Biggest HE challenges for 2025-26: Opinion
Author: Emeritus Professor Greg Whateley
There are always issues and challenges facing institutions in the Higher Education sector and although these do vary from year to year, some issues remain significant and longstanding.
In 2025 and 2026, there are high-profile issues that need to be at least considered – if not seriously addressed and supported.
Predicting the future is never an easy task, but certain trends provide some form of certainty.
A return to campus and face-to-face learning
We all know how Covid-19 changed the landscape. Online (including blended and hybrid modes) are now the norm.
Many institutions fared very well in terms of student satisfaction given the technology available and student aptitude with that technology.
Some, on the other hand, did not do as well, largely due to a lack of investment and perhaps understanding.
The Australian government, in its wisdom, mandated some form of return to campus in late 2023 and 2024 – driven by real estate and retail issues, if the truth be known.
It's important to find the correct balance throughout 2025 and into 2026 and hybrid appears to be the logical option.
International students are required to attend largely face to face.
Balancing assessment
The shift from a full regime of examinations – forced by Covid-19 issues again - to a more balanced approach has had little impact on quality outcomes or grade distribution.
As the sector moved to a non-examination environment in late 2023 and into 2024, we needed to be mindful of the new pressures associated with academic integrity, and at the same time be fair and honest with students in terms of feedback and results.
The current obsession with artificial intelligence (AI) – now seen as the great challenge to academic integrity – needs to be met head on with actual intelligence (AcI).
Scholarship opportunities
In non-research organisations – as is the case for many private providers – the opportunity to do scholarly activities needs to be emphasised and supported in tangible ways.
A clear understanding of what scholarship is, and a concentrated support mechanism to encourage teaching staff to engage in scholarly pursuits that support and enhance their teaching is essential.
Once a clear understanding of what scholarship is all about, a simple and accessible harvesting tool needs to be put in place to support and highlight effort to further encourage staff to make scholarship a part of their daily working lives.
Developing a culture of scholarship is not an easy feat but it is doable. Ongoing profiling and promoting of staff achievement is vital to achieve this aim.
Smarter and heightened communication tools
As the landscape changed – particularly with people working from home (or from anywhere for that matter) – the importance of good communication has become more significant than ever.
Institutions need to invest in ensuring that communication channels remain wide-open and meetings (of all sorts) are productive and useful for/to all involved.
This will mean managing hybrid meetings, symposia and conferences in a different way.
Technology can assist with this challenge as will a new perspective on when, how and why meetings occur and how we can maximise the benefits of this time together.
It will be about quality rather than quantity. ‘Management by committee’ is not a good alternative to strong and focussed leadership.
Communication is the key and should be explored and utilised on a regular basis (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually).
Compliance
Essential to growth and prosperity will be ensuring that compliance is a key consideration when growing and diversifying.
Often seen as a chore and a diversion from teaching and learning, compliance needs to be better supported to ensure that what is being taught, and what is being done within an organisation, is appropriate and supportive of students specifically.
With these five challenges laid out what they all have in common is care.
That is, care for students and the ways they can best achieve their aspirations; balancing assessment and evaluation to ensure quality and fairness (not to mention integrity).
It's also vital that staff are cared for, ensuring that they are actively involved in meaningful scholarship that enhances their own profile as well as their teaching prowess, and that they understand how communication can be enhanced and meetings can become more meaningful and supportive.
And, of course, taking care to be compliant in all we do.
Emeritus Professor Greg Whateley is an independent consultant with the Australian Guild of Education in Melbourne.
This article is republished from Campus Review under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
