Today’s learners have changed – can universities keep up? 

Higher education has always prided itself on staying ahead of change. Yet, the last few years have reshaped how people learn, work, and define ‘engagement’ much faster than most institutions anticipated. Engagement is no longer a hand raised in a lecture hall. It may be a late night discussion board post, or a student quietly rewatching a lecture at 1.25x – 1.5x speed – whatever their personal sweet spot for learning may be. 

Today’s learners expect to engage on their own terms – and the universities that do not adapt risk falling behind. 

Walk onto almost any campus today and you’ll meet an eclectic mix of learners: international students juggling multiple time zones, those studying around work or family commitments, neurodivergent learners who thrive with asynchronous participation, and mature learners returning after long professional careers. All of them, probably looking at their phones.

Learning needs and expectations have rapidly outpaced many traditional institutional models, and they will continue to evolve just as quickly as AI reshapes our world.

Yet, teaching and assessment often still assume a ‘standard student’ – someone who lives nearby, has no dependants, thrives in three hour seminars, loves group work, and apparently doesn’t need sleep. That student certainly exists – but it doesn’t apply to every student, and they are not even the norm anymore. The new classrooms are multigenerational and, like it or not, include learners who will use AI as a tutor, a translator, an assistant, or to whisper the correct answers to them.

Flexibility matters as much as program quality

Flexibility is now just as important to students as program quality. Students aren’t just looking for online resources, they want learning experiences that bend around the complexities of their lives and unlock value for their future employment. 

The rise of hybrid and remote work has played a part. Today’s students – many of whom are working alongside their studies – are already accustomed to flexibility, asynchronous communication and digital collaboration. It’s no surprise they expect the same from their learning environments. 

Meeting learners where they are 

Flexibility does not mean universities must add more tools or redesign their entire curricula overnight. Instead, it means making intentional choices that give every learner meaningful ways to participate.

This can include: 

Multiple modes of engagement

A student who is quiet in seminars might contribute confidently in written discussions. Another might absorb information better through video than text. Some need transcripts, captions, or additional time. All are legitimate learning preferences that institutions should plan for. 

Assessment choice 

Offering varied and new assessment formats broadens the ways students can demonstrate their learning, whether it’s through a written essay, a recorded presentation, a reflective piece, or another method. 

Consistent and modern digital spaces 

A well organised virtual learning environment should support students, not turn them into detectives hunting for course materials. When resources are always accessible, connected with their favourite apps and easy to find, students can focus their energy on learning rather than navigating platforms. 

Accessibility from the outset 

Designing with accessibility in mind benefits all learners and reduces barriers. It also spares lecturers from having to re-engineer materials when a student requests accommodations. 

Technology won’t solve everything, but it can reduce friction   

Debates about technology in higher education are familiar: concerns about pace, complexity, distraction or cost. But technology is not the goal itself. The goal is to remove the barriers that prevent students from engaging fully. 

Effective and data-driven digital environments help educators see who is engaging, who may be struggling, and who might need adjustments or support. They offer students personalised pathways through their learning and allow institutions to respond when circumstances change, whether due to shifting demographics or external events. 

Good teaching does not depend on technology, but scalable, equitable, mobile and flexible learning does. That’s where technology earns its keep – and maybe even saves a few lecturers from endless email chains. 

The risk of doing nothing 

Universities that do not adapt to the changing needs of learners are at risk of losing prospective students – and current ones – to institutions that can offer more modern, responsive, flexible experiences. 

Students live according to real-time logic: they expect confirmation, follow-up, and immediate responses, just as they do when they shop online, but the answer cannot be to indiscriminately flood classrooms with tools; it is about personalising and adapting to the different generations that now make up the educational landscape.

In a world of multicultural and multigenerational classrooms, engagement now means allowing students to participate in ways that genuinely suit them – not in ways dictated by inherited habits at an institution.

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