Abstract
Few would dispute that the development, dissemination, and application of knowledge will always strongly impact the course of the future. Historically, this knowledge management has primarily been a function of private nonprofit and public institutions of higher education. However, higher education itself is now embroiled in a dynamic set of forces that will shape how knowledge management and learning will occur in the future.
This article examines 15 trends that are currently impacting higher education, along with changing expectations in accountability related to education, and some possible scenarios for the future of higher education. Each trend, in and of itself, is significantly disruptive to the status quo in higher education. In combination, their impact on students, faculty, staff, parents, and the institutions themselves may be very significant.
Higher education can be organized in several broad categories, including traditional private institutions which often have their roots in church affiliations, and range in size from very small to very large; publicly funded institutions that include community colleges, regional universities, research universities; and private for-profit institutions that are often based on the use of online technology for course delivery.
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