Year in Review 2023｜ICHEI Milestones
In 2023, confronted with the rapid transformation of higher education by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the gradually recovering on-site international collaboration, the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (Shenzhen, China) (hereafter referred to as "UNESCO-ICHEI") forges ahead, continuously deepening the digital transformation of higher education in developing countries. Simultaneously, UNESCO-ICHEI engages in more extensive global multilateral collaboration.
The robust growth of AI technology presents new opportunities for higher education, intensifying the attention of all stakeholders in higher education towards AI. Meanwhile, as all stakeholders jointly address new challenges such as the digital divide and barriers in information technology, only through the mobilization of resources and reciprocal technological exchanges on a global scale can the development of higher education in each country become more interconnected.
This article reviews the prominent progress and achievements of UNESCO-ICHEI in the past year of 2023, encompassing the upgrades of IIOE, international conferences, important visits, research outcomes and partnership network. It also shares the valuable experiences and best practices of UNESCO-ICHEI and IIOE partners in the digital transformation of higher education.
PART 1 Upgrades of IIOE
IIOE V3.0
IIOE Platform V3.0 - the Intelligent Teaching Assistant (iTA) unveils advanced functions by incorporating ChatGPT 4.0, delivering tailored guidance and knowledge services for educators and students. Leveraging natural language interaction, iTA provides general knowledge services and plays multiple roles, such as knowledge assistant, expert, and creative consultant. Meanwhile, iTA provides personalized knowledge services based on specific learning content of IIOE, such as courses, training and micro-certification, simulating lecturers and providing personalized guidance and intelligent suggestions to enhance teaching personnel's professional competency.
IIOE Micro-Certification Project
UNESCO-ICHEI initiated the IIOE Micro-certification for Higher Education Teaching Personnel Project in February 2023. In collaboration with the School of Open Learning and Education at East China Normal University and the UNESCO Bangkok Office, UNESCO-ICHEI intended to provide partner universities worldwide with the reference framework for teachers' digital teaching competencies, guidance on the implementation of micro-certificates, and guidelines for research and policy recommendations. The core value of the project lies in promoting the institutionalisation of continuous professional development for higher education teachers and enhancing the sustainability of teachers' digital capacity building. To facilitate national policies and institutional practices through the micro-certification project, UNESCO-ICHEI has conducted research on teacher professional development policies and micro-certification practices in more than 20 countries in Asia and Africa to lay the foundation for customized and localized strategies for micro-certification programs.
IIOE Higher Education Teaching Personnel Digital Competency Reference Framework
Higher Education Digitalisation Pioneer Case Award
The first "Higher Education Digitalisation Pioneer Case Award" (hereinafter referred to as the Pioneer Award) organized by UNESCO-ICHEI, aims to encourage and recognize the active exploration, innovation, and practices of IIOE global partner institutions in the field of higher education digitalization. The theme of this edition of the Pioneer Award is "Reform and Innovation of Blended Learning in Higher Education," covering topics such as innovative classroom teaching, digital resource development, digital student support, and institutional digital governance and services. As the evaluation of this edition of the Pioneer Award concludes, a total of 22 outstanding cases have emerged as winners from 131 submissions across 42 countries and 83 institutions. Among them, there are 12 cases from overseas institutions, 4 cases from domestic institutions, and 6 cases from enterprises. The Pioneer Award emphasizes the discovery of localized practical solutions, aiming to gather the global influence of the IIOE partner alliance and lead the digital transformation of higher education institutions in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
The Award Ceremony of 2023 UNESCO-ICHEI Higher Education Digitalisation Pioneer Case Award
Smart Classroom Project
By the end of 2023, UNESCO-ICHEI has planned 44 smart classrooms in 7 phases, in which ten new smart classrooms were expanded. Through multilateral collaboration, UNESCO-ICHEI has implemented 13 smart classrooms in partner institutions of developing countries in Asia and Africa. UNESCO-ICHEI Smart Classroom Project stood out from over 200 cases and was selected as one of the 13 Outstanding Cases of Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace of the 2023 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit. On November 14-23, 2023, Tang Xiangzheng, Chief Technology Officer of Smart Classroom Project, UNESCO-ICHEI went to Kyrgyzstan and completed the installation of the Smart Classroom and provided training to over 40 teaching and technical personnel at Kyrgyz National University (KNU), marking the official landing and successful delivery of UNESCO-ICHEI’s first Smart Classroom in Central Asia.
