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HKU Teaching and Learning Festival 2021

Abstract
Use of digital technologies to support blended and online education offers students opportunities for enhanced flexibility, access and inclusivity, and has grown significantly as a result of the global pandemic. As educators, we strive to support all of our students to reach their potential, and that means meeting them where they are, and providing learning resources accessibly and in multiple formats to support every student as effectively as possible. Universities are facing growing internal and external pressures to educate a widening continuum of learners, and make effective use of digital technologies. One response has been growth of online education, catalysed by Massive Open Online Courses, availability of digital devices and technologies, and notions of borderless global education. In growing online education, learning and teaching provision has become increasingly disaggregated, or unbundled, and universities are partnering with a range of private companies to reach new learners, and commercialise educational provision. In this presentation, I will consider the benefits and risks of unbundled higher education provision and the benefits of flexible, accessible, inclusive student-centred education, using digital and online education.

About the Speaker
Neil Morris, Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Digital Transformation, University of Leeds
Neil leads on the University’s digital transformation strategy, supporting the University to achieve its strategy to be a globally leading digital university. His brief is cross-cutting, and spans student education, research and the operations of the University. He leads initiatives to enhance the blended, hybrid and online education and experience of our students, and provide lifelong and professional learning opportunities for learners globally, through oversight of the Digital Education Service. He leads research, innovation, scholarship and operational activities to harness the potential of digital technologies to enhance learning, educational experiences and improve ways of working at the University. Neil also holds a Chair of Educational Technology, Innovation and Change.Neil is a National Teaching Fellow, and has won a number of national awards for teaching excellence. He has a research background in neuroscience and has active research in educational technology, online learning and blended learning. He is the Director of the University of Leeds Centre for Research in Digital Education and has published widely on the impact of blended learning, online learning and mobile technologies on student learning and engagement, and on the changing nature of university education through digital transformation.

Neil has extensive experience of developing and delivering strategy and policy in the area of digital education at Leeds, and he has led the implementation of a large number of institutional digital education systems. He has also led the growth of the University’s award winning Digital Education Service.