Moving Target Digitalisation 2022: Increasing the Impact of Internationalisation in Higher Education

from November 30 to December 2, 2022 in Berlin and online

Digitalisation is profoundly altering higher education: collaboration across borders and new forms of mobility and exchange offer diverse opportunities in a globally networked world. Higher education institutions have experienced a digitalisation surge in the past two years, which has led to changes in teaching, research, and university administration. Digital educational technologies offer the possibility of both advancing internationalisation and opening diverse forms of participation and mobility. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) actively promotes digital internationalisation, both through its funding activities and the realisation of research and development projects, as well as through networking activities and community building: the spectrum of topics ranges from digital preparatory programmes to digital credentials. At the same time, questions remain about the limits of these technologies, for example with regard to open educational practice, digital exclusion or the self-understanding of universities. How can the effects of internationalisation through digitalisation, new digital tools and formats be captured in the future? What challenges emerge in the context of cross-border collaborations, new mobility patterns and flexible learning paths?

The biannual conference "Moving Target Digitalisation" invites participants to address these central questions. With its focus on recent developments in the internationalisation of Higher Education, the conference will present project outcomes and examine related initiatives at home and abroad. In addition, the conference aims to provide space for policy dialogue to discuss framework conditions for European and international cooperation opportunities.


Tracks

The thematic-modular concept of the conference is oriented along the "student journey", which includes the entire course of studies and ideally goes beyond that in the form of lifelong learning. In four thematic areas, the participants of #movingtarget2022 will discuss the effects of digitalisation on the internationalisation of higher education and on academic exchange. The tracks will be organised by the various DAAD project teams and the partners involved.

Linking Digital Education Services

organised by BIRD and Digital Campus

Since the pandemic started quantity and quality of digital education services has increased immensely - being geared towards either study preparation, support or resources. Meanwhile it seems impossible to imagine education today and in the future without considering the role of digitalisation. In this conference track, opportunities and limitations of deepening cooperation between individual digital services and their possible interconnection will be discussed. Along with other topics, the focus will be on national and transnational perspectives, lifelong learning as well as the issue of participation for all.

Guiding questions for the theme track include: How can "teaching and learning" be linked via digital formats, tools and forms of cooperation along the student journey? How can truly innovative teaching/learning scenarios be designed and implemented sustainably? What role do education platforms play for our digital future?

**Themes include, but are not limited to: **

  • Interlinking education,
  • interoperability,
  • OER,
  • national education platforms,
  • international education,
  • lifelong learning,
  • international cooperation,
  • innovation,
  • educational accessibility.

Virtual Exchange and Blended Mobility

organised by DAADs Digital Programmes' Community Team (IMKD, IP Digital, IVAC)

International collaboration is the key to jointly solve global challenges. Digitalisation opens a wide range of collaboration opportunities that extend far beyond the geographical, political and social boundaries of traditional teaching and learning scenarios. One educational framework that enables students and educators to collaboratively work together in international and intercultural teams is Virtual Exchange (VE). VE scenarios can enhance students and educators intercultural, digital, and collaborative skills, as well as their problem-solving competences for research and education. Skills and competences, which are an essential asset for young experts to solve contemporary global challenges. However, educators and VE coordinators are facing numerous challenges in their journey to develop, implement and evaluate VEs.

Guiding questions for the theme track include: What are the challenges regarding the development, implementation, and evaluation of VEs? What competencies can be acquired through VE and how can their development be measured? How can we measure the outcomes and impacts of VEs? Can VE enrich HEIs internationalisation and digitalisation strategies?

**Themes include but are not limited to: **

  • developing and fostering international partnerships,
  • co-creation,
  • co-teaching,
  • (student) collaboration,
  • student engagement,
  • IT-tools and data security,
  • skills development and evaluation,
  • e-assessment,
  • (ecological) sustainability,
  • inclusion and equal participation.

European Strategies for Digital Education

organised by OpenU

In Europe, working together across borders is key in shaping the future of internationalisation by digital means. Creating strong networks, exchanging good practices, and facilitating dialogue between policy and practice are core missions on the way to seamless mobilities and exchange in the European Education Area. In 2022, the DAAD took on the role of leading a consortium of 11 strong partners to support the European Commission’s Digital Education Hub. The aim is to build a community that engages in knowledge-building, co-creation of solutions and practices across all sectors of education.

Guiding questions for the theme track include: What opportunities do the Digital Education Action Plan and the Digital Education Hub of the European Commission offer? What effects does the "European Strategy for Universities" have on exchange and cooperation between universities and within university alliances? How can cross-national and cross-sectoral cooperation in Europe drive the expansion of digital (higher) education - and thus also strengthen the internationalisation of education? Which digital infrastructure is suitable to enable seamless mobility and to support lifelong learning in Europe and beyond?

**Themes include, but are not limited to: **

  • Community of Practice,
  • Digital Education Action Plan,
  • Digital Education Hub,
  • Digital Transformation,
  • Knowledge-Sharing and mapping,
  • Accelerating innovation,
  • Agility,
  • Interoperability,
  • European cooperation in education.

