Episode 27: Transforming Education through Innovative Technological Infrastructure with Brent Ramdin, President, Lockstep Technology Group and Lockstep Education

One year into the pandemic, we are still trying to unravel how it has affected and will affect the future of higher education. The digital divide is one issue that became abundantly clear. A recent report from Inside Higher Ed shows that more than 20% of students surveyed experienced technical difficulties with their internet connection, software, or hardware that were serious enough to impede their participation in class. Multiple studies reflect these findings, and the divide is evident at both K-12 schools and institutions of higher learning.

Brent Ramdin, a knowledge industry executive, has spent the last two decades creating solutions for higher education. He has worked with enterprise resource planning platforms, student information systems, learning management systems, and recently served as President of ACT/NRCCUA, which created the most widely adopted enrollment data science solution in the industry. He is currently President of Lockstep Technology Group and Lockstep Education, which serves the entire ecosystem of education technology needs from infrastructure and services to security and compliance, or access and control.

In this episode of Illuminate Higher Education, Brent joins podcast host Kiran Kodithala to discuss several technological challenges that emerged throughout 2020, including casting a brighter light on inequitable access to technologies and the evolution of the learning experience. Read a few brief highlights from their conversation below, then listen to the full podcast for a deeper dive into how innovative technologies are helping close the digital divide.

Q: What is Lockstep Education?

Lockstep Education is an organization that grew out of a few things I witnessed during the pandemic. The massive global disruption forced educational institutions to rely on technology to recreate the classroom experience with no plan and, in many cases, no infrastructure. The drastic technological divide became apparent quickly. Students with access to reliable internet and devices were able to learn differently. In fact, one college professor I spoke with told me they remained open specifically for students who did not have access to technology at home.

Today, internet access is almost as essential as electricity. Equitable access to technological resources is transformative for students and institutions alike. At Lockstep, our goal is to help K-12 and higher education institutions connect students and faculty through a robust, secure infrastructure. Our model for technological maturity within schools helps us better assess current states and set future goals. We capture relevant data from multiple sources within the organization to measure ongoing progress and make necessary strategic adjustments along the way.

In short, we see the IT department’s role in the school evolving from helpdesk to strategic partner, and our work supports that transformation.

Q: How will the student experience evolve because of the pandemic and the sudden shift to online learning?

The pandemic did not create new trends—it merely accelerated trends that were already gaining momentum. Students and educators were already embracing online and hybrid models; now, they are a necessity and will remain a critical part of the higher education landscape.

We will see more and more non-traditional learners seeking flexible, affordable opportunities. Today’s students are more discerning and pragmatic consumers. They will choose learning opportunities with specific outcomes that align with their personal goals. I believe we will also see the evolution of new credentials as the workforce changes and employers require new and different skills.

Lastly, for thousands of years, higher education’s core value proposition was to foster an environment that facilitates collaboration between educators and students. Institutions will get better at delivering on this value proposition by unpacking multi-year credentials into realistic, outcome-driven programs. It is likely we will begin to emphasize and measure engagement rather than tracking attendance. Students will seek more experiential, hands-on learning opportunities.

Q: Covid forced the higher education industry into a year of experimentation. Where do you see things going from here?

Many industry thought leaders and professionals predict the consolidation of educational institutions. I believe the opposite will occur. Students are highly diverse in how they learn and how their learning journeys play out over time. The US educational system will remain diverse as a result. The underlying models in which students learn, demonstrate competency, and earn credentials will change to reflect evolving industry and employer needs.

On the back end, IT departments will continue to reskill and upskill as technology vendors bring more innovative solutions to the table. In years past, we might collaborate with a CIO to identify solutions that support an institution’s five-year strategic plan. Today, the CIO is being asked to develop that plan and create a strategy that will help the institution achieve its mission and vision over years to come.

For a deeper dive into these topics and more, listen to the full episode of Illuminate Higher Education.

After you listen, connect with Brent Ramdin on LinkedIn and Twitter @BrentRamdin. 

Explore Brent’s newest venture, Lockstep Education, by visiting LockstepEducation.com and be one of the first to follow them on their new LinkedIn community, Education-Focused IT.

—

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

Subscribe and listen to more episodes at IlluminateHigherEducation.com.