South East Technological University’s (SETU’s) inaugural Digital Education Conference (DEC) 2023 sparked meaningful debate among 120 delegates about transformative opportunities for education in society.
People from across the education ecosystem descended on SETU’s Cork Road Campus in Waterford on Tuesday and Wednesday 12-13 December to explore emergent technologies such as Chat GPT and to engage in practical and theoretical discussions on the potential impact on the learning experience.
The geographical spread saw the US, Italy, UK, Belfast, Donegal, Dublin, Kerry, Wexford, Athlone, Cork, and Limerick all well-represented.
Keynote speakers
Delegates heard from top names in the educational and political fields acting as keynote speakers, including Dr Orna Farrell, Associate Professor of Education at the Institute of Education at Dublin City University.
Of particular interest was international consultant and expert advisor in education, AI, sustainability citizenship, and disruptive technologies, Dr Daithí Ó Murchú.
Dr Ó Murchú, who is Honorary Consul for Côte d'Ivoire to Ireland, discussed how his journey with education, emerging trends in AI, Robotics, 4IR, Industry-5, VR, AR, XR, Blockchain, and Cloud technologies has led him to a deeper understanding of global consciousness, sustainable transformation, and climate action.
Via video link, Green Party MEP, Grace O’Sullivan shared a fascinating insight into her work as an environmental and peace activist, an environmental education specialist, and an ecologist, as well as the EU legislation governing Artificial Intelligence.
Engaging panel sessions included Sean Aylward, Chair of the National Training Agency- SOLAS, Ciara Ni Fhloinn, SOLAS Flexible Learning Manager, Dr Michael Hallissy, founding partner of H2 Learning, Tim Lavery founder of EdTech Ireland, Marc Ó Cathasaigh TD member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Pierre Peiclier VP, IT Architecture, Data & Strategy at Sun Life. Additionally, Dr Tom Farrelly Senior Lecturer in MTU hosted an enlightening GASTA session.
Innovation ecosystem
Welcoming the delegates to the conference, SETU President, Professor Veronica Campbell highlighted how SETU takes pride in its leadership position within the region, acting as a central hub for fostering an innovation ecosystem.
“This symposium is a microcosm of SETU's broader ambitions outlined in our strategic objectives, including our ambitious five-year strategic plan: Connecting for Impact. The conference brings together educators, researchers, and industry professionals to foster innovation, share insights, collaborate, and explore groundbreaking applications of technology to inspire new perspectives,” said Prof. Campbell.
Aligned with this collaborative approach, engaging in research, publishing, and digital education data dissemination contributes to research-driven teaching.
“This, in turn, informs innovative pedagogies and cultivates future literacies that align with sustainable education goals, and all the time, keeping the digital education agenda to the fore of the higher education sector,” Prof. Campbell said.
MC for the conference, Dr Zeta Dooly, Lecturer, Course Lead, and Researcher at SETU highlighted the need for change within the educational landscape at local, national, and international levels.
Leaders of digitalisation
Addressing the delegates, Dr Dooly said, “We aspire as leaders of digitalisation to inspire and empower students as co-creators with our economic and social partners to develop future curriculum and delivery modes for education that enable inclusion, empowerment, and success.”
Highlighting the opportunity and risk concerning emerging technologies such as GenAI, Dr Dooly said, “There needs to be experimentation, guidance, rules, and regulations so that this type of digital enabler is used appropriately, and relevant governance models are adopted to manage related power and authority that is now prevalent in our homes and ubiquitous digital worlds.
“As educators, these challenges can and will be converted to enablers, ideation, and entrepreneurship which will drive the development of prototypes, hybrid physical and virtual worlds, and illuminate the possibilities on the horizon to be an inclusive learning society that nurtures our wild and wonderful environments.”
Dr Paul O’Leary, SETU Head of Quality Promotion and member of the conference organising committee said, “SETU is proud to be an open university, that recognises that learners can be quite varied in terms of their digital skills and their approaches to learning. This conference was very important for displaying how learning approaches have changed and how the University is adapting to meet these changing expectations.”