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Adopting technology to support every student

Digital learning tools can support student success, but there remains resistance at some institutions in Europe. The key to adoption will be reinforcing how online delivery can personalise learning to drive student success

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Anthology
21 Aug 2023
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Anthology round table at 色盒直播 European Universities Summit
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Anthology

Anthology provides data-informed education technology experiences to enable and empower the global education community

When the Covid-19 pandemic closed the doors of universities around the world in 2020, teaching was forced online. While this was quickly achieved, the appetite to return to in-person learning is strong at many institutions in Europe.

A round table discussion that took place at the 2023 色盒直播 European Universities Summit, held in partnership with Anthology, brought together leaders from higher education in the region to explore changing student preferences and best practice for digital transformation. The group agreed that online learning can personalise learning for students, ultimately helping learners achieve their goals.

鈥淚 had this feeling that the world would never be the same again [after teaching moved online], that this is going to be the revolution,鈥 said Grzegorz Mazurek, rector of Kozminski University in Poland. 鈥淏ut it didn鈥檛 happen. The forces that usually keep academia in its constraints are still there.鈥 Mazurek said these include a Polish law that doesn鈥檛 allow total online delivery of courses.

Online or hybrid learning is far from becoming the standard in Europe. Maciej Kolasi艅ski, vice-president of Centrum Rozwoju Szk贸艂 Wy偶szych Merito in Poland, said that universities are digitalising their processes, but the panel agreed that new systems and hybrid learning models are needed to be fully effective.

Isak Frumin, head of the Observatory on Innovation in Higher Education at Constructor University in Germany, said that some tech solutions don鈥檛 address the needs of universities and students, instead offering gimmicks such as avatars to teach classes. 鈥淲e have to determine our real needs and try to invest more into more detailed and sophisticated data collection,鈥 he said.

Werner Nau, vice-president and head of academic operations at Constructor University, said that online materials can be superior to traditional teaching methods. He noted the benefits of adaptive learning. 鈥淭he system asks the student exactly the questions at his or her level, instead of asking difficult questions, which is demotivating for the student,鈥 he said. 鈥淎 system which is adaptive 鈥 using machine learning 鈥 can find out the level of the student so there is absolutely no doubt it鈥檚 better.鈥

Edgar van Steenhardt Carr茅, senior account executive for Europe at Anthology, added that the universal design for learning approach offers everyone the chance to learn in the way that鈥檚 best for them. 鈥淪tudents with a visual impairment might need material in an mp3 format or braille. But maybe other students like to learn a text by reading it twice and listening to an mp3 version. So, every student has their own and best way of learning and technology can support that,鈥 he said.

Carr茅 added that by using a service such as Anthology鈥檚, which joins disparate aspects of the learning management system, departments can concentrate on their goals and focus on student success.

While some European institutions are offering more digital options, the most important step is reinforcing the business and student success case for universities to transition, Frumin concluded.

The panel:

  • Isak Frumin, head of the Observatory on Innovation in Higher Education, Constructor University
  • John Gill, editor, Times Higher Education (chair)
  • Jaros艂aw G贸rniak, vice-rector, Jagiellonian University
  • Ahasan Habib, CEO, Hassle Free Education
  • Maciej Kolasi艅ski, vice-president, Centrum Rozwoju Szk贸艂 Wy偶szych Merito
  • Vytautas Masiokas, CEO, UniExpert
  • Grzegorz Mazurek, rector, Kozminski University
  • Werner Nau, vice-president and head of academic operations, Constructor University
  • Waldemar Siwinski, president, IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence
  • Edgar van Steenhardt Carr茅, senior account executive (Europe), Anthology

about Anthology.

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