This book is an important contribution to understanding one very important dimension of the inevitable transformation of higher education: automation. It uses the lens of the ‘fourth industrial revolution’ to look at what is happening within the world of higher education and why. It is ambitious in its scope and yet grounded in its focus on actual examples from around the world. It looks at the great trends in higher education, but does so by focusing on case studies and examples from around the world. It is optimistic in its tone, but not shy of looking at potential winners and losers. Most importantly, it is intrinsically global in its outlook. This global outlook, in itself, is a significant contribution. A conundrum of our field is that even as all higher education, everywhere, has become manifestly global, the operation, management, and strategy of higher education have remained staunchly parochial. This book sheds the parochialness and, for that reason alone, is worth reading. This is not a book of predictions about the future of higher education as much as it is a guide to navigating the many, and mostly unknown,
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transformations that are inevitable in higher education. It raises the questions we need to ask as we navigate the transformations. And in highlighting experiences from around the world, it points us in the direction of good practice. The importance of interdisciplinarity is emphasized throughout, as learners of all ages must meet the challenges of the automation economy with creativity and curiosity. In this global community we can all learn from each other and the case studies in this book offer important examples of how some around the world are working in the classroom and at the policy level to adjust the learning environment in preparation for the future. The contexts of the fourth industrial revolution and of automation are important anchors for this discussion. Automation is a tangible reality for anyone in higher education. It is an area where the change, as well as the options, is palpable and real. The case studies in this book look at the question of automation for myriad perspectives, but all are grounded in the realizable policy and action. In bringing it together, the book makes a real contribution not only to our understanding of what is happening but also to the practical steps that readers could take in shaping the transformations that are bound to take place.