IIOE Parallel Session held during UNESCO Digital Learning Week

On 5 September 2023, the International Centre for Higher Education under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI) successfully convened the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Roundtable at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The session attracted participants across different sectors from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.

UNESCO Digital Learning Week is the rebranding of the decade-long UNESCO Mobile Learning Week and will serve as the new UNESCO annual flagship event on digital learning. UNESCO-ICHEI is proud to be the only UNESCO Category 2 centre that has organized a parallel session during the event. Its successful inclusion shows the attention UNESCO and global higher education stakeholders have given to IIOE.

UNESCO-ICHEI has been an active adovcate and supporter for higher education digital transformation. Through conducting a series of impactful higher education personnel digital capacity building activities, promoting quality assurance establishment, improving technology-enhanced infrastructure, and researching innovative strategies to empower teachers and higher education institutions around the globe. Centering the pivotal themes of enhancing the digital competency of higher education personnel, digital resource development, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education, the session shared IIOE's best practices and shed lights on the future trajectory of AI in higher education.

Adopting a hybrid format of participation, the session was also broadcast on UNESCO's official channel.

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About IIOE

The International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) initiative is proposed by UNESCO-ICHEI in collaboration with its partner institutions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as its partner enterprises and institutions in China. Bulit upon the Belt and Road talent development framework, it also draws inspiration from the Silk Road spirit characterized by peace, cooperation, openness, and mutual learning. As a digital learning platform for higher education, IIOE specifically aims to: 1)enhance educators' digital skills by supplying quality online courses, developing OERs, and providing professional development opportunities; 2)support innovation in higher education by helping partner institutions enhance their online and blended learning capacity.; 3) strive to improve access to and quality of higher education in developing countries; 4) promote global cooperation and inclusivity in capacity-building for higher education professionals in digital skills; 5)committe to integrating digital  innovation into education, with a focus on AI, and offering practical strategies to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education. IIOE fosters international cooperation, knowledge exchange, experience sharing, and provides quality and inclusive lifelong learning opportunities.

Mr. Firmin Edouard Matoko, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations – ADG/PAX attended and delivered an opening speech. He acknowledged the long-time support from the Chinese Government towards Africa's sustainable development in various sectors, including education, to address challenges like infrastructural deficits, educational quality, and resource limitations. He also spoke highly of the work UNESCO-ICHEI has been dedicated to higher education innovation as a UNESCO Category 2 centre. Through developing micro-certification to empower the teaching personnel for future-oriented digital competency, IIOE has provided a new channel for African youth to acquire advanced skills.  

Segment 1 - IIOE: A public digital 

learning platform for 

higher education

Mr. Jin Li, Vice President of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), moderated the first segment, showcasing IIOE's expansive ecosystem of over 100 partner institutions from 35 countries. Mr. Sit Fung, Chief of IIOE Management Centre presented IIOE's achievements in the past three years and continuous commitment to AI ethics in education. He also unveiled exciting news about the IIOE Higher Education Digital Pioneer Case Award this December. Ms. Yan Hanbing from East China Normal University introduced the micro-certificate project jointly developed with the UNESCO-ICHEI, aiming to bolster digital competence among university educators. Lastly, Mr. Yang Wenming, Coordinator of UNESCO Chair on Digitalization in TVET, shared a few case studies on the successful digital transformation in vocational education from different perspectives. He highlighted that digitalization is the way forward for society, and connectivity is a key drive in this process.

Speakers in Segment 1(L to R): Mr. Jin Li, Mr. Sit Fung, Ms. Yan Hanbing & Mr. Yang Wenming

Segment 2 - Promoting inclusiveness and localisation of digital competency building of Higher Education workforce through global collaboration

Speakers in Segment 2 (L to R): Ms. Bi Xiaohan, Ms. Paulina Pannen & Mr. Kabiru Bala

This segment was chaired by Ms. Bi Xiaohan, the Chief of Global Partnership and Programme Office, UNESCO-ICHEI. She invited IIOE partner institutions to share and discuss how IIOE's global network and operational mechanisms has supported them in enhancing their digital capacity building within the local contexts. Ms. Paulina Pannen, Coordinator of Indonesia IIOE Indonesia National Centre, Chairperson of Indonesia Cyber Education Institute (ICE-I), Universitas Terbuka; Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Indonesia shared her case. She also expressed  gratitude to IIOE and stated that ICE-I would continue to   co-construct IIOE micro-certificate courses, conduct joint research, and deepen ties with UNESCO-ICHEI to advance digital capacity among Indonesian institutions. Mr. Kabiru Bala, the Vice Chancellor, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria, shared the Nigerian case in building an IIOE network within the country. Through making good use of IIOE's vast resources to conduct teacher training, and proactively promoting relevant policies and strategies, Nigeria's higher education transformation has made great strides. Towards the end, Ms. Bi Xiaohan concluded that not only did IIOE provide a global network of partnership and resources, but also worked closely with respective institutions to cater to diverse needs, promoting equity in higher education.

