Another edition of the annual Horizon Report has just been released, this one focusing specifically on the context of Australian Tertiary Education from 2012-2017. 

I had the privilege of being involved on the advisory board again this year, and found it once more a very stimulating and thought provoking experience – led capably by Larry Johnson who seems to have a happy knack for pulling lots of disperate threads together into a cohesive whole!

This year's report contains a lot of things that have appeared in previous years – not surprising given the nature of the field it is being examined, and there are some useful links to examples of what is being talked about that you can spend hours exploring to help gain an understanding of what it's all about. 

The thing I like about the Horizon Reports is the process of how they are developed. Certainly, the published report provides a 'stake in the ground' for those looking for indicators for the future, and who may be involved in decision making regarding where to invest etc. But the realy power lies in understanding that the report is but a snapshot, and is best read with a cursory eye cast to the past and across reports in other areas, in order to understand the 'trending' that is occurring and where the next 'new new' things might capture the minds of teachers and learners. 

The table below is from the publication, and is useful in this regard, to help see the commonalities (and differences) that have emerged in the different reports. 

For me, the most important (and useful) part of the document is in the second half, where there are lists of the Top Ten Trends and the Top Ten Challenges identified by the advisory board. Within these brief descriptions there are some extremely useful indicators that ought to be considered by education leaders when considering future directions for their institutions, their staff and their students. 

Something that's noticeable in this year's list of ten trends is the focus on people and behaviours, as opposed to a focus soley on the technology which has been more of what I've observed in the past. Specifically, the trends speak to the notions of ubiquity, choice and flexibility in terms of how we learn and what we learn with/through. 

The report can be downloaded here from the Horizon site (NB you'll need to create an account).