With shifting policies, emerging technologies, and evolving student expectations, education professionals need more than instinct to stay relevant—they need real insight. Keeping up with trends isn’t just helpful; it’s essential to making informed decisions, adapting programs, and meeting learner needs. Here’s some tips on what you can do to stay current and ahead of shifts in the education landscape:

<ul>
	<li style="margin-left: 8px;">- Refer to older media to gain context on trends</li>
	<li style="margin-left: 8px;">- Keep up with social media accounts related to your areas of interest</li>
	<li style="margin-left: 8px;">- Search for specialized online communities for deeper discussion and analysis</li>
	<li style="margin-left: 8px;">- Institution websites can reveal broader trends that go unnoticed</li>
	<li style="margin-left: 8px;">- Conference attendance provides novel experiences and insights</li>
	<li style="margin-bottom: 11px; margin-left: 8px;">- Amass a big follow list, and then narrow down to your level of comfort</li>
</ul>

Consult archival material

Prior to beginning your efforts, it is recommended to review any relevant older books or media you can find in your work’s archives or the public library. This may sound counterintuitive, but starting with archival materials and publications will allow you to gain valuable context for the trends you are trying to catch. This foundational knowledge will allow you to better understand the evolution of certain strains of thought or even clue you into trends no one else is noticing. The further back you go, the more cognizant you’ll be in recognizing the changes taking place.

Follow social media

Make a list of any individuals, professional organizations and institutions connected to your subdomain within the education industry and proceed to follow all these entities on the platforms of your choice (Bluesky, X, LinkedIn etc.). Social media accounts are the best way to get concise, easy-to-digest updates on happenings in education. Due to the inherent nature of social media, these platforms will not provide the most informative or in-depth analysis, but they are good for uncovering leads and ideas to be researched in greater depth later.

Tip: Pay close attention to re-posts – these are usually vetted as coming from trustworthy sources who would make ideal additions to your follow list.

Exhaust all other online resources and communities

One level deeper than social networking in your online research efforts will be forums, message boards, newsletters and other online specialist groups focused on education. Such platforms may be considered the antiquated remnants of Web 1.0 to some, but you’ll find that a surprising number of these communities are well-maintained, constantly updated and populated by knowledgeable experts providing detailed analysis instead of the limited and shallower engagement of social networks.

Tip: Google Groups is an underrated resource for uncovering longform online discussion dating back to the 1980s.

Institution websites

Browsing school websites can reveal trends regarding in-demand majors and disciplines. Additionally, refinements and innovations in curriculum can be ascertained from looking at academic program syllabi that are freely available online. Even looking at staff directories can provide indications as to how faculties and departments are evolving. These institutional websites don’t tend to have the most dynamic content, so it is not necessary to check on them every single week. It’s perfectly fine to browse them a couple of times a year to see what’s changed.

Tip: Use archived versions via the Wayback Machine to compare over a longer period.

Attending conferences

On-site, person-to-person experiences are still novel and irreplaceable, as they allow for unique interactions and networking opportunities. Hundreds of education-focused conferences are held each year around the world, all with specific niches (tech, administration, K-12 etc.) for whatever slice of the industry you’re involved with. Even if you cannot physically attend, many of these have virtual options allowing for at least some level of participation. Some developments and innovations are first revealed at presentations and panels before being reported online, making this a good option for those seeking an edge on info.

Tip: The NAFSA suite of conferences and AIRC's annual conference offer great insights into international education, and you’ll often find Veri Once there too.

Start with a wide swarth, and narrow down

Once you’ve gone down the different paths and assembled a list of accounts, websites and conferences to engage with, you can then begin the process of winnowing these down to those providing the most valuable, accurate and actionable data.

Tip: Eliminate anything with too broad or narrow a focus for your needs, as well as accounts that function solely as promotional vehicles.

An example of the far-reaching impacts of policy changes on the industry

Looking back, the Bologna Process offers a clear example of how coordinated policy shifts can shape international education for decades to come. This Pan-European arrangement to standardize degree levels and credit transferability between members led to an industry-wide shift in the evaluation of credentials offered by the participating countries. Downstream from this, these reforms served as a catalyst for revisions to the evaluation of three-year degrees from non-Bolonga countries such as India. A quarter century on, the effects of the Bologna Process are still felt in the international education space (most notably in ongoing debates on the merits of quantitative vs. qualitative analysis of foreign study).

Tip: NAFSA has a <a href="https://www.nafsa.org/current-us-administration" style="color:#467886; text-decoration:underline">dedicated page</a> where you can find the latest U.S. policy updates in one place.

Parting words

Anyone with an interest in following trends in education tech and international admissions would be well served by following Veri Once’s online presence (X, LinkedIn, newsletter and website). On these platforms we provide informative articles on industry developments and updates on upcoming webinars, conferences and presentations.

Juan Garibaldi has 17 years of experience as a credential evaluator and works as Director of Credential Evaluations at Veri Once.