Why Is Modernization Planning Urgent?

Over the last several years, we have heard much about digital transformation (DX) being important to higher education. However, DX is not a goal for every institution, as one of our clients recently reminded me. DX addresses fundamental change in an institution’s approach to delivering on its core mission areas: education, research, and service. […]
The Relationship Between Higher Ed, Ed Tech, and the Teaching and Learning Community Needs a Reboot

Congratulatory messages from the teaching and learning community have poured in for Ian Linkletter since last Friday when the former University of British Columbia learning technologist tweeted that the online proctoring company Proctorio had lost its latest appeal in their 18-month court battle. The legal drama is far from over, but many are celebrating this […]
Of Digital Transformation and Aristotle

My thinking about the concept of Digital Transformation (DX) has evolved over the past few years. As a skeptic, I viewed the DX as just another buzzword, the use of which we would have to endure until it became embarrassing to do so publicly. As a theorist, I worked with others to understand, unpack, and […]
Tambellini’s 7th Annual Technology Leadership Awards Take Center Stage

After nearly two years of rapid change and challenges, technology leaders across the country have made remarkable strides to advance their institutional missions. As the leading independent technology research and advisory firm dedicated exclusively to higher education, Tambellini Group is once again setting the stage to honor these incredible leaders, their teams, and their accomplishments. […]
Modo Labs Acquires RojoServe

On January 18, low-code app building platform Modo Labs announced its acquisition of integration company RojoServe. The purchase comes several months after the companies partnered to create XCampus, a modern integration solution allowing Modo Campus Apps to integrate with Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions student information system. Students using these products can now access their registration […]
Watermark Acquires Aviso Retention

Last week Watermark announced its latest acquisition, Aviso Retention, a student success solution that supports case management, predictive analytics, early alerts, and student notifications to mitigate risks to retention. At first glance, this announcement does not indicate a new strategy for Watermark. The company has consistently grown through acquisition. It began as the merger of […]
Capturing the Rewards of Modernization

When establishing a modernization program, how can you focus your projects, teams, and executives on outcomes that matter? Most major software projects have tactical goals, such as completing the implementation on time and on budget, without establishing the outcome-related goals that focus on the impact of the change. One way to create and track these […]
Modern Campus Acquires Signal Vine and Augusoft

UPDATED 01/21/22 with information regarding Augusoft acquisition. In the span of one week, Modern Campus announced its acquisition of Signal Vine, the conversational text-messaging solution, and Augusoft, the noncredit course management platform, its latest in a series of rapid acquisitions in the last year. The announcements for the Signal Vine and Augusoft acquisitions outline most […]
Ellucian On-Trend with CampusLogic Acquisition

By acquiring CampusLogic, Ellucian has made a solid addition to its portfolio, bringing significant potential benefits to its customers. The acquisition adds product assets to augment current offerings and architectural assets to provide technology and staffing to accelerate Ellucian’s transition to SaaS. The move is interesting but not surprising. With this transaction, Ellucian extends its […]
What Higher Ed CIOs Should Know About Preferred Names and Pronouns

Preferred name and pronoun use has been on higher education’s radar for a while now, but interest—particularly in technology support—has increased in the last several years.1 Many of today’s students use preferred names exclusively across public and private settings. Although their reasons vary, the practice is closely associated with transitions in gender identity. Gender-neutral pronoun […]