Academic Voices

Academia's Digital Voice: A Conversation on 21st Century Higher Education provides critical information on an area that needs particular attention given the rapid introduction and immersion into digital technologies that took place during the pandemic, including quality assurance and assessment. Sections discuss the rapid changes called into question as student mobility, pedagogical readiness of academics, technological readiness of institutions, student readiness to adopt online learning, the value of higher education, the value of distance learning, and the changing role of administration and faculty were thrust upon institutions. The unprecedented speed of international lockdowns caused by the pandemic necessitated HEIs to make rapid changes in both teaching and assessment approaches. The quality of these and sacrosanctity of the academic voice has long been the central tenet of higher education. While history is replete with challenges to this, the current, rapid shift to online education may represent the greatest threat and opportunity so far.