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KEEPING AN EYE ON HIGHER EDUCATION DEVELOPMENTS WORLDWIDE
May 2020
IAU Lynx offers a monthly overview of higher education developments around the world. It covers new policies, initiatives and projects on various higher education topics. The information is classified by international, regional, bilateral and national initiatives.
The International Commission on the Futures of Education met virtually on 8 April to reflect on the COVID-19 crisis. One outcome of that meeting is a Joint Statement on the COVID-19 Crisis entitled Protecting and Transforming Education for Shared Futures and Common Humanity, which provides broad education policy guidance and flags longer-term issues that the global education community must attend to.
In response to the massive disruption of education due to the Covid-19, UNESCO has issued a Call to support learning and knowledge sharing through Open Educational Resources (OER)worldwide. It encourages implementation of the OER Recommendation adopted by Member States in November 2019.
Call for nominations for the UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education which rewards outstanding innovation and contributions made by individuals, institutions and organisations to advance girls’ and women’s education. Deadline: 26 May.
Call for nominations for the 2021 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards. The 2021 International Awards will designate five outstanding researchers in Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science, each working in one of the following regions: Africa and the Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America. Deadline: 31 May.
UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL)
UIL hosted a webinar on higher education institutions’ support for local communities on 15 April as part of its ongoing series for members of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) on responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. A global overview of priority areas was provided and initiatives conducted by several higher education institutions were presented.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the deadline for application to the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) has been extended until 30 June . The international policy-oriented network encompasses seven key clusters: education for sustainable development; equity and inclusion; educational planning, monitoring and evaluation; education for global citizenship; entrepreneurship; health and well-being; and literacy.
International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (UNESCO-ICHEI)
In April, the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) was launched online under the auspices of (UNESCO-ICHEI) as a response to UNESCO’s global call on supporting countries to mitigate the adverse impacts of university closures. The mission of IIOE is to harness the Belt and Road Initiative to enhance the access of developing countries to quality higher education.
UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (UNESCO INRULED) and UNESCO International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (UNESCO ICHEI):
The handbook of “Guidance on Flexible learning during Campus Closures: ensuring Course Quality of Higher Education during COVID-19 out-break”, prepared by the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University (SLIBNU), provides a resource to help university teachers in facilitating flexible learning and ensure the quality of education in the current context. It also discusses implications for promoting higher education in a sustainable way in the long term.
UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA)
Presentations from the IICBA Webinar on “ICT and Distance Learning in Tertiary Education Institutions during School Closure” held on 22 April are online. The event gathered Education experts from Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria to share information about how governments in Africa are supporting tertiary educators to use ICT to continue providing quality education during the COVID-19 pandemic ; experiences on the use of ICT in distance learning in tertiary education institutions were also shared.
UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC)
IESALC has released the report COVID-19 and higher education: Today and tomorrow that highlights the immediate impacts of the pandemic on the higher education sector, reviews what actions governments and higher education institutions have taken and offers recommendations regarding the reopening of HEIs.
IESALC has also listed measures, plans and recommendations made by the 13 councils of rectors and national associations of higher educationinstitutions (HEI) in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as f 3 sub-regional networks in face of the COVID-19 pandemic and announcements on national higher education public policies taken in 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries in the context of COVID-19.
UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC)/Equatorial Guinea
Founded in December 2019 in Equatorial Guinea, the Afro-American University of Central Africa (AAUCA) is seeking to recruit its first Rector with the support of the UNESCO IESALC. The application process closes on May 30, 2020.
UNESCO Beirut:
UNESCO Beirut assists Arab Member States in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 crisis in the Higher Education sector. Support is provided to adapt their education sector to remote/distance learning and to address issues relating to evaluation and assessment of students during remote learning, course validation, teachers training on the use of online tools, as well as the organization of graduation ceremonies.
https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-beirut-assists-arab-member-states-mitigating-impact-covid-19-crisis-higher-education
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Canada has introduced a set of programmes to test novel approaches to skills development. Workforce Innovation to Foster Positive Learning Environments in Canada analyses the potential of these programmes to improve the future-readiness of Canada’s adult learning system.
Scholars at risk
Free Universities: Putting the Academic Freedom Index Into Action, a joint report released by the Global Public Policy Institute and Scholars at Risk, introduces the Academic Freedom Index (AFi). It calls on decision-makers in higher education and research to use the AFi data to better protect and promote academic freedom. It also includes recommendations.