Digital Credentials and Trust Networks

organised by DiBiHo

Digital Credentials become most apparent at transition points during the learner’s journey, when a diploma is obtained and used to apply for jobs, subsequent degrees or scholarships. However, (micro-)credentials are an integral part of learner agency throughout academic life, as they allow for flexible learning paths, documentation of individual achievements and provide the infrastructure for international exchange and quality assurance. Developments in technology and policy affect mobility patterns and academic networks; these will be informing our discussion in this conference track.

Guiding questions for the theme track include: What are the implications of digital credentials for the digitalisation of Higher Education and Administration? Which technical requirements and political-organisational frameworks affect the feasibility, transparency and system openness? Is Self-Sovereign Identity a crucial element of digital diplomas? Which factors have hindered the development of an international standard to date? How can trust in digital credentials be established and does openness of system design affect acceptance by future users?

**Themes include, but are not limited to: **

  • Governance,
  • Identity Management,
  • Interoperability,
  • Micro-Credentials,
  • Regulatory and Legal Frameworks,
  • Lifelong Learning,
  • Portability,
  • Prototypical Developments,
  • Security & Data Protection,
  • Self-Sovereign Identity,
  • Trust Anchoring,
  • Qualification Frameworks,
  • Quality Assurance.

Contribution Formats

For all thematic tracks we kindly invite and encourage the submission of contributions. The contributions will be selected and curated by the organisers in accordance with the thematic relevance and complementarity to the invited keynotes and panels. There are several format options for you to choose from when submitting your contributions. Moreover, the same process applies for all contribution formats. With the extent and modalities being identical, each submission must include the following information:

  • contribution title (max. 160 characters),
  • abstract (max. 400 characters),
  • session description (max. 2000 characters),
  • short biography of the speaker/convener (max. 1000 characters).

As the conference is designed as a hybrid event, i.e. partly in presence and partly virtually, we ask you to indicate both which format you would like to choose for your contribution and whether you prefer a session in presence or online (multiple answers are possible). Please also indicate the thematic track to which you would like to submit your contribution in order to assist us in arranging the conference as appropriate as possible.

Presentations by one or more authors pose questions and respond to challenges in one or several of the thematic tracks of the conference. They draw on ongoing debates in the political or HEI-specific sphere and offer innovative solutions, new strategies or practical approaches to implementing digital elements in relation to issues of the thematic tracks. A presentation session will be 30 minutes in total. The presentation, which should not exceed 20 minutes, is followed by a Q&A or open discussion of 10 minutes.

Workshops address a current issue in one or several of the thematic tracks in a conversational manner. Workshops can either focus on thematic aspects of the tracks in more detail or shed light on complementary perspectives and further discussions. Workshops, hosted by one or two facilitators, will be 60 minutes in total and can either be hosted online or on site. The proposal should outline the general topic and learning outcomes of the workshop as well as collaborative methods and tools to be used.

Panel Discussions may consist of 3 to 5 panellists representing different institutions and backgrounds who will exchange ideas or engage in debate about a controversial topic. The panel must include a chairperson or moderator, who will facilitate the event. A panel discussion can only take place on-site and not virtually. It should last either 60 or 90 minutes and allow for a audience participation. Please note: For the composition of the panel, we consider both an appropriate gender ratio and the inclusion of different voices and backgrounds to reflect the thematic focus of internationalisation. These two factors will be included as selection criteria.

Lightning Talks are very short presentations with a duration of max. 5 minutes on a topic relevant to the thematic tracks. The lightning talk should be accompanied by and revolve around a poster or similar graphic format. This offers the opportunity not only to illustrate the talk, but visually engage with a project, an initiative, tool or idea. Students are explicitly invited to submit lightning talks, e.g. in the context of theses. Please note: The goal of lightning talks is to articulate a topic in a quick, insightful and concise manner allowing the audience to engage with a multitude of topics in a short amount of time. For this reason the lightning talks will be strictly timed and cut off at 5 minutes. All submitted posters will be available beyond the actual presentation in a (online) gallery throughout the conference.

Anything goes - The above formats are suggestions. If you have another interactive format in mind, we highly encourage you to submit your idea. Please choose the contribution format "Anything goes" in the submission form and briefly describe your concept idea in the description. We will do our best to include your idea in the conference programme.


Submission

Please submit your contribution proposal including the details listed under 'contribution formats' via the web form below. After you have submitted your proposal, you will receive a confirmation email at the address specified in your account. You can use the link in the email to edit your proposal until the deadline. If you have not received a confirmation email, please check your spam folder and add the address noreply@pretalx.com to your address book to prevent further messages from the system ending up in spam.

Registration for the event will follow at a later date via the DAAD Events App. The link will also be provided on our website. Please note that you will need to register for the event on site in Berlin or online separately from the CfP, since acceptance of your contribution does not automatically register you for attendance. However, a submitted contribution is not mandatory for attendance. You are cordially invited to attend the conference, regardless of whether or not you participate in the CfP.


Key Dates

  • 22 August 2022 - Extended Deadline for submission of contributions
  • from 1 September 2022 - Notification of accepted contributions
  • 10 October 2022 - Finalisation of titles and session descriptions in Pretalx
  • 14 November 2022 - Submission of final posters and presentation slides in Pretalx

Contact

This Call for Papers closed on 2022-08-22 23:59 (Europe/Berlin).