What is Higher Education Administration?
Higher education administrators work in postsecondary education institutions like colleges and universities. Higher education professionals oversee student services, academics, and faculty research. Their job duties vary depending on the department in which they work, such as admissions, student affairs, or the registrar’s office.
Student Affairs
Student affairs professionals typically have very student-facing rolls. Each institution is different in how they structure divisions. Still, Student affairs professionals are most likely the individuals who:
- Advise students on topics such as housing, career advice, personal problems, or academics
- Create, support, and assess nonacademic programs for students
- Schedule programs and services, such as orientation, athletic events or recreational activities
Some offices that typically fall under Student Affairs are Student Activities, Residential Life, Multicultural Affairs, and Career Services.
Administrative Affairs
Administrative affairs professionals often perform the necessary behind-the-scenes work of an institution. Their work typically does not involve interacting with students on a daily basis. Some sample responsibilities of administrative affairs professions include:
- Read and decide on applications
- Schedule course offerings, including space and times for classes
- Oversee student registration for classes
- Ensure that students meet graduation requirements
- Plan commencement ceremonies
- Prepare transcripts and diplomas for students
- Produce data about students and classes
- Maintain the academic records of the institution
Presidents, Provosts, and Deans
A President of a postsecondary institutions reports to the Board of Trustees that selected them. It is the President's job to set long-term goals in the interest of all stakeholders. Provosts, also called chief academic officers, help college presidents develop academic policies, participate in making faculty appointments and tenure decisions, and manage budgets. They also oversee faculty research at colleges and universities. Academic deans coordinate the activities of the individual colleges or schools. For example, a large university may have a separate dean for business, law, and medical schools. For more information on the Higher Education industry, including information about education requirements, salary, and job outlook, click the resource below from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What is Education Technology?
Education Technology (EdTech), a subsector of the technology development sector, encompasses technology used in early childhood education, K-12, higher education, and workforce development. It consists of three major product categories:
- Hardware: interactive white boards, displays and tablets, student response systems, laptops, desktops, stylus pens, wireless slates, classroom wearables, wrist-worn equipment, head gear, projectors, and sound systems.
- Software: Learning Management Systems (LMS), Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS), adaptive learning platforms, and assessment systems.
- Content: audio-based content, video-based content, text content, and multimedia content.
The Global EdTech Market
The EdTech market is highly attractive in terms of its size and growth rate. According to BBC Research, the global market in 2017 was estimated to be about $57.7 billion, comprising of $23.7 billion in hardware, $16.5 billion in software, and $17.5 billion in content development. Overall, between 2017 and 2022, the EdTech market is projected to grow at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14 percent. This would increase the projected size of the global EdTech market to $110.9 billion by 2022.
Given the size of the U.S. education sector, North America is the largest market for EdTech, comprising almost 41 percent of the global market.
The U.S. EdTech Market
The U.S. EdTech market was worth $39.33 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow to $43 billion by the end of 2019. EdTech service firms in the United States generated $18.1 billion of revenue in the fourth quarter of 2018.
EdTech Trends
- Increased competition in higher education
- Classes being taken from massive open online courses (MOOCs)
- Adoption of mobile devices (i.e. tablets are used in 85 percent of U.S. K-12 school districts)
- Learning models that incorporate personalized and blended learning techniques
- Data privacy
- Professional development and training courses
- Student assessments
- Computer science
This content is from trade.gov.
