The Rise of the Digital Professor: And what this means for universities

Speakers:

• Professor Perry Hobson, Director, Breda University
• Dr Mieke Vogel, Head of Centre for Teaching and Learning
• Bielefeld University Renáta Tomášková, Teacher & Vice-Rector for International Relations, University of Ostrava

When it comes to teaching and learning, many institutions have now embraced a blend of ‘virtual’ and ‘face-to-face’. So what happens as universities, and their academic staff, move away from being ‘analogue’ and based on a particular campus, to becoming much more ‘digital’ and potentially nomadic? What does this mean for not only the staff, their work lives and careers, but also student learning, and the opportunities for universities to become more globally engaged? After all, academic staff can now be more easily accessed and shared between institutions.

In this session, we brought together a panel of experts to explore both the challenges and the opportunities presented by the ‘Rise of the Digital Professor’. They discuss how online teaching and learning opportunities will allow academics to move outside the ‘walled garden’ of a particular university. They ask how can staff engage, and be engaged, more globally? They also question whether universities will embrace such a rise? And finally, explore what partnerships, networks/consortiums have already emerged, such as NEOLAiA and its Focus Academy initiative offering across seven universities. Looking to the future, will more co-developed degrees and initiatives emerge as we start to digitally transcend our traditional institutional walls?

Recorded on 24/03/2022 at Ahead by Bett 2022