Research Notes
From Horizon Project
This page is intended to provide some more background how to approach answering the Research Questions. Please feel free to add your own thoughts (especially veteran Advisory Board members) or questions. Our goal is that we all be approaching them in the same fashion.
1) Our essential focus for the report is teaching, learning, and creative expression (as opposed to other possible foci, like administration, safety, or general infrastructure. While there is always overlap and gray areas, we are looking for technologies, challenges, and trends that are uniquely relevant to those three endeavors, and specifically as they impact learning-focused organizations -- regardless of sector.
2) Learning-focused organizations can be any institution with a learning focus -- notably colleges, universities, and museums, but also companies, schools, governments, not-for-profits, etc. The learning focus will be the central mission for most Horizon Report readers, but other types of organizations have important learning components as well.
3) It is very important that we be able to point to actual examples, demonstration projects, papers, reports and other information on every item we list in the report. Readers expect to find a good deal of information on the items listed in the Horizon Report. This expectation will necessarily lead to the elimination of items that might be more in the category of things that sound great but have little actual work to support them, things we collectively wish would happen, or things we think ought to happen.
4) Items with solid supporting links and materials will be naturally ranked higher as we winnow the lists down. As such, we encourage you to list links to actual examples or other relevant materials for as many items as you can, whether they are yours or from another advisory board member.
Here are some specific tips related to each of the questions:
RQ 1: What would you list among the established technologies that learning-focused institutions should all be using broadly today to support or enhance teaching, learning, or creative expression?
Because this question is about "established" technologies, answers should be easy to support with actual examples and pointers to demonstration projects that are taking place on campuses today. Listing the organizations working on the items listed here is very very important, as we often will follow up with them to learn more as we turn to the actual writing.
RQ 2: What technologies that have a solid user base in consumer, entertainment, or other industries should learning-focused institutions be actively looking for ways to apply?
This question pushes the notion of "established" technologies outside of education, and seeks to uncover things that are well established "in the world", but not yet in education. Answers should be easy to support with actual examples and pointers to things people outside of education are actually doing today. Listing the actual companies or organizations working on the items listed here is very very important, as we often will follow up with them to learn more as we turn to the actual writing.
RQ 3: What are the key emerging technologies you see developing to the point that learning-focused institutions should begin to take notice during the next 3 to 5 years? What organizations or companies are the leaders in these technologies?
Items in this category should also be easily supportable with examples, although some of them may still be only found in research contexts. Nonetheless, some work should be happening that we can point to for those who wish to learn more. Three to five years is not a long time for education to turn its attention to something, thus we should see evidence of pioneer efforts that can be documented. Listing the actual companies or organizations working on the items listed here is very very important, as we often will follow up with them to learn more as we turn to the actual writing.
RQ 4 and RQ 5 are more subjective...
Here the collective opinion of the Advisory Board is the essential factor for inclusion, so the rankings are the primary reason an item will be included or not. At the same time, as noted in the general comments, the challenges and trends that naturally will be highest ranked will be those for which supporting data is not hard to find.
Please add your thoughts and questions below:
- dig deeper here...
