The Future Trends Forum has explored higher education in depth and breadth. Over six years of regular live conversations we have addressed many aspects of academia.
On this page you’ll find a list of our topics. Consider it a kind of table of contents, or, better yet, an index to the Forum’s themes.
You’ll find some Forum sessions listed two or three times, when they cover multiple topics. If someone returned to the Forum for a second or third session, I added the year they appeared. Topics with asterisks are mini-series.
Academic freedom: Steven Bloom and Jeremy Young
Accessibility: Michael Johnson
Accreditation: Belle S. Wheelan; Sonny Ramaswamy
Admissions: Jeff Selingo (2020); Michael B. Horn
Alternatives to academia: Kevin deLaPlante; Joe Fruscione, Abby Bajuniemi, Katie Rose Guest Pryal, and Kelly Baker
Automation (AI and robotics): Maha Bali; Brent Anders and Ruben Puentedura; Harry Brown; Maria Anderson; Ruben Puentedura; ChatGPT, part 3; ChatGPT, part 2; ChatGPT, part 1; Jamey Heit; Nigel Cameron; Robin Hanson; Satya Nitta; Larry Johnson
Blended learning: Rob Kadel and Amanda Madden; Kelly Walsh
*** Climate crisis: solarpunk campus; launching Universities on Fire; Dougald Hine; Heather Short; on the IPCC report; Michael Haggans; Allison Wilson
Closures and mergers: Kevin Quigley; Virginia Sapiro
Collaboration between institutions: Deanna Marcum and Roger Schonfeld; John Katzman; Jill Buban; Jo Ellen Parker, Barbara Hetrick, and Philip Katz; Brad Wheeler (2018); Jeff Abernathy; Liz Evans; Matthew Rascoff; Brad Wheeler 2016
Community colleges: Matt Reed (2020); Madeline St. Amour and Michelle Pacansky-Brock; Monique Umphrey; Matt Reed (2017)
Community relations: Dominic Endicott and David Staley; Kathleen Fitzpatrick; Gary Rhoades
Community sessions: April 2023; fall 2022; into 2022; fifth year anniversary; teaching well online; fall 2020; the Distance Teaching and Learning conference; May 2020, co-hosted by Maria Anderson; Maria Anderson (2019); OEB Berlin; Academia Next launch party; looking ahead from April 2020; COVID stories from early 2020; COVID in March 2020; our third anniversary; Appy Hour; Phase 2; FOECast; What happened to the New Media Consortium? FTTE update; exploring mobile education; back to school, fall 2017; on Charlottesville; collective futuring; first anniversary; holiday party 2016; FTTE update 2016(b); FTTE update 2016a
The COVID-19 pandemic: Lee Skallerup Bessette (2021b), Douglas Shapiro (2021),; Eric Mazur; Karen L. Pedersen and Kim Siegenthaler; Joshua Kim and Edward Maloney; Rebecca Pope-Ruark (2020b); La Jerne Terry Cornish; Michael Cato; Maria Andersen (2020b); Rebecca Pope-Ruark (2020a); Matt Reed (2020); Eric Boynton; Chris Newfield; Phil Hill (2020); Maria Anderson (2020a); David Scobey; Madeline St. Amour and Michelle Pacansky-Brock; Flower Darby, Lisa Hinchliffe, and Christine Wolff-Eisenberg; looking ahead from April 2020; COVID stories from early 2020; Rhea Kelly and Kevin Gannon; COVID in March 2020
Credentials and alternatives: Deborah Everhart; Nate Otto
Crisis: Gary Roth; La Jerne Terry Cornish; Daniel Markovits; the Edmit report; Bernard Bull; Kevin Guthrie; Doug Belkin
Critical approaches to ed tech: Siân Bayne and Jen Ross; Audrey Watters (2021); Sean Michael Morris; Jesse Stommel; Benjamin Doxtador; Rolin Moe; Chris Gilliard; Audrey Watters 2016.
