Interview with Stefan Meuleman, Community facilitator for mentorships and online clinics in the Hub

What is your role on the European Digital Education Hub 
I facilitate clinics and mentorships, matching hub members with experts in digital education. A clinic is a single online meeting focused on problem-solving, whereas a mentorship is a more extensive process organised around a particular area of interest. I liaise with experts throughout Europe, based on personal challenges that individuals face. This can be anything as long as it is connected to digital education, from bridging the gap between industry and academia to tackling the issue of AI in assessment. 

What is your experience in digital education? 
It started when I joined the European Association for Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) a few years ago. Since then, I have coordinated several international events, projects and task forces, all aimed at sharing expertise in the world of open and distance higher education. 

Which topic on digital education are you most invested in?  
Learning is heavily mediated by new technologies, constantly changing the responsibilities of teachers and students. On a personal level this social aspect of (educational) technology interests me (I read a lot of Latour during my studies at Maastricht University, which struck a chord). 

What is your vision for the Hub?  
The digital education landscape is vast and diffuse. With that in mind we will work hard to keep the Hub a trustworthy source and inspiration for the community, curated by individuals and organisations with experience in the sector. 

Tell us your biggest highlight working on the Hub so far. 
A match that stands out from the others is when connecting two individuals with an educational technologist. They co-created digital teaching material 'tailored' to the textile industry in Ethiopia (pun intended). Topically it was one of the more challenging requests coming from the Hub. We were able to identity the right mentor in our network of Open Universities; someone who led projects on resource development in low-middle income countries (LMIC). The mentorship was completed last January, but they will be working together again in the future.