Why universities globally should consider how they fit into the micro-accreditation landscape

“Shorter in duration than traditional programs, micro-credential programs enable students to gain specialised certifications for specific skills or knowledge areas”

The economic landscape learners face today is rapidly shifting. A generation ago, a career spent in one role was commonplace. Today, the need to reskill to hold multiple careers over a lifetime in the workplace appears to be quickly becoming the rule rather than the exception.

The skills gap created by this dynamic is also an opportunity. Short programs, such as micro-credentials with specific goals, are an opportunity for higher education institutions to widen access for non-traditional learners to gain the skills needed to compete today and provide an avenue to deliver lifelong learning for more workers tomorrow.

Read More

Unleashing edtech needs more than tech: lessons from Africa

“Africa needs a new model for learning and development, a plan to point the path ahead to a future of opportunity”

The eLearning Africa annual conference, the largest and most comprehensive knowledge sharing event for technology-enhanced education, training and skills on the African continent, has just wrapped-up.

Speakers from around the globe converged in Dakar, Senegal to address the theme of the conference “New Model Learning: Innovating to Become Sustainable, Self-Reliant, Equitable and Resilient”.

It is true; Africa needs a new model for learning and development, a plan to point the path ahead to a future of opportunity. UNESCO estimates a shortfall in teachers in sub-Saharan Africa of 15 million. Worse, teachers struggling to help students often have little or no support.

These shortfalls go some way to explaining why in sub-Saharan Africa, only 10% of children can read a simple sentence by the age of 10.

Read More

Trends for agility: HE is evolving at an unprecedented pace

“Higher education is evolving at an unprecedented pace and institutions must be proactive and agile if they’re to remain competitive”

The world is changing.  From the workplace to the study place, higher education is also being forced to evolve and adapt to the changing demands of students and tomorrow’s careers. Since the 16th century, education has involved spending a good deal of time sitting in a classroom absorbing information before heading out into the working world to put it to use.

But the speed of change around us means that how we are taught today and the content we are taught about may well be redundant the next, causing higher education to rethink its framework and teaching methods for the careers of the future.

Read More

Hologram technology: transforming integrated learning across international campuses

“The benefits hologram learning can bring to classrooms cannot be overstated”

At HEC Paris in Qatar, we are sensitive to the demand for learning beyond traditional methods – for it to be more effective, efficient, and impactful. That is why we recently deployed holographic technology, helping achieve seamless integrated learning across international campuses.

This creates a novel teaching model for today, and for the future metaverse – fit for fighting the so called ‘conference call’ fatigue.

Read More

ChatGPT in education: to ban or not to ban?

“Overall, I offered 20 questions to ChatGPT, and around 15 of its answers were correct”

In the last few months, we’ve seen many discussions on ChatGPT’s potential to disrupt certain fields and steal jobs. Copywriters are weak at the knees, and software developers are getting nervous. Education isn’t just a target – it’s already massively affected by AI. For instance, 17% of Stanford students confessed anonymously to using ChatGPT for their quarter assignments and exams.

Will it become a trend? Should we fight this process or accept the inevitable?

Read More

What makes a great foundation course?

“Courses that recognise the importance of developing learning skills, as well as subject knowledge, may well have the edge”

Foundation courses have been one of the success stories of recent times, with numbers quadrupling over the last five years and more than 55,000 students choosing to study foundation year courses in 2019/20.

“A foundation course should prepare students for university, not just with English language level but also with a mix of academic literacies, study skills, critical thinking and confidence. The aim is to make them feel prepared and ready for the next big step in their academic life,” says Keith Ibsen, deputy academic director, at St Clare’s, Oxford.

Read More

R.test – the test for SAT and ACT preparedness

“The ambition is to scale up AI-powered test prep to provide effective education across a wide range of subjects and learning environments”

I am always excited to see new innovations that have the potential to make learning more accessible and effective, and that’s why I am thrilled to launch R.test, an AI-powered application from Riiid designed to help students prepare for standardised tests such as the SAT and ACT.

What makes R.test so exciting is its ability to predict test scores with high accuracy in a fraction of the time it takes to complete a full mock test.

With just 30 questions, R.test quickly evaluates a student’s test preparedness and provides detailed analysis of their knowledge and test-taking strategy. It even provides students with actionable guidance on how to improve, including a selection of relevant practice questions curated by the AI engine.

Read More

Improve digital experience for all by focusing on international students

“Broadly, international students have a greater variety of attitudes and a greater variance of digital skills than their UK counterparts”

International students coming to the UK are an increasingly diverse group. They arrive with a breadth of personal perceptions, cultural backgrounds and prior experiences both inside and outside formal education. These experiences impact on how well they use digital technologies to learn.

This diversity means that the digital experience of international students coming to the UK is inconsistent with all their needs.

The problems these students face can be tackled by higher education providers taking a more inclusive approach, focusing on equity and outcomes. They can create a digital experience that benefits all students, not just international students.

The Jisc team has embarked on a four-phase research project aimed at understanding the digital experience of international students studying in the UK. Our findings and initial recommendations from the first phase will be published in the middle of April 2023.

Read More

The importance of sustainability in students’ university choice

“Considering 45% of 16 to 25-year-olds are suffering from climate anxiety, it’s understandable that they want to study at an institution which shares their vision for a sustainable future”

2023 saw the launch of a new league table for higher education institutions based on sustainability. The QS sustainability rankings set out to measure a university’s ability to tackle the world’s greatest environmental, social and governance challenges.

Likewise, the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which were introduced four years ago, aim to assess universities against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

But do students really think about an institution’s approach to climate action when deciding where to apply?

Read More

Benchmarking sustainable development in higher education

“82% of prospective international students either actively seek out or will be seeking out information on an institution’s sustainability practices”

2023 is set to be the 10th year in a row which will see global average temperatures reach at least 1C above what they were in pre-industrial times.

Governments and organisations across the globe are once again looking to ways in which they can become more sustainable to help stem the onset of climate change. Universities are no exception; and indeed, they are uniquely placed to help deliver environmental change.

New solutions to the climate crisis will be developed by those about to pass through higher education and it is important that this year the sector supports students and staff who are highly invested in the issue.

Read More