Curriculum: Maria Anderson and Amanda Lynne Smith; Greg Heileman; Maria Anderson (2018)
Data and research about higher education: Alex Usher, Douglas Shapiro (2021); Douglas Shapiro (2019); Casey Green; the Edmit report; Dhawal Shah; Katie Linder; Rayana Alamuddin; Liz Willen; Rachel Fishman and Manuela Ekowo; Lee Rainie; Alison Salisbury; Scott Jaschik
Data analytics for education: Greg Heileman; Brad Wheeler (2018); Perry Samson
Decolonizing higher education: Sharon Stein; Taskeen Adam
Demographics: John Ibbitson; Nathan Grawe
Designing and redesigning education: The 100 Years of Ed Tech Design Summit; Dawan Stanford; Lee Skallerup Bessette (2021b), Matt Alex, Maria Anderson and Amanda Lynne Smith; Eric Mazur; John Seely-Brown and Ann M. Pendleton-Jullian
Digital literacy: Emma Pauncefort, Natalie Smolenski, and Alex Grech; Jennifer Sparrow; Kyle Dickson
Digital transformation: Maria Aminy, Michael Berman, and Jessica Phillips; Jenae Cohn; Siân Bayne and Jen Ross; Justin Reich; Paul Leblanc (2021a); Kate Miffitt, Matthew Rascoff, Mike Goudzwaard, and Ari Bader-Natal; Casey Green; Susan Grajek and Malcolm Brown; Joshua Kim and Edward Maloney
Diversity, equity, and inclusion: see race, racism, and antiracism below
Economics of higher ed: Sara Goldrick-Rab; Jon Shelton; Sarah Iler and Bruce Kimball; Brian Powell; Elizabeth Tandy Sherman; Stephen Ehrmann; Gary Roth; Virginia Sapiro; Jonathan Rothwell; Michelle R. Weise; Kevin Guthrie; Monique Umphrey; Rich Demillo; Doug Belkin; Lou Pugliese; Bryan Caplan; Sara Goldrick-Rab; Robert Archibald
Education and technology: Matt Seybold; Bob Ubell; Digital-forward design; Siân Bayne and Jen Ross; Audrey Watters (2021);#EmTechMOOC; Karl Kapp; Justin Reich; Diana Laurillard; Shannon Dunn; Kelvin Bentley; teaching well online community session; Maria Andersen (2020); Brian Beatty (2020b); Nancy White; James Lang; Brian Beatty (2020a); Phil Hill (2020); Amanda Licastro, Remi Kalir, and Jeremy Dean; Dan Goldsmith; Robert Talbert; Derek Bruff; Stephen Downes; Patricia O’Sullivan; Rob Kadel and Amanda Madden; Rich Demillo; Anant Agarwal; Bryan Ollendyke; Kelly Walsh; Dhawal Shah; Michael Horn (2018); Lou Pugliese; Bonnie Stewart and Natalie Deckard; Katie Linder; Martin Dougiamas; Jeff Young; Susan Grajek; Paul Signorelli; Matthew Rascoff; Phil Ventimiglia; Robbie Melton; Jonathan Huer; Susan Grajek 2016; Eddie Maloney 2016; Jamie Casap; Brian Gardner; Phil Long; Manuela Ekowo; Cliff Lynch; Gardner Campbell; Jim Groom; Anya Kamenetz
Enrollment: Douglas Shapiro (2023); Douglas Shapiro (2021), Douglas Shapiro (2019)
Extra sessions: Michelle Miller extra
Faculty: Glenn Colby; on academic chairs; Steven Bloom and Jeremy Young; Rebecca Pope-Ruark (2020b); Patricia Matthew; Karen L. Pedersen; Kieu Linh Caroline Valverde and Wei Ming Dariotis; Rebecca Pope-Ruark (2020a); James Lang; Henry Reichmann; Kevin deLaPlante; Lee Skallerup Bessette and Joe Fruscione; Adrianna Kezar
Futuring for higher education: David Staley; Steven Brint; Katherine Prince and Jason Swanson; John Seely-Brown and Ann M. Pendleton-Jullian; Marc Prensky; Cathy Davidson (2019); Peter Bishop; Ryan Craig; Cory Doctorow; Matt Worwood; Claire Nelson; Nathan Grawe; Nigel Cameron; Rikke Toft Norgard; Jeff Selingo (2017); John Sener; Paul Signorelli; Scott Jaschik; Richard DeMillo.