IIOE (Shenzhen, China) AI Lab
IIOE (Shenzhen, China) AI Lab, based in the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and collaborating with partner enterprises, introduces cutting-edge AI technologies and provides a platform of innovative teaching practices for partner HEIs. By introducing solutions from Seewo, OS-EASY, iFLYTEK and KMAX, IIOE AI Lab has technological advantages, such as Discussion-based Smart Classroom, Cloud Terminal Smart Classroom, digital virtual teachers, XR technology, IoT Control, and Intelligent Operations and Analytics Platform, to support the blended learning, simulation-based learning and various teaching scenarios. As the AI training base, IIOE AI lab facilitates the collaborative exploration of the profound integration of AI industrial outcomes and higher education by SUSTech and partner institutions. In the future, IIOE AI Lab plans to incorporate cutting-edge technologies, such as ChatGPT, SparkDesk of iFLYTEK, and WPS AI of Kingsoft, continuously exploring the practices of AI in higher education.
PART 2 IIOE Ecosystem
UNESCO-ICHEI has been actively working with UNESCO offices and centres, global partner HEIs, and relevant government agencies worldwide. With the support of a global multilateral partner network and the model of digital transformation of higher education projects, UNESCO-ICHEI actively participated in the development of international standards and global education governance led by UNESCO. In 2023, three more IIOE National Centres have been added, including Tashkent University of Information Technologies in Uzbekistan, Gaston Berger University in Senegal, and Cadi Ayyad University in Morocco. By the end of 2023, there is a total of 11 IIOE National Centres and 96 IIOE partner institutions (including the IIOE National Centre Network).
From December 7th to 9th, 2023, the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Global Partners Summit on "Transforming Higher Education in the Age of Al" was successfully held. The conference witnessed the rotation of the IIOE Rotating Presidency Unit, with Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria taking over from Universiti Putra Malaysia(UPM) as the rotating presidency unit for the year 2024. IIOE rotating presidency unit plays a crucial role in the governance structure of IIOE and has been in place since its inception, rotating annually among partner universities in different regions. Since the launch of IIOE in 2019, four IIOE partner universities have successively served as the rotating presidency unit, including Ain Shams University Egypt in 2020, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore Pakisan in 2021, University of Nairobi Kenya in 2022, and Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2023.
IIOE rotating presidency unit closely collaborates with UNESCO-ICHEI and the IIOE Secretariat, providing strategic guidance and support for the development of IIOE and the digital transformation of higher education in various regions. The IIOE Secretariat is the coordinating unit for IIOE based in UNESCO-ICHEI. The Secretariat is a working group under the leadership of the IIOE Rotating Chair, and its responsibilities include coordinating all IIOE stakeholders, managing IIOE policies and plans, and expanding IIOE’s global network.
In 2023, the number of IIOE partner enterprises has increased from 22 to 30. In the first half of the year, UNESCO-ICHEI signed agreements with four partner enterprises: Jiangxi KMAX, ZhiXueYun, OS-EASY, and Baidu. The collaboration with KMAX involved VR/AR hardware and course development. Pilot projects for VR course training were initiated in universities in Nigeria, Mongolia, and Pakistan. In collaboration with ZhiXueYun, UNESCO-ICHEI upgraded the IIOE learning platform and introduced IIOE 3.0-iTA (Intelligent Teaching Assistant).
PART 3 Important International Conference
January: IIOE Arab Region Consultation Meeting
On January 10, 2023, UNESCO-ICHEI and the Arab League Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ALECSO) jointly organized the IIOE Arab Regional Consultation. Under the theme of "Empowering Higher Education Digital Transformation in the Arab Region", 24 higher education experts, representatives of HEIs, higher education ministries, and relevant international organizations from nine Arab countries, including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Mauritania, Tunisia, Iraq, and Yemen, gathered to discuss the needs and challenges of digital transformation in higher education in the Arab region, and explore innovative solutions for digital transformation. The results of the consultation will be incorporated into the "Report on the Maturity of Digital Transformation of Higher Education Teaching and Learning in Arab Region", which is being jointly conducted by UNESCO-ICHEI and ALECSO.
