HEM impuls documentation
Prof. Dr. Martin Schäfer: «Culture of digitality and higher education development»
May 30, 2023, 5:05-7:00 p.m
Input in German, discussion in German, French and English
Modération: Barbara Fäh, Rektorin HfH and René Graf, Vice-Recteur HES-SO
The digital transformation brings with it far-reaching changes at both the technological and societal levels. Why does digital transformation have a concrete impact on a university? How does digital transformation affect a university? In which areas will further development of the university be necessary?
Patrick Furrer : « How can Open Science improve research quality at UAS and UTE?»
February 21, 2022, 5:05 p.m. – 7:00 p.m
The buzzword “Open Science” describes a completely new culture of science: Data is shared, publications are freely accessible, peer reviews are made transparent. dr Patrick Furrer has profound knowledge of the Swiss and European research landscape. In his lecture, he brings us up to date on the current discussion and gives impulses as to what “Open Science” can mean in concrete terms for the university of the future.
Open Science – a possible “game changer” in research
Patrick Furrer spoke at HEM-Impuls about a potential success story that has yet to be written in Switzerland.
The buzzword “Open Science” describes a completely new culture of science: Data is shared, publications are freely accessible, peer reviews are made transparent. “Open Science aims to increase the quality of research,” Patrick Furrer made clear right at the beginning of his presentation. The last two years have shown that this is not just a vision, but in part already a reality. “The Covid-19 pandemic has shown in an exemplary manner where the benefits of this cultural change can lie,” says the profound expert on the Swiss and European research landscape. And indeed, selected elements of Open Science can be well demonstrated with it: The data on SARS-CoV-2 was made publicly available by several international research groups right from the start so that the results could be understood and even reproduced (Open Data). The studies were already widely discussed in the community as preprints, so that suggestions for improvement could be incorporated before publication (open peer review). And the publications were freely accessible (Open Access). The result: the development of vaccines in record time.
So a true success story – and consequently the future of Swiss universities? This assessment would be premature. The National Open Access Strategy and the National Swiss Strategy for Open Research Data from “swissuniversities” are driving implementation in Switzerland vigorously. But in order for the possible “game changer”, as Patrick Furrer introduced it, to really be anchored, various hurdles still have to be overcome. A main problem lies in the lack of incentive for the researchers themselves: while open access can bring prestige, open data in particular entails additional work. And there are also potential risks: Why should a researcher go to the trouble of making all her data transparent so that another research group can then benefit from it and possibly launch a really big publication? In the following video interview, Patrick Furrer explains how he assesses this problem.
A look at the data situation shows how tricky this calibration is. Employees are happier if they can work part of the time they want from home, that much is clear. How productive they are there, however, is not known with certainty, because only their own assessments were collected. And with regard to innovation, there is a complete lack of data, although it is plausible to assume that this primarily requires on-site exchange. What does that mean specifically for a university? The three people who initiated the “HEM Impulse” immediately commented on and classified the central findings of the talk. These are Barbara Fäh (Intercantonal University for Curative Education), Catherine Sokoloff (HEM) and René Graf (HES-SO). In this interview, you will learn, among other things, why it is essential to involve the teams in the development of this new formula.
The three people who initiated the “HEM Impulse” immediately commented on and classified the central findings of the talk. These are Barbara Fäh (Intercantonal University for Curative Education), Catherine Sokoloff (HEM) and René Graf (HES-SO), who also led the talk. In this interview, you will learn, among other things, which skills are required to set off on a digital apprenticeship.
Report: Dr. Steff Aellig & Dr. Dominik Gyseler, HfH science communication
Hartmut Schulze: "The right mix between presence and mobile, flexible working methods - challenges and potential for universities"
December 7, 2021, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m
Prof. Dr. Hartmut Schulze works at the FHNW University of Applied Psychology to analyze and design work and office spaces, home office and mobile-flexible work. He conducted initial studies on the changed work behavior during the pandemic, examines and accompanies cooperation processes in digital planning and construction as well as human-robot interactions in different fields of application.
“We have to find a new formula for work”
Teaching and working at universities after Corona: The new normal – what remains and what changes? The three-part series of events “HEM Impulse” is dedicated to these questions. In the third event, Hartmut Schulze spoke about the opportunities and challenges of working from home in the post-pandemic period.
“Covid is a game changer,” said Helmut Schulze right at the beginning of his presentation: 90 percent want to work at least part of the time from home even when the pandemic is over. This was shown by a survey by the Sotomo research institute. “They feel more autonomous, don’t have to commute and perceive themselves to be more motivated and productive,” said Schulze, explaining the main reasons that the expert for mobile and flexible work examined in his own study at the FHNW. However, whether you not only prefer working from home, but also work better, depends heavily on the task at hand.
