Recent I was listening to a podcast contemplating how we live in the ‘shadow’ of our imagined future; without careful, and deliberate consideration, these shadows can come define future actions. In relation to higher education, an increasingly pervasive narrative is emerging, dominated by AI and digital learning. This appears to be compressing our vision of the future, casting a heavier shadow upon us than is perhaps necessary.
The reality will undoubtedly be far more nuanced and complex, especially in the context of arts education which sits outside of higher education subjects focused upon explicit, declarative, knowledge and the transmission of disciplinary syntax. The challenge is to look beyond the more obvious, convergent, scenarios and envision more complete, diverse, and compelling ecosystems of learning.
This was one of the reasons it was so intriguing to read Shaping the University of the Future by Stephen Marshall. Of particular interest is chapter 20, where he maps out fifteen, at times quirkily named, future scenarios for higher education. Whilst the scenarios are described separately, a future involving a patchwork of different models is most likely. Indeed, individual institutions might evolve through several of the scenarios partially or wholly, blurring many of the different aspects of each simultaneously.
Below is a brief overview of each scenario:
1 Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand
In the “Invisible Hand” scenario, self-interest drives better results in higher education. The idea is that by removing certain protections and subsidies a more competitive education market emerges that is cheaper and more efficient. As higher education shifts from being accessible to many to being accessible to all, any hiccups in the system are viewed as temporary, with this “Invisible Hand” guiding us toward effectiveness. Success depends on understanding the market, with minimal external influence.
Universal education becomes a reality as international agreements encourage governments to cut back on public funding. Educational opportunities come from existing universities, new commercial players, and funding from various sources. Funding distribution is based on how popular an educational activity is, with fewer regulations due to the range of providers. Technology plays a key role in monitoring and optimizing the whole process. In this scenario, universities are all about efficiency, constantly measuring, benchmarking, and focusing on cost management. Marketing becomes central, influencing student choices. Traditional values like collegiality shift to employee loyalty and engagement programs, making everything simpler and more efficient. Some organizations choose to outsource and contract functions, with technology tying everything together.
2 Cardinal Newman’s Educational Theocracy
In contrast to mass education, the “Educational Theocracy” model reveres exclusivity and intellectual brilliance within universities. Institutions become sanctuaries of learning, free from formal restraints and financial pursuits, devoted to nurturing the human intellect. They uphold ideals like intellectual freedom, emphasizing scholarly, creative, intellectual activity.
Institutions in this scenario must maintain an unwavering commitment to excellence, fostering collegial management and collective values, shielding the university from external influences. This scenario requires navigating politics and economics while preserving the institution’s intrinsic worth through strong community support and a commitment to human betterment.
3 The Chinese Dragon
In the “Chinese Dragon” scenario, universities reflect the Chinese system of centralized management and public service, seen in other countries as well. These institutions closely align with specific educational and societal goals within a tightly regulated environment. Success is determined by meeting strict operational efficiency standards. This system caters to both mass and universal needs, serving as a training ground for industry and government while fostering a collective culture.
For-profit education providers are permitted but heavily regulated, often with government ownership. University leaders are accountable to government stakeholders. Collaboration and infrastructure development contribute to societal well-being, while staff operate under national employment agreements. Cost control is crucial, with technology following national standards. Complex vendor relationships require government coordination, and strict regulations limit new entrants, enabling the efficiency and focus essential for success.
4 Dr. Strangelove’s Solution
The Dr. Strangelove scenario, inspired by Kubrick’s 1964 film, offers an alternative response to the Malthusian Collapse in higher education. Instead of institutions collapsing, it envisions established players disrupting the landscape through the rapid expansion of MOOCs, akin to the digital music industry’s transformation. Unsustainable external funding suggests digital distribution of universal education, marked by smaller course components, integrated advertising, and sponsorship.
The challenge lies in institutions adapting to these external shifts without full system-wide understanding, while maintaining technological control and vision. Effective leadership is crucial to ensure technology complements rather than dominates, and organizations regularly assessing their activities are better equipped for this rapidly evolving landscape.
