On 27-28 March, IAU held its first Institutional Site Visit on technology in higher education at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in Barcelona, Spain. We welcomed 24 participants from 16 countries, both online and onsite universities. The visit combined plenary and interactive sessions on a variety of tech-related solutions for enhancing higher education and achieving SDG 4. Participants were able to shape the agenda of the visit by choosing topics of their interest. These included: accreditation of online universities, online student mobility, doing an internship online, virtual labs, chatbots and AI for student-centered learning.

"It was a true pleasure for IAU to bring together representatives from 5 regions to discuss how to leverage the potential of technology. Beyond geographic diversity, we also had a mixture of online and onsite universities and this allowed for dynamic and nuanced discussions. Finally, I’d like to commend UOC for its openness and eagerness to share its extensive experience. At IAU, we believe that collaborative approach is essential for shaping the future of higher education", said Trine Jensen, Lead on Higher Education & Technology at IAU.

IAU chose UOC as the first host for Institutional Site Visits, as it is the world’s first 100% online university with nearly 25 years of experience. It thus provided participants with invaluable insights on the operations of online education and how technology in general can enhance higher education.

"To share experiences is to support learning, so it is a pleasure for UOC to host IAU’s first site visit on technology! We also look forward to learning from participants joining us from around the world", the UOC President Josep A. Planell said at the opening of the IAU Institutional Site Visit.

In their feedback participants indicated that they came away with concrete tools and practices, which they can take back and adapt to their home institutions. Based on the positive outcomes, IAU is now considering a follow-up capacity-building project that would draw on the expertise of open and onsite universities for digital transformations.

IAU will continue offering annual Institutional Site Visits – open exclusively to IAU Members – to create opportunities for peer-learning and to foster innovation and institutional partnerships. We believe that multilateral and intercultural dialogues are central to finding viable ways of harnessing digital innovations for the benefit of learning, teaching and research. Members are welcome to suggest topics that they would like to see covered in future site visits.

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To learn more about IAU’s activities on technology in higher education, click here.

Contact: Trine Jensen