World Bank
The World Bank has released Improving the Performance of Higher Education in Vietnam : Strategic Priorities and Policy Options. The main objective of this Bank’s report is to provide a diagnosis of the current performance of the Vietnamese universities and propose a range of options for transforming and developing the higher education system.
The World Bank has released Guidance Note : Remote Learning and COVID-19. It offers principles to maximize countries’ effectiveness in designing and executing remote learning.in the context of Covid-19.
The World bank has also released The COVID-19 Crisis Response: Supporting tertiary education for continuity, adaptation, and innovation.This publication analyses the global context of the impact of COVID-19 on higher education, providing responses and implications for universities and systems, required actions for course delivery, research and operations, and long-term challenges.
Lumina Foundation
The Lumina Foundation has released Readying for the Future: COVID-19, Higher Ed, and Fairness.
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Africa - Americas - Asia - Europe
Association of African Universities
The AAU has made available a resource page to help higher education institutions plan for campus disruption by COVID-19.
African students studying overseas or in other countries on the continent continue to face difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic. These include lack of food, forced evictions and xenophobic hostilities.
RedCLARA
Through RedCLARA, Cisco provides free 90-day Cisco WebEx Meetings licenses to universities, research centers, and health care facilities in Latin America. This alliance is part of the actions of Latin American academic networks united in RedCLARA in the context of COVID-19, and to promote work and study from home.
Organization of American States (OAS)
The OAS is carrying out the initiative #EducaciónEnTiemposDeCambio (Education in Times of Change), a series of video spots that will bring together views, experiences and recommendations of ministries of education, educational institutions, experts in virtual education and digital education, to guide or inspire solutions in the context of COVID-19.
Organization of Ibero-American States
The Organization of Ibero-American States has extended the deadline for submitting good practices in internationalization to 1 July , a call launched together with the International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO-IESALC), the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga in Colombia (UNAB), the University of Alcalá in Spain (UAH), and the National University of Córdoba as host of CRES. All Ibero-American universities are invited to present initiatives with the aim of promoting their visibility and transfer and fostering South-South exchange and cooperation.
The Organization of Ibero-American States published the report entitled “Effects of the Coronavirus on Education”, which analyses the impact that this pandemic could have on education, especially on issues such as academic performance, school dropout rates and the effect on future salaries. The report also points out the measures and conditions needed to reduce its educational impact in the region.
Ibero-American Association for Distance Education
The Ibero-American Association for Distance Education has made available on its YouTube channel a series of webinars related to the university’s response to the remains of COVID-19.
Inter-American University Organization
The Inter-American University Organization began its "Webinars 2020" with the participation ofexperts in higher education who discussed topics responding to the expectations of the current situation caused by the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), in the context of the Latin American region.
Union of Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean (UDUAL)
UDUAL issued a letter on 26 April addressed to its members and cooperation and study organizations calling for an in-depth reflection on the urgent changes that will have to be implemented to face this new present and future reality.
A new issue of Revista Universidades coordinated by UDUAL is now available in digital version. In the midst of the health emergency, it offers an alternative for reflection on a panorama of various aspects of Venezuelan higher education.
Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU)
In order to assist its members, APRU has posted a web page including links to members’ websites stating their policies and the actions they are taking to face the current health crisis.
Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU)
AAOU is calling for papers for its Annual Conference titled “Opening minds for a sustainable future: Re-orienting ODL to surmount challenges”organized by the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL), 21-23 October 2020. Sub-themes are: Promoting sustainable development through lifelong learning ; Innovations in ODL through smart technologies ; Open knowledge movement - Implications for ODL ; Learner engagement and motivation in ODL- Challenges and possibilities ; Best practices in ODL for Education for Sustainable Development ; Learning analytics in ODL. Deadline: 31 May.
European University Association
EUA has launched a call for participation in a survey on digitally enhanced learning and teaching with the aim of mapping the situation across Europe. The survey is open to all European higher education institutions and includes questions on how higher education institutions are adapting to the Covid-19 situation. Deadline: 4 June.
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Argentina | Brazil | Canada | China |
Ecuador | El Salvador | Egypt | France |