By now, I assume many of you have reviewed this year’s Horizon Report; the annual report was released by Educause on May 18^th.   If you have not yet reviewed this year’s edition, I have provided a link:  The 2026 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report:  Teaching & Learning Edition.  Educause has been responsible for the annual report since 2017 – but the New Media Consortium (NMC) was the originator of the report, publishing the inaugural edition in 2005.  The Horizon Report has always focused on the bleeding edge of technology.  The report has always intended to provide a “heads up” as to what the emerging trends in new technologies were.  It was edgier in the beginning AND the ITC participated for several years in providing information about the trends at community colleges. 

This year, the Horizon Report is likely more of a “must read” than it has been in recent years.  As an article in this week’s eNews puts it, “Higher Ed’s warning light is flashing”!!!   As you might suspect, the winds of technological change are blowing at hurricane strength these days.  And many of our campuses seem to be living in a state of denial.  They indicate awareness, but can’t seem to see the forest for the trees. After all, there are many warning signs pointing towards tremendous change:

For many of us, the recent Canvas Ransomware attack was ill-timed (right at the end of our spring term) and unsettling.  Regardless of our LMS solution, we have had an odd complacency – because we had never had a disruption like this, we assumed immunity.   That complacency was seriously disrupted with this attack. 

It was reported that half of all colleges and universities are now on Canvas.  Since the disruption, a number of institutions have been looking to cancel contracts and pivot to another LMS solution.  To be honest, it really doesn’t matter what LMS you are using.  Actually, it doesn’t matter what third-party solution you are using for anything on your campus – be it your student information system or your accounting program.  Seemingly everything is vulnerable – cybersecurity has become a major concern.  And with the arrival of Generative AI, the variety and complexity of attacks are expected to increase exponentially.