| Covid-19: Higher Education Challenges & Responses | UNESCO Futures of Education Initiative |
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| The IAU continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation globally. Actions and initiatives include the Report on the Second Global Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education published in March 2022 and submitted to the WHEC2022 as an Open Knowledge Product. The Report will also be presented at a virtual-side event at the WHEC2022. Additional resources provide information on developments on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on universities, recommendations and initiatives, opportunities to engage or exchange, and a selection of recent country-based and international news items on the subject. | The IAU sits on the Advisory Board of the Futures of Education, a global initiative to reimagine how knowledge and learning can shape the future of humanity and the planet. The initiative catalyzes an international debate on how knowledge, education and learning need to be reimagined in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and precarity. The Futures Report “Reimagining our futures together: a new social contract for education” launched during the UNESCO General Conference in November 2021 can be accessed here.
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Transforming Higher Education in a Digital World | Future of Higher Education |
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| Digital transformation is one of the four strategic priorities of the IAU. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of higher education, and now is an opportune moment to reflect on to shape the future of higher education in an increasingly digital world. This Policy Statement outlines essential values and principles that must underpin the digital transformation. The final draft will be submitted for official endorsement at the IAU 16th General Conference in Dublin on 25-28 October 2022 in Dublin, Ireland.
| The IAU Webinar Series: The Future of Higher Education, launched in May 2020, offers a platform for exchange on key higher education topics. IAU has hosted and co-hosted over 40 webinars on a variety of themes, including leadership, internationalization, digital transformation, and sustainable development. This series gives an overview of historical developments in the HE sector and introduces emerging trends. the Association continues to pursue these important exchanges across borders.
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IAU WHED | The Continuing Need for Internationalization of Higher Education |
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| The World Higher Education Database (WHED) is a unique resource for the practical implementation of the UNESCO Global Convention on the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications. The WHED supports global academic recognition and international cooperation while reinforcing quality assurance and credentialing. It provides authoritative information on some 19,800 accredited higher education institutions and higher education systems and credentials in 196 countries and territories.
| The Network of International Education Associations (NIEA) submitted a Policy Brief on “The Continuing Need for Internationalization of Higher Education” to the UNESCO World Higher Education Conference (WHEC2022). IAU is a coordinator of NIEA, composed of 15 leading organisations in the internationalization of higher education. This Policy Brief underlines the importance of international cooperation and exchange in tackling the challenges humankind faces today, as expressed in the UN Agenda 2030 and the SDGs.
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| UNESCO Futures of Education Initiative | Higher Education Institutions & Lifelong Learning |
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| In highlighting SDG 4 on quality education and the cross-cutting nature of all SDGs, universities are regarded as key actors in achieving the 17 goals set out by Agenda 2030. Accordingly, the University of Bergen and UNESCO established the Global Independent Expert Group on the Universities and the 2030 Agenda (EGU2030). Together with ISC, IAU is a partner in this initiative and contributed to the EGU2030 Report. The Report to be presented at the WHEC2022 can be accessed here.
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UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) is one of UNESCO’s key education-related institutes and holds a global mandate for lifelong learning. In 2020 - 2021 IAU and UIL collaborated on the elaboration and dissemination of a Global Survey on the role of HE for LLL. The outcomes report will be presented at the UNESCO World Higher Education Conference 2022. |
