Learning Experience



Welcome to the EDUCAUSE Higher Ed Guide for the Corporate Community—your launch point for understanding how higher education makes decisions, funds priorities, and forms partnerships. This experience will equip you with the knowledge and practical tools to navigate governance structures, interpret strategic plans, align with funding models, work within procurement processes, and build long-term institutional relationships.

What to Expect:

  • Learning Activities – Interactive discussions, group work, and scenario-based learning that reflects real higher education decision-making contexts
  • Assignments – Practice exercises to map decision-making networks, analyze strategic plans, and develop tailored engagement strategies
  • Recommended Resources – Readings, videos, and tools for deeper exploration of governance, planning, funding, and procurement
  • Reflections – Structured time to consolidate learning, exchange insights, and set actionable goals for your professional practice

We recommend dedicating 2–3 hours per competency to ensure an engaging and successful learning experience. This time allows for meaningful participation in activities, reflection, and application of new skills.

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Agenda

This self-paced, four-week online program is fully asynchronous, with an optional live Q&A session with faculty.

Live Q&A Session: Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at 2:00pm ET

Curated by senior higher education leaders, the program provides targeted resources and practical guidance to help participants build the skills and insights needed to successfully navigate and thrive within the higher education environment. We recommend learners plan on 2–3 hours to complete each competency and have an engaged and successful learning experience.

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Modules

Understanding an institution’s type is just the start—knowing how it makes decisions is key. Governance structures, reporting lines, and stakeholder roles vary widely across higher education. To engage effectively, you must identify relevant decision-makers, understand how leadership and organizational dynamics influence technology investments, and build strong relationships with both IT and non-IT stakeholders who shape institutional needs, priorities, and procurement decisions.

  • Determine institutional stakeholders relevant to your service and/or product based on an institution's governance structure and characteristics.
  • Apply strategies to build and strengthen relationships with higher education stakeholders who influence decisions.
  • Develop partnership and engagement strategies tailored to different institutional types and decision-making environments.

An institution’s strategic plan is a critical lens for understanding its priorities, direction, and decision-making. As technology becomes increasingly integrated into institutional strategy, technology-related decisions and investments are more closely aligned with strategic goals. By analyzing a strategic plan and understanding funding sources—including the role of consortiums—you can tailor your approach to better support institutional success and technology adoption.

  • Analyze how leadership roles, management practices, and reporting structures shape technology investment decisions in higher education.
  • Evaluate an institution’s strategic plan to identify technology-related priorities and align customized approaches to support them.
  • Explain how funding sources and consortium participation affect technology purchasing decisions and processes.

Understanding how higher education institutions source, purchase, and manage goods and services—including software, cloud solutions, consulting, infrastructure, and other strategic investments—is essential for successful and sustainable engagement. To be effective, you must grasp how procurement processes influence decision-making, align with institutional priorities and funding structures, and require tailored engagement and negotiation strategies that support strategic goals and timelines.

  • Explain how higher education procurement processes influence institutional decision-making and corporate engagement, and identify ways to research these processes across institutions.
  • Identify and apply engagement strategies that align with procurement practices, decision-making timelines, and stakeholder roles at higher education institutions.
  • Apply negotiation strategies informed by institutional priorities and constraints to reach mutually beneficial agreements.