New podcast series kicks off with ‘lively and thought-provoking' debate
A new series, the HE Leaders podcasts, has now launched with what Jisc’s managing director of higher education (HE), Jonathan Baldwin, describes as a “lively and thought-provoking discussion around university learning, teaching and assessment in the post-COVID world”.
The HE Leaders’ Podcast series will explore the key themes of Jisc’s new three-year strategy, Powering UK higher education.
In the first for four debates, Baldwin is joined by the vice chancellors of Falmouth, Aston and Sheffield Hallam universities, and Jisc’s CEO, Paul Feldman.
Looking positively towards a technology-enabled future, Alec Cameron, vice chancellor at Aston University, says that while the pandemic has brought challenge and tragedy,
“there are silver linings – and a silver lining for the universities sector has been both the acceleration [of] our shift to digital and online learning, and a shift in the university sector’s reputation for being slow to move and rigid in our working practices. We’ve actually proved to be very agile.”
Reflecting on the broader evolution of the university experience, Anne Carlisle - vice chancellor at Falmouth - comments:
“Universities’ cultures are much, much more than simply the teaching. We have to strive to create a sense of community and culture online, which is different from the way we might do it on campus. We’re embracing that now as a problem that we’ll work with other institutions to think about, working to build the hybrid experiences of the future, and ensuring that students leave with the right skills, and a strong sense of having been [part of] a social community.”
Baldwin concludes: “This podcast develops themes from Jisc’s new education strategy and provides valuable food for thought for the sector”.
Read the transcript (.docx) for this episode.
The second HE Leaders Podcast will be available in May, bringing a different panel of experts together to discuss the changing student experience.