5 The Digital Agora
In the Digital Agora scenario, a technology-driven university, inspired by Athens’ Agora, becomes a global hub for intellectual and social activities. Inquiry, skill development, and technology-enhanced social constructivism is prioritised. The campus blends informal and formal learning through online tools, promoting lifelong learning and community engagement.
Tech integration streamlines administration and enhances connectivity, with augmented reality and intelligent agents enriching the learning experience. Leadership plays a vital role in maintaining flexibility and community engagement while adapting to evolving technologies for curation and integration. Light organizational structures are essential for sustained growth and fostering individual and collective contributions.
6 The Economic Powerhouse
In this scenario, universities prioritize workforce development and economic contributions, particularly during global financial constraints. They offer vocational education with integrated applied research, aiming to produce a skilled workforce over community engagement. Students are mainly full-time with structured programs and practical experience.
Regulations manage for-profit education, and universities seek regulatory protection. Technology is used for cost efficiency. Universities evaluate their economic impact, form industry partnerships, and ensure accountability through standardized performance measures, competing with other providers in this landscape.
7 The Expanding Universe of H.G. Wells
Inspired by H.G. Wells’ science fiction, this scenario envisions higher education as a tool to navigate a rapidly changing world. Universal education is seen as a means to cope with evolving society. It addresses shifting employment patterns and helps individuals find new meaning in an ever-changing world.
Education supports Wells’ socialist ideals, with subsidies or even free education. Unlike utopian scenarios, this one acknowledges social conflict and inequalities. While technology is important, it doesn’t overshadow existing models. Success is measured by intellectual growth and societal impact. Universities are deeply integrated into communities, serving as lifelong mentors. Relationships with commercial interests are flexible, driven by the quest for knowledge and skills. Leadership is vital for maintaining institutional integrity and adaptability. Organizational maturity is crucial for managing resources effectively, and the strength of the university lies in its community of stakeholders, committed to core values and navigating change.
8 The Ivory Cybertower
In the Ivory Cybertower scenario, the university exists independently of economic fluctuations, even as government investment in higher education dwindles and international education markets shrink. Technology is central, offering cost-effective education and meeting the expectations of academically selected students. This university’s mission is to educate future leaders, emphasizing postgraduate studies over vocational programs.
Efficiency is paramount, with central systems and a focus on part-time postgraduate students. Technology enhances efficiency without dramatically altering teaching methods. Large lectures are reserved for foundational first-year courses, and reputation is a top priority, with strategies to maintain it amid competition and global rankings. Faculty engagement centres on international scholars and their connections with key stakeholders. Vendor relationships are influenced by high-level connections and reputation alignment, often involving branding and sponsorships, particularly with alumni-led organizations.
9 The Malthusian Collapse
The Malthusian Collapse scenario presents a world in turmoil, driven by uncontrollable change and human failings. Its perspective is rooted in the belief that human population growth surpasses the Earth’s capacity, leading to suffering and death due to resource scarcity. Higher education faces a potential Malthusian Collapse, driven by unsustainable growth and trends that could devalue existing qualifications.
Factors such as uncontrolled globalization, competition from lean multinational education providers, economic pressures, and the externalization of educational functions through technology contribute to this dire scenario. To navigate it successfully, universities must focus on resilience, self-confidence, quality improvement, and organizational development to protect their core values and vision. Leadership faces the challenge of maintaining a balance between discipline and confidence during lean periods.
10 Marxist Collective Ownership of Education
The Marxist Collective Ownership Scenario builds on Karl Marx’s ideas, advocating collective ownership of the education system with direct control exercised collectively by all participants. This approach decisively rejects New Public Management, which seeks to control intellectual endeavours for managerial elites. In this scenario, students play a central role, exercising direct control over the curriculum, and academic collaboration is emphasized.
Technology supports this model by reducing traditional infrastructure’s influence and enabling wider participation in global scholarly communities. However, the transition to this system presents challenges, requiring a commitment to collective democracy, strong student involvement, and careful management of relationships with stakeholders. Poor engagement with stakeholders could lead to external intervention and disruptions.
