As colleges and universities invest in digital transformation, they must overcome five barriers to succeed: 1. Prioritization Universities tend to focus on pressing rather than important matters. In Collegis Education, Christine Skopec suggests that decision-makers plot a roadmap to guide them through their DX journeys. 2. Decentralized decision making With that many decision-makers involved in the institution’s DX, tasks are more likely to become derailed. Research shows that the simpler, and more focused your plans and the smaller and more centralized your team the more likely your plans are to succeed. 3. Resistance to change Resistance to change exists in almost every industry. It is particularly pronounced in sectors of higher education where academic jobs are scarce and there’s little turnover. To overcome this resistance, management can unroll workshops to allay fears and gently introduce employees to digital change as an appealing collaborative project. 4. Gaps in digital tech talent Often, there’s a technology fear factor in play where instructors lag behind the “digital natives” they teach when it comes to using technology. On top of that, educators are forced to keep up with developing tech changes to keep their students stimulated. These same tech training workshops could remedy these issues. 5. A narrow view of ROI Most decision-makers focus on the prohibitive cost of digital transformation. When it comes to securing buy-in, the IT team could also point to indirect benefits that make a clear case for ROI. These include saving faculty time and costs through more efficient operations and automation, as well as better enrollment, retention, and higher graduation numbers that result from the improved student experience.