The Beyond Podcast
As Higher Education negotiates its way through change and transformation, the partners and staff at Beyond host internal discussions, expert interviews, and crowdsourced insight sessions to help guide leaders in the journey.
Learn more at beyondacademics.com
Episodes
51 episodes
Cleaning Up (The IT) Shop
In this conversation, Joe and Fred discuss the challenges faced by new CIOs in higher education, particularly those who inherit existing systems and teams. They explore the importance of having a strategic plan, building trust, and shifting per...
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Season 3
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Episode 30
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25:25
Will the truth tellers in higher ed please stand up?
In this spirited conversation, Matt shares a major pain point we are facing in higher education - and its root causes. The secrecy around project setbacks, and the muzzling of paid consultants and analysts about software vendor gaps is costing ...
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Season 3
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Episode 29
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19:39
The Robots Are Coming!
This episode of Fridays With Freddie dives into emerging news and research into robots, AI, and the future of general artificial intelligence (GAI). The guys unpack what that could mean for higher education, and how institutions should be plann...
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Season 3
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Episode 28
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21:02
Agentic AI in Higher Education. The Intellicampus Vision
Since the day we founded Beyond Academics, we dreamed of a day when technology could remove friction and create an Amazon-like experience for students and staff. This session with Matt starts to paint the picture of what is in the works - and s...
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Season 3
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Episode 27
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28:48
Educause musings and AI Agents in Higher Education
Freddie debriefs his takeaways from Educause 2024, and also gets into the power of LLMs and AI Agents working together to transform how higher education is done.
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Season 3
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Episode 26
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15:59
Modernizing The Registrar's Office
In this conversation, Joe and Matt discuss the modernization of the registrar's office in higher education. They explore the importance of academic record integrity, the need to identify friction points in the student experience, and the role o...
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Season 3
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Episode 25
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15:14
AI in the application and orientation process
In this conversation, Joe and Freddy discuss the inefficiencies in higher education, particularly in the application and onboarding processes. They explore how AI can transform these experiences by reducing friction, personalizing interactions,...
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Season 3
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Episode 24
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13:15
Lessons from the pickleball court
In this conversation, Matt Alex draws parallels between his experiences in pickleball and the challenges faced in higher education. He emphasizes the need for a shift from an institution-centric mindset to a student-centric approach, highlighti...
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Season 3
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Episode 23
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11:11
The Student Experience Meets AI
What could the student experience look like if AI could have its way? In this 10 minute episode, Fred begins to share what's possible - and even what's being working on at Intellicampus - to give students more agency over their experience, whil...
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Season 3
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Episode 22
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10:10
Nostalgia in Higher Ed
In this conversation, Joe Abraham and Matt Alex discuss the challenges facing higher education today, focusing on the nostalgia that hinders modernization, the importance of applying rigor appropriately, and the evolving role of knowledge disse...
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Season 3
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Episode 21
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13:32
Innovation: What Gets In The Way - And A New Way Out
In this conversation, Joe and Freddy explore the concept of constraints in the context of innovation, particularly within higher education. They discuss how constraints can serve as powerful motivators for creative problem-solving and innovatio...
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Season 3
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Episode 20
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12:23
What to consider BEFORE you buy more tech at your campus
In this episode of Mondays with Matt, Joe and Matt discuss the challenges and opportunities in transitioning educational institutions to cloud-based systems. The conversation highlights the need for educational leaders to adopt a future o...
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Season 3
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Episode 19
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11:03
Keeping up with AI - The Higher Education Version
Things are moving so rapidly with AI, that much of your strategy from last year - especially purchase decisions related to software - require a complete reset. In this session, Fred shares why, and how to go about it.
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Season 3
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Episode 18
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7:01
Why Working At (And With) Beyond Is Different
A more casual episode this week as Matt welcomes Lauren Wass to the Beyond team and they discuss why working at Beyond (as a staff member) and working with Beyond (as a client) is so different than the status quo.
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Season 3
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Episode 17
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8:24
What to do when staffing is low
What can a manager do when there's a lot to get done, but not enough full time staff available? What if it's hard to attract and retain talent at your institution's IT shop? Fred shares some ideas, and encouragement of how to prepa...
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Season 3
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Episode 16
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8:49
Is there malpractice taking place in higher education?
In this episode, Matt Alex discusses the concept of malpractice in the context of failed technology implementations in schools. He argues that there is a lack of accountability and responsibility in decision-making, leading to wasted resources ...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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14:11
IT Shop Of the Future
In this conversation, Joe and Fred discuss the key factors that contribute to the success of an IT shop. They highlight three main areas: empowerment, organizational structure, and staffing. Enjoy the conversation, and don't hesitate to contact...
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Season 3
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Episode 14
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15:40
Taking a System of System View In Technology Transformation
In this conversation, Joe and Matt discuss the importance of making campuses frictionless for students. They highlight the obstacles and friction points that exist in higher education, such as policy, procedure, and technology issues. They emph...
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Season 3
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Episode 13
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9:55
Blockchain in Higher Education. The 101 Class.
Blockchain is a decentralized immutable distributed ledger that has the potential to replace intermediaries and create trust in various industries. It can be used for applications such as verifiable credentials, smart contracts, and collaborati...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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12:35
Badge or Participation Trophy? The Future of Digital Credentials in Higher Ed
The conversation revolves around the topic of badges in higher education and the need for a more meaningful and validated badge strategy. Matt Alex criticizes the current badging strategy, highlighting its flaws and the lack of industry validat...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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9:45
The Role of Governance and AI in Higher Education
In this conversation, Joe and Freddy discuss an article from Goldman Sachs about the potential problems and challenges of AI. They highlight concerns such as power consumption, scalability, and the return on investment for AI in different indus...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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11:40
Is anything really changing with Change Management today?
In this conversation, Joe and Matt discuss the misinterpretation of the word 'change' and 'change management' in higher education. What does real change management look like?When should it take place?Who should be involved?...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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10:10
Implementing AI in Higher Education Step 2
In this conversation, Joe and Freddie discuss the latest news in AI, including the increasing use of AI in higher education and the release of a new open-source language model by Google. They emphasize the importance of colleges and universitie...
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Season 3
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Episode 8
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12:06
Is there malpractice taking place in higher education?
In this episode, Matt Alex discusses the concept of malpractice in the context of failed technology implementations in schools. He argues that there is a lack of accountability and responsibility in decision-making, leading to wasted resources ...
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Season 3
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Episode 15
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14:11
Are you hiring the wrong consultant?
The conversation discusses the difference between consulting and contracting in higher education. It highlights the misconception that consulting is simply paying a vendor to do something, when in reality, consulting is something very different...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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10:29