February: International Higher Education Digital Transformation Conference
On February 28, 2023, UNESCO-ICHEI, University Putra Malaysia (IIOE Rotating Presidency Unit for 2023), UNESCO, Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), and Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) co-hosted the International Higher Education Digital Transformation Conference themed on "future prospects for higher education digital transformation". The Conference invited approximate 150 guests, including IIOE partner higher education institutions (HEIs), global education experts, international organisations and other stakeholders, to share practices and research related to IIOE's mission to empower teacher's digital teaching and learning capacities, and discuss future trends in transforming higher education, jointly envision the way forward of IIOE, and release the Co-constructing a global ecosystem for higher education digital transformation——International Institute of Online Education Developmental Report.
September: Digital Learning Week
On 5 September 2023, UNESCO-ICHEI successfully convened the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Roundtable during the digital learning week at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. Centering the pivotal themes of digital learning platforms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education, the session attracted participants across different sectors from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe to share IIOE's best practices and shed light on the future trajectory of AI in higher education. UNESCO-ICHEI is proud to be the only UNESCO Category 2 centre that has organized a parallel session during the event. Its successful inclusion shows the attention UNESCO and global higher education stakeholders have given to IIOE.
December: IIOE Global Partners Summit
From December 7 to 9, 2023, the "Transforming Higher Education in the Age of AI" International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Global Partners Summit was held at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), which was co-organised by UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE), International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI), Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), and 2023 IIOE Rotating Presidency Unit Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), under the supervision of Secretariat of the National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO. The summit had approximately 90 overseas attendees from 28 countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Middle East, and Europe, and more than 100 Chinese attendees, including Ministry of Education officials, presidents and vice chancellors of HEIs, international experts, and other high-level leaders in higher education.
The summit served as a multilateral platform for dialogues and exchanges among governments, higher education institutions (HEIs) and enterprises, promoting all stakeholders to share international resources and local innovation experiences from various countries to jointly build a digital transformation ecosystem for higher education.
December: The 1st Session of the 3rd UNESCO-ICHEI Governing Board Convened
On December 9th 2023, the third Governing Board (GB) of the UNESCO-ICHEI convened its first session in a hybrid mode at the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen, China. The current GB has a high-level and cross-sectoral composition, including five overseas members and four domestic members. The participating GB members included (in alphabetical order) Mr. CHENG Jiangang, Professor at Institute of Education of Tsinghua University; Mr. Firmin Edouard Matoko, former Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations of UNESCO; Ms. GE Siying, Director of the Office of General Affairs of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO (on behalf of Mr. QIN Changwei, Secretary General of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, and member of UNESCO-ICHEI Third Governing Board); Mr. JIN Li, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI; Mr. LIM Cher Ping, Chair Professor of Learning Technologies and Innovation at Education University of Hong Kong, China; Mr. TANG Qian, Former Assistant Director-General for Education of UNESCO; and Mr. WANG Duanrui, Chairman of the Hong Kong Industry and Commerce Association. The session was presided over by Mr. ZHANG Ling, Vice Chairperson of the University Council of SUSTech.
PART 4 International Visits
Visits to Africa and Saudi Arabia
From March 13 to 20, 2023, UNESCO-ICHEI and a delegation from Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) visited Kenya, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, held a series of working meetings with many top universities in West Asia and Africa, such as University of Nairobi in Kenya, Ain Shams University in Egypt, King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and jointly organised the Egypt Digital Leadership Symposium with IIOE Egypt National Centre in Cairo, Egypt.
On 13 March 2023, the delegation of UNESCO-ICHEI visited the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Attendees of the meeting included: Prof. LI Ming, Then Director of UNESCO-ICHEI and Currently Secretary-General of the IIOE Secretariat, Prof. LU Chun, Then Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI and Then Vice President of SUSTech, and other chiefs of departments of UNESCO-ICHEI; Professor Stephen Gitahi Kiama, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Professor Julius A. Ogeng'o, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs of the University of Nairobi, Mr. Brian O. Ouma, Director advancement and Chief Operations Officer of the University of Nairobi, Mr. Justus Inyega, Director of IIOE National Center of Kenya and Associate Professor of Department of Science Education of the University of Nairobi, Mr. Paul N. Kariuki, Director of Department of Information and Communication Technology, other Heads of departments, and representatives of lecturers in University of Nairobi.
On 13 March 2023, the delegation of UNESCO-ICHEI visited the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa (UNESCO Nairobi). Professor LI Ming emphasised that UNESCO-ICHEI would continue to work closely with UNESCO Regional Offices in Africa and African higher education institutions under the guidance of UNESCO to promote the digital transformation of higher education in Africa.
