Technology & Trends

Big Picture Trends

• 11 Top Trends in Higher Education: 2026 Data, Insight and Predictions — Research.com, 8/26
• 2024 Higher Education Trend Watch — Educause, 1/24
• 2026 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report — Educause, 5/26
• Trends 2026 — Higher Learning Commission, 1/26

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Chatbots

AI and chatbots have the potential for both innovative and challenging applications in higher education. Explore relevant teaching practices, course and assignment design considerations, and the potential for using AI and bots as learning tools.

• ⁠AI and Chatbots Teaching Considerations — TLCo-op collection of practices to discourage use of AI generation services
• Academic Uses of AI for Students
• AI & ChatGPT Resources — curated by WWU instructional designers AJ Barse (ATUS) and Justina Brown (ATUS/CII)
• AI Detection at Western — plagiarism detection information for WWU's Canvas learning management system
• AI within Academic Tools
• Evaluating Student Work When AI Is Suspected
• FAQs: Generative AI Guidelines — ATUS, WWU
• Pathways for Academic Use of AI at WWU: Flowchart

AI-Relevant WWU Pages

• Academic Honesty Office/Provost
  • About Integrity at Western
  • Academic Honesty: Policy, Process, & Procedures
  • Addressing Academic Honesty Violations
  • Academic Honesty Instructor FAQ
  • Student Policy Violation Overview 
  • Syllabi@WWU — Office of the Provost & CII
• Western Libraries
  • Plagiarism Overview
• Disability Access Center
  • DAC Resources for Faculty
• Teaching Handbook: Academic Integrity — CII & WWU resources
• What is ChatGPT, how does it work, and how is it impacting academia? — Western Today article by John Thompson, Office of University Communications, 1/23

AI-Relevant Articles

• 2026 Higher Education Trends — Deloitte, 2/26 
• AI Will Shake Up Higher Ed. Are Colleges Ready? A lot rides on the answer — The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/24
• 7 AI Decisions That Will Define Higher Education In 2026 — Forbes, 12/25

Gamification

• Gamification in Higher Education: Tapping into Student Motivation and Engagement — Comm100, 7/26
• ⁠Gamification: 5 Effective Ways to Gamify Learning in Higher Education — Hurix Digital, 3/25

Inclusive Teaching

• The End of Inclusion? Campus leaders struggle to deliver on a core ideal — The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/24
• A Campus Where Everyone Is Just Like You; More are making an identity-based pitch: You are safe here — The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2/24
• States Are Demanding Curricular Changes. How Are Colleges Responding? —The Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/26

Microlearning

• Microlearning: The “OG” or Hot New Trend? — Educause, 8/23
• What is microlearning? In-depth guide for 2025 — Lingio, 6/25

Privacy & Cybersecurity

• Privacy and Cybersecurity 101 — Educause Showcase, 2023
• Survey Reveals Top Cybersecurity Issues in Education — EdTech Magazine, 6/24 
• The New Campus Reality: Building Cyber Resilience Against Ongoing Threats — EdTech, 6/26 

Virtual and Augmented Reality (VAR)

• Future Prospects and Considerations for AR and VR in Higher Education Academic Technology — Educause Review, 4/20/23
• Immersive Learning: How Virtual and Augmented Reality Are Transforming Higher Education — eLearning Industry, 6/27/23

Tech & Trends Articles & Blogs

• 2026 Predictions for AI and Ed Tech: What Industry Leaders Are Saying — Campus Technology, 1/26
• 2026 EDUCAUSE Top 10: Making Connections — Educause, 10/25
• 2026 Evolution of Courseware in Higher Education: From Textbooks to Digital Ecosystems — BPPE Consulting, 5/26 
• UPCEA Releases 2026 Predictions for Higher Education — UPCEA, 12/25
• Digital Alchemy — AJ Barse, WWU
• Tech Trends 2026 — Deloitte Insights, 12/25 
• Education Technology Trends to Watch in 2026: 10 Innovations Shaping the Future of Learning — Digital Learning Institute