Re-Broadcasted Intro Episode: Better Learning Through Technology: Higher Ed’s New Favorite Podcast
I’ve spent the vast majority of my career working to improve the quality and value of the higher education experience. I found my years in university to be transformative. The education I received and the social connections I made allowed me to grow and build a career I may never have imagined otherwise.
But there is no denying that education is changing every single day. Students of all ages have access to new innovative platforms for learning, more self-guided learning opportunities, and countless low- or no-cost options. How do these options compare to the traditional four-year university experience? Can they be blended together in a meaningful way? How can we get the most out of higher education in today’s world?
As I sought to explore these questions, I was inspired by my teenage son. He recently started his own podcast to talk about his passions and interests - many that he developed outside of the classroom. Listening to podcasts is one of my favorite ways to learn, so the next step became clear - I, too, would start a podcast that would serve as a forum for all stakeholders in the higher education experience to come together, debate, discuss, and innovate on new ideas that can increase the availability and accessibility of higher education.
Luckily (or perhaps, unluckily) there is a significant gap in content related to these issues. My goal with Illuminate Higher Education is to foster proactive conversations not just among university leaders (presidents, chancellors, deans) but also among college students, recent graduates, prospective students, parents, administrators, professors, EdTech providers, and more.
My passion for higher education is deeply personal. I came to the U.S. to pursue my Master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. For me, financial assistance from the university was critical in helping me achieve my goals. Since then, as my career has grown in the Higher Ed / EdTech space, I’ve identified a few key areas where we can all come together and improve.
Ten years ago, I started N2N Services, a company designed to help drive the higher education technology transformation. In my mind, I saw a big disconnect between different information systems storing all the data necessary to run these large institutions. Student data was stored separately and often differently from financial aid and billing data, for example.
More broadly, colleges use a wide variety of platforms to manage applying, transferring, registration, financial aid, online classes, even meal plans and flexible spending budgets. If none of these systems talk to each other, how much extra time is wasted trying to answer even simple questions? N2N Services exists to help colleges and universities better integrate disparate platforms to create a higher quality experience for the student, administrator, and other stakeholders.
We are always looking for new guests to participate in an episode of Illuminate Higher Education. If you’re interested in being a part of the conversation, please connect with me on LinkedIn or reach out via email. The more voices we hear, the more change we can make.
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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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