What is your role on the European Digital Education Hub? 

In my capacity as a Communications Manager at Knowledge Innovation Centre, it was a seamless transition to apply my knowledge and expertise to the Hub, with a primary focus on communication. Having recently joined, I immersed myself in the diverse offerings of the community, actively seeking opportunities to promote the Hub’s activities and initiatives.

What is your experience in digital education?

Over the past six years, my professional journey has been in higher education, mostly communication and organising educational events, also dipped my toes in quality assurance a bit. The impact of the pandemic, acting as a catalyst for rapid change, compelled the entire world, including myself, to swiftly transition to online. But even prior to this global shift, I took pride in contributing to the creation of digital education seminars tailored for educators across Europe. These seminars brought together experts and early adopters, something I see happening also in the Hub. Digital education, to me, extends beyond the mere transition to online platforms; it represents a dynamic field with continuous opportunities for learning, development, and innovation.

Which topic on digital education are you most invested in?

About two years ago I was told by someone that personalised education is a lovely, but still a romantic and unachievable idea. I wonder how far we are with this Holy Grail – the realization of large-scale low-cost personalised learning pathways and would that conversation still be the same today? Maybe, maybe not.

However, like many, I'm inevitably drawn to the buzz surrounding AI. If anything, then AI will be the gateway to the Holy Grail I've been mentioning before. I'm interested in exploring the integration of the human touch and inclusivity in the digital space. It is still and hopefully always be all about the people behind the tools. How can we recreate the experience of a live classroom online? And equally important, how can we address the needs of both learners and educators, ensuring a balanced equation for everyone involved? Here I can offer you mostly questions as I believe we are still doing baby steps.

What is your vision for the Hub?

Allow me to paint a scenario: a member of the community enters the Hub, clicks on the Homepage, explores the icons of all the channels and selects something from the offering. Just like choosing from a menu in a restaurant. It could be just a desert, a light snack or going for a 5-course meal, depending on your taste and your preferences. And hopefully, there will be plenty of happy digital education foodies coming back for more, growing with each of the experiences and recommending it to other like-minded people. Why not go for the Michelin?!

Tell us your biggest highlight working on the Hub so far.

For me, although it might sound a bit strange, it is still about the personal connection within the digital realm. Just think about it, so many people from so many countries in a nice little square on the screen, only a click away! Every event in the Hub is like a little international conference. In the short time I’ve spent in the community, I already met some amazing individuals and attended great events. A community is only as active as their members are. Feel free to use it, reach out to us and let us know what you like and what you would like to see more of. See you on the other side of the screen!