Policy Brief 3
Design & Architecture, Parametric and digital design, BIM/ Digital twins
Digitalisation increases knowledge complexity, putting additional pressure on teaching staff for acquiring new knowledge and skills and testing for soundness of learning outcomes while using digital instruments in the learning process. With disruptive technologies becoming more the trend and the professional context evolving in terms of digitalisation levels and complexity of technology used, universities become test beds or laboratories for real life implementation of digital solutions.
Key findings
Trend towards generalists instead of specialists
The current educational trend is rather inclined towards creating digital generalists instead of specialists in one digital solution.
Digital poverty in university is inherited
Digital poverty experienced in university is inherited later on during the professional career. It is therefore that more important to provide universities with appropriate digital solutions and enough human resources to address the learning needs of students and time. Cost is an important factor for universities when choosing a digital solution or a provider. When solutions become standards adopted by industry, they become high cost products and most universities are forced to switch solutions. As digital solutions are taken up and become industry standards, they become high-cost products and educational institutions must change again the digital solution they use in the educational activities.
Need for more human resources or more time
Digitalisation in itself is not the purpose, rather, digital solutions should receive meaning and added value in a knowledge acquiring or skill developing context. The tension between volume of new digital skills that need to be acquired and the available lecturers can be bridged through more human resources or more time dedicated to digital skills acquisition.
Lack of critical inquiry regarding AI
Educators are particularly concerned about the lack of critical inquiry on the part of the learners in the case of AI enabled output. In the case of young individuals, digital consumption can be additionally risky, absent critical thinking and prior knowledge, with the potential of an image of the world distorted by the digital filter.
Current educational offer on AI insufficient
A common challenge is that of regulating AI, developing coherent AI literacy programmes and attracting the needed AI skills for advanced research on the topic within second and third lifecycle educational programs. The current educational offer on the topic of AI does not cover the market demand.
Stimulant for increasing learner interest
Using digital solutions can be a stimulant for increasing learner interest in a certain topic.
Do not overestimate your own AI literacy
Overconfidence in one’s own AI literacy level is more risky than overall low literacy levels.
Digital infrastructure varies across NEB landscape
Digital infrastructure within learning and educational environments varies across the NEB landscape.
Recommendations
Embed and contextualise digital skill in learning process
Within learning and educational activities, acquiring digital skills should not be an objective in itself, but rather an activity embedded and contextualised in a directed learning process.
Equip education institutions with the latest technology
Equipping universities and education institutions with the latest technology is key for an advanced national digital economy.
A need for digital and AI literacy programmes
Soundly designed digital and AI literacy programmes are needed. These must include evaluation activities in order to make sure the required knowledge and understanding were internalised by the learners.
Need for critical thinking more important than ever
The need for critical thinking and questioning of technology enabled outputs is more important then ever. This is especially important in the case of AI literacy programmes.