Digital education reading group: November 2023
This month the digital education reading group is meeting to discuss the future of education. This question is not new. People have asked this over the past century or so as society and technology evolves. So, post-pandemic and amid a generative AI revolution, we take our turn to discuss this.
How will the following factors shape the future of education?
- Technology
- Access and inclusivity
- Changing pedagogies
- Globalisation
- Economic pressures
- Lifelong learning
- Role of institutions
- Future job market
- Evolution of assessment
- Ethical considerations
- Cultural and societal changes
What are the implications for us and our learners?
Resources
This month’s resources have been suggested by several members of the group: Amina Jahan Ali, Anna Armstrong, Tom Cassidy and Michael Davis. Thank you!
1. Future Learn (2022) The Future of Learning Report
40 page report. Easy to skim. A report discussing how sociological changes may influence the future of education. The report uncovers the education motivations, attitudes and behaviours of 2,000 people and more than 500 employers based in the UK.
2. The Learning Hack (2023) The University in the Future, with Stephen Downes YouTube
A one hour podcast. Stephen Downes is well known for his work on open educational resources, digital learning, and the development of the MOOC (massive open online course). Downes sees three current technologies as being critical for the development of online education: metaverse, blockchain and AI. He has thought hard about how they operate together, creating a possible future for online education. But in this new distributed, learner-driven world, will we still need universities?
3. European Commission, Joint Research Centre (2023) On the Futures of Technology in Education: Emerging Trends and Policy Implications
85 page report. Good contents page to help you find what you’re interested in. Focusses on how technological changes might influence the future of education. This report identifies key emerging technologies and discusses their potential impact in education.
4. Watters, A. (2015) The History of the Future of Education, Hack Education
1700 word entertaining interesting blog post originally given as a talk. Audrey Waters writes entertainingly on the history of the futures of education, including some fabulous 20th century images illustrating predictions of the future of educational technology. Waters reflects on historical predictions about the future of education, highlighting the recurring theme of mechanisation, automation, and efficiency.
5. British Council (2020) How will higher education be different in 2030?
600 word blog post. Written during the Covid-19 pandemic. Interesting to see how changes brought about by a global pandemic shape thinking about the future of education.
6. eLearning Industry (2016) 9 Things That Will Shape The Future Of Education: What Learning Will Look Like In 20 Years?
“A three minute read”. An almost innocent, pre-pandemic, look into the future. Have any of these predictions come true?
7. World Economic Forum (2021) What will education look like in 20 years? Here are four scenarios
900 word blog post. Four key predictions prompted by a global pandemic.
8. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2023) Instilling international trust in English higher education – a quality perspective
7 page report with executive summary if you’re short on time. This report focusses on the quality of English higher education and whether it can be preserved and reinforced. Some interesting stuff here on the theme of quality and the need to collaborate better.
List of topics discussed at previous meetings
