Events – Page 41 – Digital Learning Dispatches

At the beginning of October 2016 Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO gave a talk on DCU’s St Patrick’s Campus on the future of learning. Prior to hearing from the CEO the audience of over 500 guests heard Mark Pollock share his personal story about challenging conventional thinking.

Microsoft

During a fireside chat with Professor Deirdre Butler of DCU Institute of Education and Associate Member of the NIDL, the Microsoft chief spoke about inspiring the next generation of teachers to engage and embrace new learning technologies. Thanking Mr Nadella for his insights, Professor Butler said,

“From one lifelong learner to another, I am excited that we share many of the same values and principles. I look forward to designing meaningful learning environments that harness technology in creative and innovative ways to empower our students to ‘be the difference in the world’ in order to create a just and equitable society for all.”

In early June 2016 the first Empower Online Learning Leadership Academy (EOLLA) took in place at Neth-ER in Brussels. The two-day workshop supported with an Online Primer was very successful, evidenced by the positive feedback from participants.

The Leadership Academy is designed around the principles of active learning and includes activities like high-level discussions, creative problem solving and strategic thinking in response to new and emerging models of teaching and learning. Four experienced institutional leaders from the field, including our own Professor Mark Brown, together with a diverse group of established and new and emerging leaders explored a number of real dilemmas, challenging case studies and future scenarios to better understanding some of the opportunities and threats facing Higher Education. Through a mix of short presentations, open discussions and small group work the programme culminated on the final day with a number of business cases being put to a simulated senior leadership team.

The EOLLA is part of a joint initiative between the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU) and the Empower programme managed by the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU). Empower supports collaboration and sharing of expertise between European universities and provides specialist advice and guidance for institutional leaders on the latest developments in online, open and flexible education.