Webinar Series Universities and Unicorns: Building Digital Assets in the Higher Education Industry

Event Details

The three webinar series will present preliminary findings from the ESRC-funded project “Universities and Unicorns: building digital assets in the higher education industry”. In this back-to-back webinar series, the research team will discuss the policy recommendations relevant to EdTech in higher education, digital disruption possibilities in the sector, and the concepts of assets and rent. The project analysed notions of value in digital higher education. It investigated digitalisation dynamics at universities, EdTech companies, and investors in EdTech. It illuminated tensions between these stakeholders and searched for synergies. The researchers propose policy recommendations and principles for mentioned stakeholders and policymakers to support the constructive expansion of the EdTech sector. It also highlights personal data governance and proposes solutions for ethical innovation.

Webinar 1: Rentiership in EdTech: Data as Asset, Data as Rent?

22 June 2023 at 13.30 to 14.00

Speaker: Kean Birch

This webinar will present the concepts of assetisation and rentiership. It will discuss different types of assets in higher education, how they are made valuable, and the consequences. The webinar is relevant for academics, practitioners, and policymakers.

Webinar 2: The Investment of Time: Divergent Theses on the Value of Higher Education

22 June 2023 at 14.00 to 14.30

Speaker: Sam Sellar

This webinar will focus on what is valuable in and about higher education. It will then discuss this in relation to EdTech and deliberate where EdTech can and cannot contribute to supporting the sector.

Webinar 3: Higher Education Edtech Policy Recommendations and Principles 1.0

22 June 2023 at 14.30 to 15.00

Speaker: Janja Komljenovic

This webinar will present the first version of policy recommendations for policymakers, universities, EdTech companies, and investors in EdTech. The recommendations are coming from the ESRC-funded research project on new forms of value in EdTech.

Please register for each webinar separately.

The support of the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) is gratefully acknowledged.