Episode 37: Disruptive Transformation in Higher Education feat. Matt Alex, Co-Founder and Partner, Beyond Academics

On every episode of Illuminate Higher Education, podcast host Kiran Kodithala asks his guests what inspired them to pursue a career in higher education. This episode’s guest, Matt Alex, describes it this way:

A “why” is built off the heartbreaks you have in life. You will never feel your why until you recognize a heartbreak. I know there are kids that are told they will not be successful. This is a heartbreaking experience. I want to reach those kids.

His commitment to higher education transformation began early in life. His skills, abilities, and learning styles were not always compatible with the traditional classroom experience. This is not an unusual phenomenon for students of any age or skill level, but something like a learning style mismatch is often attributed to ineptitude. These assumptions can damage a student’s confidence and eagerness to learn for years to come.

Today, Matt is Co-Founder and Partner at Beyond Academics, a consultancy designed to help educational institutions transform. He got his start in higher education nearly 30 years ago working as a clerk in a Registrar’s office. He later founded HTS Consulting, a technology and services company serving higher education, before joining Deloitte as a partner leading the Student Technology and Transformation Practice. He also led Deloitte’s Smart Campus and Future of Work Initiatives.

Matt joins this podcast episode to discuss how transformation initiatives can address real systemic issues in higher education. For a brief overview of the conversation, read the Q&A below. Then, listen to the full podcast episode for a deeper dive into Matt’s wealth of experience.

Q: When it comes to transforming higher education, there are a lot of viewpoints on how that should happen. What does meaningful transformation look like to you?

The need for transformation is clearer than ever, but which transformation is still murky. When I started Beyond Academics, my goal was to be as transparent as possible. There is immense pressure in the marketplace to implement new technologies under the guise of transformation, but these projects may or may not address the real problems an institution is trying to solve. We want to bring the right information to the right people at the right time, so they can make decisions that improve learning experiences and outcomes.

In fact, when we work with a client, technology is never the first discussion we have. It is easy to buy a product designed to address a certain pain point, but it can be a relatively static solution for an ever-evolving institution. Using technology effectively requires strategy. We work with clients to determine desired outcomes first, for students as well as faculty and staff. Rather than allowing technologies to create experiences, we work with our clients to intentionally design experiences first and then find technological or other solutions that support those initiatives.

Q: What can go wrong when you allow technologies to create experiences, rather than reimagining experiences first?

The rapid move to online education during Covid exemplified the biggest problem with choosing a platform then trying to build an experience into it. So many workplaces and educational institutions switched to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or other messaging-based communication platforms that were never designed for educational use. Instructors were tasked with moving in-person lectures to online meetings overnight. K-12 teachers had to adapt their lesson plans to an online format with virtually no best practices to work from. We called this online learning and unsurprisingly, students and instructors were left disengaged and dissatisfied with their learning experiences. Does this mean online learning is bad? Of course not. It means that institutions should carefully consider what experiences and outcomes students need for a successful online learning experience, then choose the platforms that best support those goals.

Q: How can educational institutions stay relevant and competitive amidst all this transformation?

Colleges and universities must determine where their investments will go. This means they must define their market value. There are five dimensions to consider: the college’s brand, reputation, and marketing messaging; the college or campus student experience; specialization; convenience and ease of access; and affordability.

There is a niche out there for every institution. Just like I have a “why” driving my career, so too should schools determine their “why” for existing. As a school, who are you? What is important to your constituents, from students and faculty to staff and the communities in which you operate? What learning outcomes do you want your students to have? What are employers looking for in your students? These decisions help drive transformation by building clarity around priorities.

We know transformation is uncomfortable both at the organizational level and the personal level. Articulating answers to these questions can help give an organization and its change agents permission, even encouragement, to let go of irrelevant academic programs and operational processes that do not serve its goals.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about Matt’s incredible work.

After you listen, connect with Matt Alex on LinkedIn or Twitter @FutureXHigherEd. Learn more about Beyond Academics by visiting BeyondAcademics.com.

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This episode is brought to you by N2N’s Illuminate App, the iPaaS for Higher Education.

About N2N Services

Founded in 2010, N2N is committed to serving educational institutions and helping them figure out how to serve their students, faculty, and staff using the most innovative technologies and solutions available in the marketplace. Over the last decade, N2N has served over 300 academic institutions and enabled their student success journeys.

N2N Services Inc. is a leader in enterprise application integration and strategic advisory services for higher education, At N2N, we are committed to providing the highest quality solutions and collaboratively building student-centric solutions.

Learn more at https://illuminateapp.com/web/higher-education/.

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