The DIGI-HE project explores different ways higher education institutions can boost their strategic approaches to digitally enhanced learning and teaching and enhance their capacity.
The goal is to encourage and support a reflection on institutional strategy development and enhancement, through good practice sharing and peer learning among university leadership, and to contribute to community building. The coincidence of the Covid-19 crisis has made these activities even more pertinent and urgent.
The project provides:
A forward-looking cooperation project, DIGI-HE is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission. It will run from January 2020 to December 2022.
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The DIGI-HE project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Digitalisation is of growing importance at all higher education institutions. Studies confirm increased general acceptance of digital learning and a growing trend towards more strategic and mainstreamed use. This entails the integration and scale-up of learning and teaching innovation, which usually emerges bottom-up, and a gradual transformation of the institution. It requires leadership, participatory approaches and investment in order to establish well-functioning digital learning ecosystems that serve the entire institution and all members and stakeholders and that are able to respond to change. (Trends 2018, p. 60; Changing Pedagogical Landscapes 2018; Digitally enhanced learning and teaching in European higher education institutions, 2021).
This has been demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected, beyond the temporary push, to lead to a medium- to-long-term enhancement of digital learning.
The DIGI-HE project aims to support these processes, by gathering data and information on the strategic development of digitalisation and organising peer learning for knowledge and experience sharing among institutional leadership from across the European Higher Education Area.
The initiative relates to EUA’s prior work on digital learning and contributes to its ongoing initiatives on learning and teaching.
|
Activity |
Timeline |
1
|
Conducting survey on digitally enhanced learning and teaching in European higher education institutions |
April-June 2020 |
|
Desk research on self-assessment instruments |
April-September 2020 |
Launch of survey report and desk research report |
January 2021 |
|
2
|
1st round of thematic peer groups |
March 2021-February 2022 |
Launch of summary reports from 1st round of thematic peer groups |
February-March 2022 |
|
2nd round of thematic peer groups |
March 2022-December 2022 |
|
Launch of summary reports from 2nd round of thematic peer groups |
December 2022
|
|
3
|
Three-part workshop series on self-assessment instruments |
October 2021 to November 2022
|
Development and launch of self-paced digital training resource, to be disseminated beyond the project’s lifetime |
September 2021-June 2022 (and beyond)
|
|
Final conference and launch of final project publication |
December 2022 |
1) Inception and information gathering (January 2020 – January 2021)
Digitally enhanced learning and teaching in European higher education institutions
The survey maps the situation of digitalisation at European higher education institutions and inquires about their strategic uptake of digitalisation, its impact and challenges in various areas of institutional life, their experiences in this area and their expectations for the future. The survey results are compiled in “Digitally enhanced learning and teaching in European higher education institutions”. They are also presented in a webinar on EUA’s YouTube channel and slideshow.
Developing a high-performance digital education ecosystem: institutional self-assessment instruments
The analysis of self-assessment instruments focuses on their impact in key areas of higher education institutions’ activities, including governance and management, learning and curriculum, research and innovation, collaboration and outreach. It includes practical guidance on how such instruments could be used in an institutional setting. The results are compiled in Developing a high-performance digital education ecosystem: institutional self-assessment instruments. They are also presented in a webinar on EUA’s YouTube channel.
2) Thematic peer groups (March 2021 – November 2022)
The project aims to run two cycles of thematic peer groups on digitally enhanced learning and teaching. The Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Groups have been a very successful strand of EUA’s learning and teaching activities, designed to strengthen a bottom-up approach in engaging European higher education institutions to foster community building around learning and teaching. Institutions take part in a series of online meetings and activities and produce their findings in a report. 30 institutions have been selected to take part in the first cycle thematic peer groups.
3) Validation and dissemination (October 2022 – December 2022)
Workshop series on self-assessment instruments
Self-assessment instruments will be further explored through a three-part workshop series in 2021, which will provide some advice on how to choose the instrument that best corresponds to the institution’s needs, as well as how to carry out a self-assessment and act on its results.
Self-paced training resource on the institutional self-assessment of digitally enhanced learning and teaching
Based on the review of self-assessment instruments and exchanges during the thematic peer groups, the project aims to develop and deliver a digital self-paced training resource, which includes case studies, best practices and instruments for institutional self-assessment of digitally enhanced learning and teaching.
Validation conference
The validation conference in Brussels aims to gather a mixed audience of institutional representatives, policy makers and any other stakeholder with an interest in digitalisation in higher education. The institutions that participated in the thematic peer groups can share their experience and present the impact their involvement in the thematic peer groups has had at their institution. Also, as part of the conference, small breakout sessions and workshops on thematic issues are planned.
Final publication
An online publication is due to be published at the project’s conclusion. This publication aims to gather highlights from the summary report, testimonials from institutions that have participated in the thematic peer groups, as well as lessons learnt on how to organise effective thematic peer groups on digitally enhanced learning and teaching in a higher education setting.
DIGI-HE Webinar series: A strategic reflection on digitalisation in higher education
DIGI-HE Workshop 1: Developing a high-performance digital education ecosystem: strategy and organisational culture, 19 October 2021
DIGI-HE Workshop 2: Developing a high-performance digital education ecosystem: institutional self-assessment, 24 May 2022
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