Preparing for the future: meeting the needs of tertiary education through the edgeless university

Abstract

The university is becoming defined by its function – provider and facilitator of learning and research – not its form. The function the university performs is no longer contained within the campus, or within the physically defined space of a particular institution, nor, sometimes, even in higher education institutions at all. The term 'edgeless' has been used to describe this phenomenon. Rapid changes in the nature of the workplace, work, the structure of organisations, and the pervasive presence of networked technologies are requiring a shift in focus in the world of education and training. The internet, social networks, and collaborative online tools allow people to work together more easily and the provision of open access to content can be both the cause of change for universities, and a tool with which they can respond. The key to organisational change and sustainability is to embracethese 'disruptions', exploit the energies created, accepting that this may require significant change in the cultural orientation and behaviour of stakeholders. This paper promotes a need for shared vision and an institution-wide response, consultation and collaboration, a commitment to a 'futures' perspective, a culture of 'openness' and a willingness to embrace elements of risk as being significant to an institution in shaping its future direction. As an example, the paper refers to the establishment of a Digital Futures Institute at an Australian regional university.