Segment 3 - Mapping Resources for Digital Competency Building of Teaching Personnel

Moderated by Mr. Hou Shengtao, Professor of Neurobiology, Director of the Brain Science Research Center, SUSTech, the third segment delved into the theme of teachers' digital competence. Ms. Bouchra Lebzar, Director of the Center for Continuing Education and Certification, Cadi Ayyad University, Morocco, pointed out the need for Moroccan universities to benchmark their educational quality with global standards. She shared the case of her university and expressed her hope towards more innovative partnerships through IIOE. Ms. Rocío del Castillo, Coordinator of Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for SEMS, University of Guadalajara, Mexico, also expressed her excitement about the potential brought by IIOE's network. As the first partner institute in the Latin American region, University of Guadalajara is committed to deepening its collaboration with UNESCO-ICHEI to meet the local demands of teachers and expand the network within the region. Mr. Tony Oyana, Professor and Dean of the College of Computer and Information Sciences at Makerere University, Uganda, recounted the university's collaboration with UNESCO-ICHEI during the pandemic, such as the Smart Classroom project. Not only did the various collaborations solve educational disruption, but also enhanced teachers' ICT skills and promoted a shift in their mindsets towards digital teaching.  Mr. Michel Bakar Diop, Director of the Institute of Open and Distance Learning (IFOAD), Gaston Berger University, Senegal, presented the university's fruitful collaboration with IIOE. He also underscored the huge potential of the micro-credentials project, and was optimistic about the impacts it would have on university teachers in Senegal.

Speakers in Segment 3 (L to R): Mr. Hou Shengtao, Ms. Bouchra Lebzar, Ms. Rocío del Castillo, Mr. Tony Oyana & Mr. Michel Bakar Diop

Segment 4 - Navigating the use of innovative technology and AI through digital platforms

Speakers in Segment 4 (L to R): Mr. Sit Fung, Mr. Zhao Junjun, Ms.  Elaine Sharplin & Mr. Chris Jibreel Maiyaki

The final segment was moderated by Mr. Sit Fung. Revolving around the questions of "Which technologies can enhance quality learning?", "How to foster lifelong learning amidst rapid technological advancements?" and "What are the potential risks of emerging technologies like generative AI?", it generated a heated debate among the speakers. Mr. Zhao Junjun, CEO of ZhiXueYun (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. said that Large Language Model (LLM) presented both opportunities and challenges to higher education, and it would be critical to develop mechanism to ensure safety, accuracy, cost control, and intelligence. He also shared insights from his collaboration with IIOE in developing the Intelligent Teaching Assistant (iTA).  Ms. Elaine Sharplin, General Director of Center of Innovative Learning and Teaching, Office of the Provost, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan specified that AI's true value lies in its potential to uplift educational quality. In the case of Kazakhstan, the rise of AI tools might be able to address the language barriers in students' acquisition of knowledge. Lastly, Mr. Chris Jibreel Maiyaki, Acting Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Nigeria, urged the global community to focus more on educational advancement in the Global South. He stated that sustainable tech solutions should be user-centric, considering factors like cost, familiarity, and ease of adoption.

Before the session concluded, Mr. Li Ming, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, Chair Professor of SUSTech, delivered a remark reflecting on IIOE's journey since its establishment in 2019. He first thanked all parties for their continuous support, participation, and insights for IIOE - they have been inseparable in IIOE's development in the past three years. On behalf of UNESCO-ICHEI, Mr. Li Ming called upon more stakeholders to join hands with IIOE in this journey to develop AI policies, standards, and ethical guidelines carried out by UNESCO and the global community. It is hoped that through this, IIOE will make a more meaningful contribution to the global adoption of AI in education, on a broader and deeper scale.

Mr. Li Ming delivering a concluding remark

Group Photo

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