How can we internationalise HE with technology?

Online education and internationalisation have been rising as strategic priorities for many university leaders around the world. 

But while online experiments like massive open online courses or MOOCs, badging and blended learning are still early in their evolution, few institutions have taken an innovative approach to finding a synergy between technological innovations and their application in global engagement strategies. 

And, of those who have attempted to engage globally through technology, many have experienced several barriers related to cost, quality, recognition and outcomes. 

On 4 October University World News in partnership withDrEducation will be hosting a free webinar 'Embracing Technology for Global Engagement: A leadership challenge and opportunity'. You can register here.

This online discussion will examine how university leaders are leveraging technology for advancing internationalisation? How does technology fit in the overall global engagement strategy? What are the challenges and opportunities?

Moderator and speakers

The moderator will be Dr Rahul Choudaha, principal researcher and CEO of DrEducation, a global higher education research and consulting firm. He co-founded interEDGE.org, a training solutions and resource provider supporting the inclusion and success of international students. Choudaha is known for his expertise in connecting research, data and trends with institutional strategies that advance campus internationalisation. 

The speakers will be: 

• Professor GianMario Besana, associate provost for global engagement and online learning at DePaul University, Chicago, USA. His portfolio comprises the internationalisation process of the institution and the online learning operations. Under his guidance, DePaul’s faculty training programme for online teaching was recognised with the Sloan-C award for the best faculty development programme for online teaching. 
• Professor Helen O’Sullivan, associate pro-vice-chancellor for online learning at the University of Liverpool, UK. She is responsible for Liverpool Online; a partnership between University of Liverpool and Laureate Online Education to deliver wholly online postgraduate programmes to working professionals across the globe. She champions technology-enhanced learning within the university to enhance the student experience.
• Professor Mark Brown, director of the National Institute for Digital Learning at Dublin City University, Ireland. Before taking up Ireland’s first chair in digital learning, he was director of both the National Centre for Teaching and Learning and Distance Education and Learning Futures Alliance at Massey University, New Zealand. Over the past decade, Brown has played key leadership roles in the implementation of several major university-wide digital learning and teaching initiatives.
• Professor Kevin Kinser is department head of education policy studies at Pennsylvania State University, USA. As a researcher, Kinser studies non-traditional and alternative higher education, particularly the organisation and administration of for-profit institutions and international cross-border higher education. His most recent books are The Global Growth of Private Higher Education (Wiley, 2010) and Multinational Colleges and Universities: Leading, governing, and managing international branch campuses (Jossey-Bass, 2011).

This is the second international webinar hosted by University World News in partnership with DrEducation. The previous one, hosted in May, which focused on the future of transnational education and included video of the expert speakers and surveys of participants during the debate, attracted nearly 1,000 registrants from across the globe. 

Brendan O’Malley, chairman of the board of University World News, said: “We are hoping to attract broad international interest among our readers for this second debate. It is another free service we offer as part of our aim to help academics and university leaders worldwide connect and share views and expertise on global higher education.”