of students experiencing mental health challenges with all-time high rates of stress, depression, and anxiety. Other trending social factors include university enrollment in the U.S. is decreasing while student interest in online and hybrid learning is growing. And, in this economic environment, concerns about the cost of higher education have increased as universities are facing cuts with more affordable postsecondary options available.

“Universities have an opportunity to be proactive with the challenges and shifts in priorities they’re facing nationwide,” said Johnston. “The ones who not only respond proactively but create strategies focusing on students from a holistic perspective are poised to develop a more supportive and effective learning environment.” Johnston added, “Avaya is a partner in higher education supporting universities with transformational communications solutions to meet their needs now and well into the future.”

According to Johnston, here are a few of several key technology practices and trends to address the challenges universities are facing that can serve as success strategies for students on campus:

• Create a next-generation university support structure to enhance the student experience.

A robust and effective IT support center and other student services can ensure the university is able to conduct its business educating students—ensuring they excel and graduate. Once a digital learning tool is deployed on campuses, it’s essential for students and faculty to navigate the tools efficiently and effectively. Avaya Experience Platform excels in delivering for students the multichannel support experience they need through digital channels such as email, messaging, chat, and social, and voice channels with enhanced AI noise cancellation. Agents and supervisors benefit from a single pane of glass interface that is customizable to suit their needs. AI technologies such as AI real-time agent assist, Generative AI (GenAI)-enabled bots, and advanced AI analytics help the university operate efficiently and effectively.

• Leverage GenAI for personal student recruitment, retention, and success.

One of the biggest advantages of GenAI is its ability to process massive quantities of content to generate insights and answers across an array of formats. On college campuses, GenAI has the power to equip students and faculty with tools and resources to excel in the evolving educational environment. As indicated in the Horizon Report, mental health challenges are affecting students’ ability to navigate a successful college career due to elevated levels of stress and anxiety. By providing an AI support tutor to all students, this population of students will feel that their universities care, empowering them to succeed.

A GenAI virtual tutor such as Pria™, from Avaya Select Product Partner Praxis AI, is an AI-powered virtual mentor that helps students, faculty, and researchers with their digital education. Universities can complement their network of faculty and staff supporting students daily with a tool such as Pria, which uses AI and human intelligence, due to its reliability and performance lacking the hallucinations of a single GenAI tool.

• Proactively creating a safe campus by implementing innovative technologies: unique support of student mental health beyond the basic services.

Universities can complement traditional mental health support strategies available on campus with other approaches that can alleviate or decrease the levels of stress, depression, and anxiety students are experiencing.

Implementing a safe campus initiative and communicating those strategies to parents and students before a crisis can enhance the security on campus. Technologies such as 911 Secure™, a comprehensive, affordable, easy-to-use Next Generation/Enhanced 911 solution for standardization in compliance, and 911inform™, security management platform that bridges the gap between first responders and organizations, include much more than cellular 911 location detection. From geofencing and digital mapping to remote control of cameras and door locks, the ability to connect university faculty, dispatchers, and first responders in real-time while linking technology in the building remotely increases the likelihood of saving lives.

Find out how Avaya is transforming higher education with modern communications solutions to meet the technology needs of today’s students, faculty, and administrators.

Additional Resources

• Read the 2023 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report®: Holistic Student Experience Edition.
• Read more information about these three trends in Industry Insights from EDUCAUSE Review: 3 Strategies to Improve the Student Experience.
• Find out how Avaya is Transforming Education.

About Avaya

Businesses are built by the experiences they provide, and every day, millions of those experiences are delivered by Avaya. Organizations trust Avaya to provide innovative solutions for some of their most important ​ambitions and ​challenges,​ ​giving them the freedom to engage their customers and employees in ways that deliver the greatest business benefits. Avaya contact center and communications solutions power immersive, personalized, and unforgettable customer experiences that drive business momentum. With the freedom to choose their journey, there’s no limit to the experiences Avaya customers can create. Learn more at www.avaya.com.

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¹ EDUCAUSE Horizon Report sponsored by Avaya. “2023 Horizon Report: Student Experience Edition” by Kathe Pelletier, Jenay Robert, Nichole Arbino, Nicole Muscanell, Mark McCormack, Jamie Reeves, Belle McDonald, and Susan Grajek. October 2023.

Source: Avaya Newsroom

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