Times Higher Education (THE), world leader in university data and rankings, hosted the virtual THE University Impact Forum themed “Towards a Transformative Vision of Education” on June 14, 2021 in partnership with the Western Caspian University to address the role of universities in achieving SDG4 on quality education. There were nine sessions including the exclusive data masterclass “SDG4 – quality education” conducted by Duncan Ross, THE chief data officer, who analyzed the progress of universities contribution towards SDG4 based on the THE Impact Rankings 2021.
The number of attendees for the THE University Impact Forum: Quality Education totaled 449 including Angela Piatova and Vladimir Sytin of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. However, this may increase in the days to come as some people prefer to watch the sessions on demand in their own time after the event as opposed to joining live, according to Céline Dubois-Pelerin, THE events marketing coordinator.
During the session “Towards a transformative vision for life-long learning” David Atchoarena, director of the Institute for Lifelong Learning, UNESCO, was discoursing upon how higher education could support an ‘enabling environment’ for lifelong learning and ensure everyone has access to opportunities to learn throughout their life. Participants in the session explored the current barriers to lifelong learning and heard how recent events allowed universities to turn a crisis into opportunity.
The panel at the session “Is this a new era for micro-credentials?” discussed how the renewed interest in these bite-sized courses, which have existed at universities for some time, can provide institutions with an opportunity to make a significant impact in their field of expertise and support learners to stand out in the employment market. In particular, the session heard views from Fiona Aldridge, director of policy and research at the Learning and Work Institute; Ross Douglas, vice-rector of English language usage at the Western Caspian University; Tia Loukkola, director of the institutional development unit at the European University Association; and Beverley Oliver, emeritus professor and principal consultant at EduBrief.
At the session “The role of partnerships in delivering SDG4”, it was pointed out that progress towards achieving SDG4 would not happen alone. In order to achieve success, universities will need to develop multi-level, multi-national partnerships that will drive implementation with a joined vision. Participants in the session heard from the panel of experts on the successful partnerships they created, and the lessons learned on the road to equitable and inclusive education for all. Specifically, the panel included Andris Leitass, rector of the Western Caspian University; Dawn Freshwater, vice-chancellor at The University of Auckland; and Fariz Ismailzade, vice-rector at the ADA University.
The session, entitled “Driving SDG4 through high quality research output”, debated what made great pedagogy and how universities across the world were developing innovative research approaches to pedagogy that enhances understanding of teaching and learning processes and promotes professional dialogue and debate on education quality. The panel consisted of four experts, namely, Prof. Messoud Efendiev of the Western Caspian University; Jeppe Emmersen, pro-rector at the Aalborg University; Prof. Florian Rupp of the Bundeswehr University Munich; and Mette Sandoff, deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Gothenburg.
The agenda of the Forum also included the session “Quality education for a resilient recovery” with Charles Hopkins, UNESCO chair in reorienting education towards sustainability at the York University, assessing how universities can ensure that education is more effective, impactful and inclusive than it was before the Covid-19 crisis. Importantly, the pandemic has highlighted many of the inequalities among learners around the world and particularly those who do not have equitable access to remote learning.
More information: https://www.timeshighered-events.com/impact-education-forum-2021/agenda