Depends on what the order is
According to Hartmut Schulze, a distinction must be made between three areas: Technical and administrative idle work can actually be done well at home, but you need a “refuge for idle work”, as Schulze calls it. In the intermediate area are confidential meetings as well as seminars and lectures. The spontaneous and informal exchange, on the other hand, works better on site. However, it is precisely this benefit from the personal conversation that threatens to be lost if too many employees spend too much time at home. “Working from home works like a centrifuge,” says Helmut Schulze: “Well-established teams stay in touch digitally, but there is hardly any exchange at a higher level.” Innovative projects are made so much more difficult – for universities, the innovative power is a very central criterion alongside the productivity of the employees. For the design of the future, this means that the universities must calibrate what they value and how highly: the satisfaction of the employees, their productivity and the innovative strength of the entire organization. “We have to find a new formula for working from home,” is Hartmut Schulze’s conclusion.
A look at the data situation shows how tricky this calibration is. Employees are happier if they can work part of the time they want from home, that much is clear. How productive they are there, however, is not known with certainty, because only their own assessments were collected. And with regard to innovation, there is a complete lack of data, although it is plausible to assume that this primarily requires on-site exchange. What does that mean specifically for a university? The three people who initiated the “HEM Impulse” immediately commented on and classified the central findings of the talk. These are Barbara Fäh (Intercantonal University for Curative Education), Catherine Sokoloff (HEM) and René Graf (HES-SO). In this interview, you will learn, among other things, why it is essential to involve the teams in the development of this new formula.
The three people who initiated the “HEM Impulse” immediately commented on and classified the central findings of the talk. These are Barbara Fäh (Intercantonal University for Curative Education), Catherine Sokoloff (HEM) and René Graf (HES-SO), who also led the talk. In this interview, you will learn, among other things, which skills are required to set off on a digital apprenticeship.
Report: Dr. Steff Aellig & Dr. Dominik Gyseler, HfH science communication
Mark Brown: «Post-pandemic transformation of higher education institutions: challenges and drivers»
September 28, 2021, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m
Prof. Mark Brown , Director of the National Institute for Digital Learning at Dublin City University (DCU), digital leadership expertise in university-wide digitization projects, implementation and evaluation of “Digital Learning and Teaching” initiatives, activities and participation in international committees on digital university teaching.
«Digital learning must be intentional»
Teaching and working at universities after Corona: The new normal – what remains and what changes? The three-part series of events “HEM Impulse” is dedicated to these questions. In the first event, Mark Brown spoke about the opportunities and challenges of digitization in the post-pandemic period.
Brainstorming via “Teams”, “MOOCs” for the masses, hybrid teaching – digital is everywhere, especially after Corona. And hardly anyone would be more predestined than Mark Brown to underpin the importance of digital learning for the future. The New Zealander is director of the National Institute for Digital Learning at Dublin City University and has accompanied a number of digitization projects worldwide. His conclusion? “There is good and bad teaching. The type of mediation – i.e. online or offline – is not decisive for the quality of the student experience,” says Brown. After all, digital learning must be intentional, which means it must be used in a targeted manner, he demands. In the following video he explains what this means for the time after the pandemic. This video was not recorded during the HEM presentation but is published on Mark Brown’s website.
As part of the new online format “HEM Impulse”, he specified how digital learning should work. His argument can be summarized in three points. First: Digital learning does not have any added value in principle, but rather it has to be used in a targeted manner – i.e. intentionally. Namely where it enriches the pedagogical setting. That sounds quite banal and unexcited at first, but in the hype of the digital that can be observed from time to time, it has to be underlined doubly. Second: You have to start from the learners much more and not think from the lecturers’ point of view. This requirement is more far-reaching than it first sounds. For some teachers, teaching from home is easier because there is no need to commute and content can be pre-produced. However, this does not always have added value for the students. “Teachers need a pedagogical compass,” Brown demands. This compass, shown below, distinguishes different forms of learning. The pedagogical setting can be defined on the basis of these forms of learning. And only now – thirdly – do the individual digital possibilities come into play. These can now be used in a targeted manner to create added value. And only then.
The three people who initiated the “HEM Impulse” immediately commented on and classified the central findings of the talk. These are Barbara Fäh (Intercantonal University for Curative Education), Catherine Sokoloff (HEM) and René Graf (HES-SO), who also led the talk. In this interview, you will learn, among other things, what it takes to anchor a digital culture throughout the institution.
Report: Dr. Steff Aellig & Dr. Dominik Gyseler, HfH science communication
