DigiHE – Digital Learning Dispatches

We are pleased to announce a forthcoming Digital-HE projectworkshop on the topic of “Developing a High-Performance Digital Education Ecosystem: Strategy and Organisational Culture”.

The DIGI-HE project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission, explores different ways higher education institutions can boost their strategic approaches to digitally enhanced learning and teaching and enhance their capacity. Led by the European Universities Association (EUA), the project partners include:

The COVID-19 crisis has enhanced practice and fuelled discussion on the digital provision of learning and teaching.

Almost 90% of institutions are now boasting a strategy, and are much better acquainted with fully online, blended and hybrid forms of learning than before.

Recent months have also brought some concrete lessons learnt and insights on what works and what does not, and magnified gaps and shortcomings from infrastructure and educational resources to digital skills needs and the psycho-social implications of digital formats and approaches.

Many institutions are strongly determined to seize the opportunities emerging from the crisis and further enhance and develop a “high-performance digital education ecosystem”. But where does one start and what should be considered? In addition, how could institutions be supported through national and European measures, also in view of “Europe’s Digital Decade”?

This first workshop, of a three-part series aimed at supporting institutions in the assessment of their achievements and opportunities in digitally enhanced learning and teaching, will focus on “institutional strategy and organisational culture”.

It will be followed by similar events on curriculum and internationalisation. All three workshops will consider the use of existing self-assessment tools for digitally enhanced learning and teaching and touch upon issues currently explored under the DIGI-HE project.

Free of charge and open to all EUA members, the workshop will be of interest to higher education leaders responsible for learning and teaching and its digital transformation. Participants will actively contribute to the discussions and peer exchanges – a major source of inspiration and learning. Therefore, attendance is limited to 30 people, with a maximum of two participants per institution. Registration remains open until 5 October 2021.

For further information, please consult the programme . For questions about the workshop, please contact EUA at digihe@eua.eu

We are pleased to share news of this two-part webinar series inviting strategic reflections on the increasing digitalisation in higher education. The series is organised by the European Universities Association (EUA) drawing on the findings of two major reports under the DIGI-HE project and is part of the European Learning & Teaching pre-Forum activities. The aim of this three-year Erasmus+ co-funded initiative, which the NIDL is an active partner, is to support European higher education institutions in enhancing their strategic approaches to digitalisation.

You can read more information below about each webinar and find further details on the panel discussion, soon to be launched reports and registration links on the dedicated page for this event.

Webinar 1: Developing a high-performing digital education ecosystem: institutional self-assessment instruments

Digitally enhanced learning and teaching is now a common feature of the European higher education landscape, but how do higher education institutions develop and enhance their strategic approaches to digitalisation, and ensure they are fit for purpose? The first webinar of this series will explore the use of self-evaluation instruments, such as HEInnovate, DigCompOrg and ACODE Benchmarks, as a way to develop a high-performance digital education ecosystem. It will present the results of a report that gathered and analysed 20 digital self-assessment instruments and provide advice to higher education institutions wishing to use them. The report is the product of a six-month desk research venture during which each instrument was evaluated and peer reviewed on an established set of criteria by members of the DIGI-HE consortium.

During the webinar, speakers will:

present the overall findings of the review of the various tools and frameworks;
provide advice on how to approach an internal self-evaluation by using a self-assessment tool or framework;
discuss the methodology behind the selection of instruments and the review process.

Webinar 2: Results of the survey report “Digitally enhanced learning and teaching in European higher education institutions”

This second webinar of the series will explore the results of the report “Digitally enhanced learning and teaching at European higher education institutions”. The report is based on the findings of a survey of higher education leadership across the European Higher Education Area from April to June 2020. It gathered 368 responses from 48 countries.

The webinar will offer insight into the strategic uptake of digitalisation in higher education institutions before the Covid-19 crisis, but also some of the changes that have occurred over the last year. Due to a similar study in 2014, and questions on digital learning in the EUA Trends Reports from 2015 & 2018, some longitudinal data will also be presented.

During the webinar, speakers will:

reflect on the survey findings in national and European contexts, also in view of the EU Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) and its goals;
discuss what is needed to ensure that higher education institutions are fully equipped to provide sustainable and high quality digitally enhanced learning and teaching to students throughout the EHEA in a post-Covid world.

Do you want to learn more?

As part of the DIGI-HE project we also have a call open for participation in a number of thematic peer groups with a digitally-enhanced learning and teaching focus. Three thematic peer groups will be supported in 2021 based on the level of interest in several themes. Expert facilitated peer groups provide a valuable opportunity for European higher education institutions to share and exchange information with colleagues about their strategic approaches to digital education. Under this call, around 20 institutions will be selected.

The deadline for applications is 29th January 2021, click here for more information.