Gaming in education: Michael Townsend; Zach Lonsinger and Ryan Wetzel; Karl Kapp; Brett Boessen; Trent Hergenrader; Sue Bohle; Mark Carnes
Gender: Kieu Linh Caroline Valverde and Wei Ming Dariotis; Amy Novak; Mary Churchill; Dorothy Kim; Christine Hallquist; Claire Nelson; Donna White; Rita Kumar and Brenda Rafaei
Governments: John Douglass; Jarret Cummings (2021); Lanae Erickson and Robert Kelchen; Jarret Cummings (2018); Christine Hallquist
History of higher education: Emily J. Levine; Audrey Watters (2021); Virginia Sapiro; Jonathan Zimmerman
Humanities: Gayle Greene; Jenae Cohn; Dorothy Kim
HyFlex teaching: Brian Beatty (2020b); Brian Beatty (2020a)
Information technology support: Michael Cato; Dan Goldsmith; Casey Green; Jarret Cummings (2018); Jen Golbeck; Matthew Rascoff; Susan Grajek 2016; Eddie Maloney 2016; Michael Berman; John O’Brien; Brad Wheeler 2016; Casey Green 2016b; Casey Green 2016a
In-person sessions: the Distance Teaching and Learning conference; OEB Berlin; EDUCAUSE 2019; OLC Accelerate 2018; Campus Technology 2017; New Media Consortium 2017; Campus Technology 2016; NYSCIO 2016; New Media Consortium 2016
Instructional design: Luke Hobson; Eddie Maloney 2016
International higher education: Alex Usher; Rebecca Ferguson; Rikke Toft Norgard; Taskeen Adam
K-12 and higher education: Will Richardson 2020; Martin Carnoy; Will Richardson 2016
Law: Zach Bleemer and Mark Rush
Leadership: Nidal Qubein; Joey King and Brian Mitchell; Paul Leblanc (2021b); Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.; Freeman A. Hrabowski, III; Belle S. Wheelan; Paul Leblanc (2021a); Kate Miffitt, Matthew Rascoff, Mike Goudzwaard, and Ari Bader-Natal; Sonny Ramaswamy; Eric Boynton; Joanne Soliday; Michelle R. Weise; Amy Novak; Michael Roth; Joshua Kim and Edward Maloney; Bernard Bull; Adam Bush; Rich Demillo; Anant Agarwal; Christine Hallquist; Richard Price; Bernard Bull (2018); Adam Bush (2018); Maria Anderson (2018); Rayana Alamuddin; Adam Braun; Phil Ventimiglia; E. Gordon Gee and Stephen M. Gavazzi
Learning management systems (LMSes): Dan Goldsmith; Phil Hill (2018); Martin Dougiamas; Phil Hill (2017); Malcolm Brown
Learning spaces: Lisa Stephens and Rebecca Frazee
Liberal education: Lynn Pasquerella; Beth Benedix and Steven Volk; William Moner; Michael Roth; Jo Ellen Parker, Barbara Hetrick, and Philip Katz; Jeff Abernathy; Liz Evans; Kristen Eshleman
Libraries: Tony Zanders; Deanna Marcum and Roger Schonfeld; Emma Pauncefort, Natalie Smolenski, and Alex Grech; Flower Darby, Lisa Hinchliffe, and Christine Wolff-Eisenberg; Lisa Hinchliffe; Christine Wolff-Eisenberg (2017); Dan Cohen; Deanna Marcum
Mental health: Lee Keyes
Metrics: Chris Newfield and Zach Bleemer
Mobile devices: Michael Cato; Forum community session 2017
Open access in scholarly publishing: Glenn Hampson; Jason Schmitt; Colleen Campbell
Open education: David Wiley; Richard Baraniuk; Robin DeRosa; Rebecca Ferguson; Aria Chernik; Anant Agarwal; Curt Bonk; Cable Green
Paradigm Conversations (an introduction)
Pedagogy: see “Teaching”
Politics: Zach Bleemer and Mark Rush; Sharon Stein; Jon Shelton; John Douglass; Jarret Cummings (2021); Daniel Markovits; Lanae Erickson and Robert Kelchen; Henry Reichmann; Dorothy Kim; Jarret Cummings (2018); Christine Hallquist; Bonnie Stewart and Natalie Deckard; on Charlottesville; Taskeen Adam; Gary Rhoades; Amy Collier; George Saltsman
