Horizon scanning
Projects analysing emerging trends and innovations to inform future higher education planning for the medium to long term.
The practice of Higher Education is shaped by a broad raft of social, technological, environmental, economic and political drivers.
In recent years these have tended to become stronger, more complex and more interactive, creating in an increasingly turbulent operating environment for institutions, practitioners, policy makers and learners alike.
The projects in this section review recent trends and innovations with the aim of identifying potential trajectories that could be used to inform future higher education planning for the medium to longer term.
The kinds of questions they address are:
- What are the opportunities and threats facing providers of online and distance education and what might the next ‘new normal’ or the one after that look like?
- How should universities plan and invest for the future of online and distance education in order to remain at the cutting edge of approaches?
Horizon scanning projects
The Digital Educator project sets out to identify significant developments in Educational Technology which can influence the HE Distance Learning Sector in the next two to five years.
Focussing on selected educational technologies, the project explores the possible impact of these innovations on the role of the educator.
This project covers pedagogic, cultural and financial dimensions. It assesses the readiness of academics to adapt to and make use of the innovations.
The project is designed to have significant engagement with stakeholders and final outputs will include a potential skills development roadmap. This will ensure that the academic community (focused on the àËÅöÊÓƵ) are prepared to be the digital educators of the future.
Funding
This project is funded through a grant from the àËÅöÊÓƵ Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE).
Project team
- Marco Gillies, Goldsmiths College (CODE Fellow)
- Jon Gregson, SOAS, Centre for Development Environment and Policy (Project Lead) (CODE Fellow)
- Jonathan San Diego,King’s College àËÅöÊÓƵ (CODE Fellow)
- Tony Sheehan (formerly àËÅöÊÓƵ Business School) (former CODE Fellow)
- Christine Thuranira-McKeever, RVC (CODE Fellow).
Time frame
May 2018 - December 2019
This project is now completed.
Outputs and resources
About the project
The Digital Educator Phase 2 aims to explore the experience and insights of distance learning educators and students with digital technologies. The interest is in current practices, awareness and ideas related to the future potential of digital technologies in enhancing distance education tutoring and learning and ensuring programmes offered through àËÅöÊÓƵ remaining cutting edge.
Due to the timing of the study, coinciding with the global Covid-19 pandemic, a member institution of the UoL Federation participated in the workshop on tutors’ views on the future of digital education and use of digital technologies with consideration given to the ‘Digital Education I’ project. An adapted version of the foresight methodology was used for the workshop and interviews with online tutors and teaching institutions involved in the delivery of the UoL institutions courses were also conducted.
As a result of the workshop and interviews, a report has been completed which has recommendations to inform the survey part of this project. Whereas the DE1 surveyed educators, the Digital Educator 2 survey respondents are students from a selected àËÅöÊÓƵ programmes to identify how students perceived the level of awareness, importance, relevance, and willingness to use specific pieces of functionality offered by digital learning technologies. The project has already developed the survey and is at the stage of ethics application approval. The project is recommencing in Jan 2023.
Funding
This project is funded through a grant from the àËÅöÊÓƵ Centre for Distance Education (CDE).
Project team
- Jon Gregson (CODE Fellow)
- Dr Jonathan San Diego (CODE Fellow)
- Dr Christine Thuranira-McKeever (CODE Fellow)
- Dr Marco Gillies (CODE Fellow)
- Oskar Martin Höstlund (CODE Student Research Fellow)
Time frame
January 2022 – July 2023
Outputs and resources
The report on the first stage of the DE2 project (Workshop) is completed and will be made available soon in the CODE Website.
The DE2 survey is completed and will be made administered soon after ethics approval.
A report and a possible journal publication combining findings from DE1 and DE2 will be completed.
About the project
The project aims to inform future planning for the medium to longer term by identifying realistic scenarios now for the future of online and distance education taking into consideration the global nature of àËÅöÊÓƵ’s provision. What are the opportunities and threats and what might the ‘new normal’ or the one after that look like for providers of online and distance education? What would be the implications for the àËÅöÊÓƵ’s own activities in planning for the future of online and distance education in order to remain cutting edge in its approaches?
The project uses foresight methodologies to address these questions and provide strategic insights that can help educators and planners to move towards a preferred scenario for future online and distance education provision. Whilst there is a focus on àËÅöÊÓƵ activities, the study is also intended to be of interest and benefit to the wider community of online and distance education providers.
Funding
This project is funded through a grant from the àËÅöÊÓƵ Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE).
Project team
- Samantha Ahern (CODE fellow)
- Professor Stephen Brown (CODE fellow)
- Jon Gregson (CODE fellow)
- Professor Norbert Pachler (CODE fellow)
- Dr Maylyn Tan (CODE fellow)
- Student Research Fellow(s) (to be confirmed)
Time frame
September 2022 to April 2023
Outputs and resources
Outputs will include a literature review, reports on stakeholder workshops, blog articles and news pieces for the CODE website and a final report.
The findings will be further disseminated at the 2023 RIDE conference and CODE seminars, and when possible at non CODE events and conferences.
Team members will also seek to generate academic outputs for journals.
Get in touch to learn more
If you want to learn more about our projects or how CODE can support you, drop us a line.