On March 16, 2023, the Egypt Digital Leadership Symposium was successfully held at Ain Shams University in Cairo. The symposium was jointly organised by UNESCO-ICHEI and IIOE Egypt National Centre. This symposium was the culmination of the "Empowering Higher Education Institutions for Digital Teaching and Learning in Egypt" pilot project initiated by UNESCO-ICHEI and IIOE Egypt National Centre in September 2022. The aim was to discuss the role of digital leadership in HEIs transformation and the role of HEIs leaders in promoting digital transformation from a policy perspective.
From March 14 to 16, the UNESCO-ICHEI delegation held a series of working meetings in Egypt and had in-depth exchanges with the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Ain Shams University (ASU), Sohag University and other higher education institutions (HEIs) on empowering digital transformation of Egyptian higher education. Professor Mahmoud El Meteini expressed his strong support for the certified training proposed by UNESCO-ICHEI. According to Prof. El Meteini, IIOE Egypt National Centre will leverage its network including 23 Egyptian HEIs to collaborate closely with UNESCO-ICHEI to jointly implement certified training in Egypt.
On March 16, 2023, UNESCO-ICHEI visited the Faculty of Engineering and the Smart Classroom (SCR) of Ain Shams University (ASU). UNESCO-ICHEI and Ain Shams University exchanged views on the next step and future plans of upgrading the Smart Classroom to enhance the functions and user experience by introducing virtual reality (VR) technology to empower teacher professional development in higher education.
From March 19 to 20, 2023, the UNESCO-ICHEI delegation held a series of working meetings in Saudi Arabia, and had in-depth exchanges with several higher education institutions on digital transformation of higher education and empowerment of digital competency for teachers in the Arab region, and on future collaboration in multiple fields with UNESCO-ICHEI and Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). On March 19, the UNESCO-ICHEI delegation visited the campus, laboratories and libraries of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and held discussions with relevant staff and professors of the university. On March 20, UNESCO-ICHEI visited King Saud University in Riyadh. The two sides also held in-depth discussions on the challenges and opportunities facing the digital transformation of higher education in the Arab region, and exchanged views and experiences on how to use ICT to enhance the quality and efficiency of higher education.
Visits to Central Asia
From May 28 to June 6, the delegation of UNESCO-ICHEI visited Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, held a series of cooperation talks with a number of local top higher education institutions, relevant government education departments and UNESCO regional offices, and was invited to participate in the 17th Annual Conference of the International Network of Institutions for Quality Assurance in Higher Education and gave a special presentation.
On May 29, 2023, the delegation of UNESCO-ICHEI, arrived at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan — the first stop on UNESCO-ICHEI's official visit to Central Asia. It was also the first visit of ICHEI to the Central Asian project countries. The representatives of UNESCO-ICHEI, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), and Nazarbayev University signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding at the meeting, which marked the threshold of cooperation among Nazarbayev University, SUSTech and ICHEI in the digital transformation of higher education.
On May 31, 2023, the delegation of UNESCO-ICHEI visited the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (UNESCO Almaty). ICHEI's delegation had a discussion with Dr. Amir Piric, Director (OIC) of UNESCO Almaty, and Dr. Nurbek Teleshaliyev, Education Programme Specialist. UNESCO Almaty stood closely with ICHEI on its cooperation with flagship universities in project countries and the profound impact it has brought, and confirmed that UNESCO Almaty is willing to utilize its resources and network as a way to extend ICHEI's efforts in the sub-region, jointly contribute to the digital transformation of higher education in Central Asia.
On June 2, 2023, the delegation of UNESCO-ICHEI co-organized the establishment ceremony of IIOE National Centre in Uzbekistan, which was held at the Tashkent University of Information Technologies in Uzbekistan. Assoc. Prof. Sultanov Djamshid Bahodirovich, 1st Vice Rector for Academic Affairs of TUIT, and Prof. HAN Wei, then Executive Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI and currently Executive Deputy Secretary-General of IIOE Secretariat, officially signed the agreement to establish the 1st IIOE National Centre in Central Asia. Mr. Bakhtiyor Namazov, Chief of Education Sector at UNESCO National Office in Tashkent, was present and witnessed the establishment of IIOE National Centre in Uzbekistan.
On June 5, 2023, the delegation of UNESCO-ICHEI co-organized the Smart Classroom Establishment Ceremony jointly held at Kyrgyz National University (KNU). This Smart Classroom is a joint initiative of UNESCO-ICHEI, KNU, CreateView Education Technology, and Southern University of Science and Technology.
