A Baseline of Development: Higher Education and Technology

This book is a result of research into ten technologies currently under development that will directly affect community colleges and universities, most within the next 5-20 years and a few within the next 20-30 years. The research conducted on each of the technologies provides a baseline of current development, and predictions of when they may impact institutions of higher education. These technologies develop in two phases, first, in a linear manner, and second, following up with an exponential velocity. The development of Uber and Airbnb are good examples of the speed of exponential development. Institutions of higher education need to be prepared for the disruptions that the ten technologies discussed will create.

Darrel W. Staat served as president of two community colleges in Maine and one in Virginia. He served as the president of the South Carolina Technical System. He now is professor and coordinator of the EdD Higher Education Executive Leadership Program at Wingate University in Wingate North Carolina.