The Higher Education Commission's inquiry into the digital transformation of education (blended learning) will hold its third and final evidence session at the House of Lords, Palace of Westminster. 

The session will be chaired by Lord Norton of Louth and Professor Kathryn Mitchell, co-chairs of the HE Commission. The session will look at how the higher education sector has been regulated amidst the digital transformation, and how to ensure future regulation regimes and approaches support collaboration and innovation. Findings from this session will be used as evidence for a research report.  

Likely topics to be addressed include:  

1. Tech Procurement – should there be a standardized framework for edtech procurement across the HE sector? Who should be involved in creating this framework and how should it be enacted?   

2. Regulatory Bodies’ Involvement – are current policies enacted by regulatory bodies (e.g., Quality Assurance Agency, Office for Students, Department for Education, Home Office) fair and effective? How have these policies affected the development of curriculum and pedagogy?   

3. Digital Capabilities and Knowledge of Staff – how can continuous professional development (CPD) integrate digital learning for staff? How can HEIs and government incentivize educators to experiment and integrate digital tools into the curriculum design?   

4. Emerging Technology and Tools – how can educators and institutions leverage the benefits of using advanced emerging technologies (e.g., AR, VR, XR tech, GenAI)? How can educators be enabled to share practice and work collaboratively whilst still protecting the university’s commercial interests?   

5. Over-reliance and other detrimental impacts – what can be done to lessen the detrimental impacts of EdTech on learning outcomes? How can teaching resources be developed to ensure that digital tools are fully and purposefully integrated to teaching and learning practices?   

6. Policy Support: What policy support would be the most effective in helping universities and colleges get the best out of EdTech in future?  

For more information about the event, please contact alyson.hwang [at] policyconnect.org.uk (alyson[dot]hwang[at]policyconnect[dot]org[dot]uk)