11 The Modern Academy
The Modern Academy Scenario represents a shift away from strict financial accountability by the government. Universities are expected to play a broader role in supporting social and cultural outcomes. This model is exemplified by the New American University approach, which aims to offer diverse programs tailored to specific community needs. Technology plays a crucial role, especially in administration and management, but traditional learning models are reinforced.
Most staff rely on licensed materials, and students are expected to attend face-to-face classes. The emphasis is on the traditional campus experience, with a growing, diverse student body. This scenario aligns with a “business as usual” mass education model that rejects disruption and focuses on gradual change, engaging with external stakeholders through applied education and research. Success hinges on balancing various forces for change and meeting stakeholder-defined success measures.
12 Rousseau and the Spiritual Malaise
In the Spiritual Malaise Scenario, the university’s intellectual and social values erode in a technological decline reminiscent of the fall of Rome. People disconnect from their natural and intellectual essence. Education, while universally available, succumbs to utilitarian control and oppression, favouring a few at the cost of the majority.
Free online courses redefine higher education, leading to disengagement and a shallower, utilitarian learning experience. This transition from an elite to a mass model raises concerns about the integrity of education. Maintaining institutional integrity may lead to conflicts with external stakeholders who don’t share the same values. The key is to communicate values in daily routines, and employ sense-making and sense-giving strategies to navigate this spiritual malaise.
13 The Star Trek Academy
In the Star Trek-like utopia scenario, a society embraces abundance, unfettered by financial constraints, placing paramount importance on diversity, inclusivity, and the rule of law. The public university operates without fees, student finance, or commercial motives. Technology permeates every aspect of education, with artificial intelligence, vast knowledge databases, and augmented reality enriching the learning experience.
The focus is on nurturing creative and critical skills, fostering technical innovation, and promoting understanding of diverse cultures. This regulated and responsible society values resource optimization, accountability, and integration with other societal institutions. In real life, this scenario draws parallels with community colleges and universities in smaller urban or rural contexts that use technology to connect with larger institutions and local communities. The leadership challenge here is to harmonize shared values while maintaining intellectual coherence amidst external influences.
14 The Technological Singularity
In the Technological Singularity scenario, rapid technological advancement fundamentally reshapes human civilization and identity. Futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts this transformation around 2045, driven by the emergence of advanced artificial intelligence (AI). In education, we must adapt to AI’s growing role by fostering genuine collaboration between humans and AI, where technology aids in guiding, focusing, and augmenting our memory.
The challenge is to ensure this partnership doesn’t lead to dystopian outcomes. Education may shift towards nurturing critical thinking, creativity, and emotional engagement, potentially altering the traditional university concept. To prepare for the Singularity, institutions need a strong foundation in technology and leaders deeply engaged in staying current. Early adopters stand to gain significant advantages, emphasizing the importance of adapting to these radical technological changes.
15 Xanadu
The Xanadu scenario, is inspired by early internet visionary Ted Nelson. Every piece of information is intricately connected in a vast hypertext environment. Here, micro-transactions replace traditional advertising, with content creators compensated when their digital works are viewed, copied, or edited. This model extends beyond formal universities, allowing scholars to self-publish, disrupting the current academic publishing structure.
Academic culture shifts toward emphasizing freedom, individual control, and recognition based on the use of scholarly works, even acknowledging contributions from students. The successful university in this landscape maintains a strong academic culture and minimizes administrative overhead. However, it must redefine its value to both academics and students while navigating the challenges of new financial models and enticing academics to be part of their community.
Whilst these scenarios focus upon universities, it is possible to imagine many of the same themes influencing the future of the art academy sector. Indeed, a 2021 paper by the Association of European Conservatoires maps similar tensions, describing their influences (this paper will be the source for an upcoming blog post). For those currently working on strategic institutional documents, these should be critical concerns in their planning.
Whilst we can’t avoid the future casting something of a shadow over our thinking, the broader and more vividly we envision future scenarios, the more chance there is of us positively influencing and navigating the challenges.