What kind of common vision is needed to ensure access, quality, and shared values in European higher education? Thomas Ekman Jørgensen, Director for Policy Coordination and Foresight at the European University Association, argues that digital interoperability raises political questions that require more than technical fixes – above all, they call for consensus on the future shape of European higher education.
Promoting wellbeing at universities is no longer a peripheral issue: it forms the foundation for successful (digital) teaching and learning environments and is increasingly being strategically embedded on an international level. Universities like the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada recognized this early on and integrated wellbeing deeply into their institutional strategy. For this blog article, Mandy MacRae, Wellbeing Engagement Strategist at UBC, provides insights into the history and significance of the wellbeing initiative and explains how challenges and successes have shaped UBC's journey toward becoming a health-promoting university.
What insights can be gained from learning space innovations in other countries for the situation in Germany? In this blog post, Prof. Dr. Katja Ninnemann shares experiences and insights from her research stays in Sweden, Singapore and Australia, summarizing them into concise hypotheses based on the constructive alignment model. It becomes clear that major changes require appropriate policy frameworks as a base and then often start with small initiatives. Thus, instead of waiting for perfect new buildings, new policy approaches as well as simple and local measures could provide the impetus for the next big learning space innovation Made in Germany.
