One of the focal points of the conference for me, and my main reason for being there, was the numerous discussions focusing on the digital integration in Higher Education. Higher Ed has always suffered from a technological time lag, often taking years to integrate and take advantage of advancements in technological communication. SXSWi tried to address these issues, with a large focus on how students can use technology to better themselves and their experience in the classroom. It was interesting to see how different institutions were adopting the use of social media tools, mobile applications and online communication platforms to improve the learning experience. That said, the conference did little to diminish my concerns that it is not the students themselves who need to further embrace technological advancements, but the Academics and Faculty who are not doing enough to learn and integrate the developing technology into their classrooms.
Some very good points were made however, particularly in the Austin Tech Higher Ed meet- up (#sxaustintech, #austintech), to suggest university administrators are addressing the need for change. Dr Donald Christian, Dean of the College of Business at Concordia University in Texas particularly stressed the need for technical and engineering skills to be integrated into the curriculum of other disciplines, for example business, social sciences and the arts. If this proves to be a consensus shared by colleagues around the country, then perhaps we will see a shift in the way that universities attract and influence their faculty.
You can read also my thoughts on the start-up culture at SXSW here.