Author: Reporter

The higher ed sector underwent rapid change in 2025, as leaders navigated new and evolving federal and state policy, emerging technologies and shifting employer expectations for graduates, all while responding to the diverse and pressing needs of students. For practitioners, faculty, staff and administrators looking to impact student success in the new year, Inside Higher Ed identified 26 data points that outline the major trends of 2025 and those to watch out for in 2026. 80 percent of college students rate the quality of their education as good or excellent, up 7 percentage points from 2024.83 percent of the class of 2023…

The Intelligent LMS Of 2026 Thinks, Adapts, And Builds Skills For years, the LMS played a functional role. It hosted content, tracked completions, and acted as a compliance repository. Useful, yes. Transformative, not really. But the workplace of 2026 demands that organizations shift from “training delivery” to continuous capability development. Skills are becoming the language of business decisions. And learning leaders are under increasing pressure to prove impact, not in hours or enrollments, but in performance, productivity, and readiness. This shift is pushing the traditional LMS into a new era: the era of the intelligent LMS, a system that understands…

Technology Is Revolutionizing Education Higher education is entering a new era—one shaped by intelligent campus technology that blends AI, IoT, cloud systems, and advanced analytics to create smarter, safer, and more efficient learning environments. From automating campus operations to offering deeply personalized learning, intelligent campuses are redefining how universities operate and how students learn. What Is Intelligent Campus Technology? Intelligent campus technology refers to a connected, data-driven ecosystem where digital tools work together to optimize academics, campus operations, safety, and student engagement. These technologies include: IoT devices for automation and real-time monitoring. AI and Machine Learning analytics for informed decision…

Kelsey Piper, The Argument We value children more than ever. But we’re suffocating them.

Colleges on the typical semester schedule often have an intersession also called a January term—that fills some of the gap between the end of the fall and the start of the spring. Intersessions typically last only a few weeks, if that, and they’re intended to allow students to pick up a single class during time they otherwise wouldn’t have any. They can be particularly helpful for student athletes whose seasons dominate one semester or the other; moving some credits to the January term can allow students to take a slightly lighter load when they’re competing. I’ll admit that I’m a fan of intersessions. Intersession…

It’s been a whirlwind year for higher ed—and for Inside Higher Ed. Yes, we rigorously covered President Donald Trump’s unprecedented attacks on higher education, and our readers seemed to appreciate our efforts; according to my (unscientific) analysis of our readership statistics, about 70 percent of our most-read articles this year were about the Trump administration. But we’ve also found time, somehow, to keep up with our bread-and-butter higher education stories: how technology is changing college campuses, institutions’ financial struggles, academic freedom and free speech issues, student success, college costs and the value of a degree, the continued rise of career…

Sitting in his wheelchair at a highly specialized private school in Manhattan designed for students with severe and multiple disabilities, Joshua Omoloju, 17, uses assistive technology to activate his Spotify playlist, sharing snippets of his favorite songs in class — tracks even his parents were unaware he loved.  It’s a role this deejay is thrilled to fill at a school that encourages him to express himself any way he can. The magnetic and jovial Omoloju, a student at The International Academy of Hope, is legally blind, hearing impaired and nonverbal. But none of that stopped him from playing Peanut Butter…

L&D is more than a function. It’s a live, reactive, and evolving organism that shifts as work, technology, and expectations shift around it. Keeping track (or even ahead) of those shifts is essential for L&D teams looking to plan, prioritize, and help employees perform at their best. But when they fall hard and fast, that’s easier said than done. If 2025 felt like a redefining year for workplace learning, that’s because it was. We tracked shifts as they unfolded across 2025. And what we found was that everything took a hit — from workloads and skill demands to tech adoption…

For nine years, Inside Higher Ed published an annual list of predictions known as the In-and-Out List, before taking a four-year hiatus. That ends now. In the last edition, IHE staff called 2020 “a year from hell” and a “rough year for higher ed.”  Well, that was then.  In many ways, 2025 pushed higher ed to the brink as the Trump administration found new ways to assert control over universities, crack down on international students and seek reforms long sought by conservatives.  At the same time, financial issues continue to squeeze institutions’ budgets, state lawmakers are getting more involved in…

It’s fourth period in the auto lab at Vel Phillips Memorial High School in Madison, Wisconsin, and a dozen students maneuver between nearly as many cars.At one bay, a junior adjusts the valves of an oxygen-acetylene torch and holds the flame to a suspended Subaru’s front axle to loosen its rusty bolts. Steps away, two classmates tease each other in Spanish as they finish replacing the brakes on a red Saab. Teacher Miles Tokheim moves calmly through the shop, checking students’ work and offering pointers.After extensive renovations, the lab reopened last year with more room and tools for young mechanics-in-training.…