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Higher education was one of the best equipped subsectors to face the new demands of remote teaching and learning during the crisis. In one way or another, the pandemic forced the acceleration and adaptation of the digital transformation strategies that Latin American higher education institutions (HEIs) had sought to implement in the long term. The demand for alternative skills and competencies in the new job market also evolved in the last year and a half, which will continue to require institutions to adapt their curricular offerings.
In this context, it is critical to examine the impact of the pandemic in order to identify the opportunities and challenges it provides for the future agenda for digital transformation. With this objective, and under the umbrella of the UNESCO’s World Conference on Higher Education in 2022, the Inter-American Dialogue and CATESCO hosted the meeting “The Agenda for Digital Transformation in Higher Education in the Post-Pandemic.”
Based on this discussion and a regional study led by the Inter-American Dialogue, this report highlights the main opportunities and barriers Latin American HEIs face in the post-pandemic. Ultimately, the report draws a roadmap for the working group, with four priority areas on which to focus the digital transformation efforts for higher education in Latin America.
KEY AREAS AND ACTIONS FOR THE FUTURE AGENDA:
- Analyze and influence the national regulatory frameworks in which the institutions operate. It will be imperative to influence regulatory frameworks with evidence and lessons learned from the last two years. For this, it is key to ensure intersectionality in the discussion groups that influence the development of public policies, including key voices within the institutions and also from the private sector.
- Identify, evaluate and promote alternative models of teaching and learning. It is critical to give continuity to the systematization of learnings that arose from the pandemic period – through better mechanisms to share and adopt good practices between HEIs, as well as impact evaluations on pedagogical adaptations and new degree models.
- Promote new models of cooperation and alliances between higher education institutions and with the private sector. Even without the increased capacity demands present during the crisis, maintaining and strengthening these alliances will be essential to continue promoting a culture of innovation within the institutions.
- Promote spaces and dialogues to share good practices and innovation. Both to identify, systematize and share good practices, as well as to influence public policy and regulation, it is key to promote spaces for dialogue between diverse and relevant actors in the higher education ecosystem.
