This second short and snappy podbite describes changes in the program of HEDx activities made in response to feedback. New new member of the HEDx team, engagement strategist Annabel Murphy joins the podbite. She brings experience of industry university engagement and content strategy from Europe and Australia. She using AI to align HEDx activities and content to members and partners needs. She discusses the recent survey completed of 20 members and partners. This led to a tweaking of podcasts, events and new projects being developed with members of the eco-system. These will give impact, continuity and reach for us in a mission to facilitate disruption to change higher education for good.
The panel brings together diverse perspectives from across the sector all united by a shared belief in the power of asking better questions and truly listening to students. Together, they explore why student voice matters and how meaningful dialogue can shape the future of higher education.
Hosted by Kelly Matthews, with contributions from Martin Betts, the episode also features insights from David Turvey PSM (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) and Jonathan Davey (CEO, Online Education Services).
The panel brings together diverse perspectives from across the sector all united by a shared belief in the power of asking better questions and truly listening to students. Together, they explore why student voice matters and how meaningful dialogue can shape the future of higher education.
Our Commitments to Students Conference in the Age of AI
What could stop change in higher education is holding on to the hope that, what we have always done will all work out alright. It comes from seeing political change as making it too hard. From technology change as being something to fear and too over-whelming. Or it comes from a post-COVID hope that some green shoots of increased demand mean all is going back to what it was, and we don’t need to change. It isn’t, We do. We will die otherwise.
The HEDx agenda for 2025 emerged from analysis of the engagement of 500 delegates at the UQ-hosted conference on October 31st. Using an analysis model to identify themes, all speaker, audience and other inputs have been summarised intot he agenda in this opinion piece.
Demand for fee-paying, on-campus, degree-awarding, undergraduate and postgraduate education by domestic and international students is falling in developed countries. Demand is changing in shape and nature. It is migrating toward online, stackable, credentialed, personalised and globally available learning, and will continue to do so. Ignoring this is futile and dangerous.
Secondly, university public sympathy has reduced. As has employer satisfaction, staff morale, student satisfaction and government support, and the detrimental impact of the way government currently manages provision of learning has got worse. Meanwhile public, government and employer support for competitor innovative learning providers – not just universities – is growing and will continue to. You’re not the favourite child any more.
Thirdly, this is occurring while global demand for skills grows. But it is now less for school leaver graduates and more for lifelong learning, for an ageing population as falling birth rates become widespread, and as the need for skills updating rises exponentially. Global demand in developing countries for democratised access to lifelong learning is growing fast and will continue as a search for equity in global declining populations, amid geo-political turmoil, makes it inevitable.