Presidents: Nidal Qubein; Joey King and Brian Mitchell; Paul Leblanc (2021b); Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.; Kevin Quigley; Freeman A. Hrabowski, III; Paul Leblanc (2021a); Amy Novak; Michael Roth; Bernard Bull; Rayana Alamuddin; E. Gordon Gee and Stephen M. Gavazzi
Public universities: Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval; Chris Newfield; Christopher Newfield (2017); E. Gordon Gee and Stephen M. Gavazzi
***Race, racism, and antiracism: Kelly Mack; Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.; Tia Brown McNair; Freeman A. Hrabowski, III; Deborah Keyek-Franssen; La Jerne Terry Cornish; Patricia Matthew; Kieu Linh Caroline Valverde and Wei Ming Dariotis; Chris Newfield; Terri E. Givens; Madeline St. Amour and Michelle Pacansky-Brock; Dorothy Kim; Gina Garcia; Adam Bush; Linda Dounia Rebeiz; Chris Gilliard; Taskeen Adam; Kristen Eshleman; Terri Givens (2022); Donna White; Rita Kumar and Brenda Rafaei
Research universities: Emily J. Levine
Scenario exercises: AI – digital twins; AI – general intelligence; solarpunk campus.
Science of learning: Luke Yoquinto and Sanjay Sarma; Joshua Eyler; Michelle Miller; Michelle Miller extra
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM): Kelly Mack; Eric Mazur
Sexual harassment and assault: Nicole Bedera
Staff: Lee Skallerup Bessette (2021a); Karen L. Pedersen; Rebecca Pope-Ruark (2020b); Rebecca Pope-Ruark (2020a)
State universities: see Public universities, above
Students: Sara Goldrick-Rab; Gary Roth; Sonja Ardoin; Jaye and Adam Fenderson; Michelle R. Weise; Michael B. Horn; Douglas Shapiro (2021), Douglas Shapiro (2019); Lee Keyes; Peter Felten; Monique Umphrey; Linda Dounia Rebeiz; Vickie Cook; Matt Worwood; Sara Goldrick-Rab
Teaching: Corbin Campbell; Introducing the Paradigm Project; Bob Ubell; Tom Haymes; Jose Antonio Bowen; Eric Mazur; Jenae Cohn; Valentina Iturbe-LaGrave; Christina Katopodis and Cathy N. Davidson; Siân Bayne and Jen Ross; Karl Kapp; Justin Reich; Alfie Kohn; Richard Arum; Luke Yoquinto and Sanjay Sarma; Diana Laurillard; Kelvin Bentley; teaching well online community session; Jonathan Zimmerman; Brian Beatty (2020b); James Lang; Brian Beatty (2020a); Amanda Licastro, Remi Kalir, and Jeremy Dean; Trent Hergenrader; David Scobey; Robert Talbert; Flower Darby, Lisa Hinchliffe, and Christine Wolff-Eisenberg; Jo Ellen Parker, Barbara Hetrick, and Philip Katz; Derek Bruff; Rob Kadel and Amanda Madden; Rebecca Ferguson; Marc Prensky; Sean Michael Morris; Sue Bohle; Peter Felten; Aria Chernik; Jesse Stommel; Benjamin Doxtador; Michelle Miller; Michelle Miller extra; Kelly Walsh; Mark Carnes; Rita Kumar and Brenda Rafaei
Videoconferencing: Nancy White; the Distance Teaching and Learning conference
Virtual learning environments (VLEs): see Learning management systems, above
Virtual reality (see XR)
***web3: Michael “The Tech Rabbi” Cohen; Maya Georgievna and Emory Craig (2022); Phil Long; Vriti Saraf and Scott Meyer
Webinars: see videoconferencing, above
Web tools: Amanda Licastro, Remi Kalir, and Jeremy Dean
XR (Extended Reality, the synthesis of AR and VR): Maya Georgievna and Emory Craig (2022); Maya Georgievna; Jonathon Richter, Maya Georgieva, and Emory Craig; Maya Georgieva and Emory Craig (2019); Maya Georgieva and Emory Craig (2018); Emory Craig and Maya Georgieva 2016