PART 5 Research Products
Joint Research Project on the Digital Transformation of Higher Education ("3+1" Project)
UNESCO-ICHEI, in collaboration with the Institute of Education (IOE) of Tsinghua University, conducted the "Digital Transformation of Higher Education" series of research, resulting in the Research Report on Digital Transformation of Higher Education Teaching and Learning and three handbooks: Handbook of Education Reform Through Blended Learning, Handbook of Teaching Competency Development in Higher Education, and Handbook of Technical and Vocational Teacher Professional Development in the Digital Age (the "3+1" project, comprising three handbooks and one research report). Among them, the Research Report on Digital Transformation of Higher Education Teaching and Learning was officially released globally in Chinese, English, French, and Spanish during the 3rd World Higher Education Conference in May 2022.The Chinese editions of the three handbooks have been officially published by Tsinghua University Press in the second half of 2023, with the English editions simultaneously published by Springer. The three handbooks provide theories, standards, methods, and strategies about blended teaching, teaching competency and professional development of teachers, serving as references for practitioners and researchers.
IIOE Developmental Report (2019-2022)
The Co-constructing a global ecosystem for higher education digital transformation —— International Institute of Online Education Developmental Report systematically summarized the needs of higher education institutions in IIOE developing countries for the digital transformation, through the "extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits" transnational, cross-sector public-private partnerships, built an international public learning platform that provides public online courses and training, and the systematic empowerment of university teachers’ digital capabilities, meanwhile the relevant experience is captured. The chapters of the report encompass the empowerment of IIOE on teachers' digital teaching and learning capacity building, IIOE promising experiences of capacity building of higher education workforce, the construction of Smart Classroom Project and IIOE platform, IIOE Quality Assurance, IIOE National Centre's global initiative for localisation and inclusiveness, and IIOE's experiences, challenges and future development.
Sub-regional Research
UNESCO-ICHEI has conducted ten sub-regional empirical researches on the digital transformation of higher education globally in collaboration with UNESCO regional offices, Category 1 Institutes and Centres, and regional international organizations to recognize the current status, challenges, needs, and successful case experiences of digital transformation in higher education across different sub-regions, thereby enabling IIOE to carry out more targeted projects, achieve a cycle of "project-research" and provide reference and guidance for regional collaboration to IIOE ecosystem partners.
The global scope of sub-regional research
White Paper (Consultation Draft)
Based on extensive consultation from experts and enterprise partners, the White Paper on Higher Education in the Era of Artificial Intelligence (Consultation Draft) endeavours to explore the current approaches and future directions for the effective use of AI technologies in teaching and learning, and advocates for the multilateral collaboration of higher education stakeholders, in order to advance the good use of technologies and related policies. This White Paper is dedicated to providing institutions and educators in the IIOE ecosystem with a more comprehensive overview of issues related to AI and higher education, as well as the vision and outlook of UNESCO-ICHEI and IIOE. It also presents concrete solutions and possible paths of action, in order to support the stakeholders in the rational use of technology to achieve high-quality and equitable higher education. After the release of the White Paper, higher education experts and partner institutions of the IIOE alliance will be widely consulted, with the goal of integrating industry and academia, strengthening policy dialogue, promoting more HEIs in developing countries to reach a consensus on AI and higher education, and encouraging multiple stakeholders to explore the cooperation mechanism and the new ecosystem of higher education.
In the upcoming 2024, UNESCO-ICHEI will carry out researches tailored to the needs of partner institutions and conduct pilot projects of micro-certification mechanisms at key partner institutions; continually upgrade the IIOE platform using cutting-edge AI technology; launch generative AI-related course training to enhance teachers' competency of utiliziing AI-assisted teaching; further deepen university-industry collaboration, strengthen enterprise-higher education partnership, and develop the IIOE ecosystem. Guided by the practical needs of various countries and supported by the IIOE National Centres, UNESCO-ICHEI will customise and implement exemplary projects at the national level, thereby creating a new ecosystem for higher education collaboration in the AI era.
In conclusion, we would like to express sincere gratitude to every member of the IIOE alliance and partners. The joint efforts of all stakeholders have yielded significant achievements in the digital transformation of higher education in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In 2024, UNESCO-ICHEI will continue to lead the IIOE alliance, boosting global collaboration in higher education to a new level.
