UNESCO Chair International Seminar 2017

‘Evidence-based Research: Methodological Approaches and Practical Outcomes. Insights for Online Education’

The Chair’s XIII International Seminar was held the 21st and 22nd November 2017, and adressed the relationship between Sustainable Development and Education, as stated in the UN 2030 Agenda. 

Education is one of the main tools for achieving sustainable development (OECD, 2007; UNESCO, 2014) and those countries with more educated people have generally better economic incomes and more opportunities to grow and increase the wellbeing of their citizens. Online teaching and learning can make a huge contribution to the achievement of the aforementioned goal. It provides more flexibility, easiness of access, affordability and appropriate skills for the digital age, as well as social and economic impact in the society. However, online education is always under the magnifying glass as it usually brings concerns about its quality and effectiveness.

The aim of this Seminar was to know and understand the methodologies underlying evidence-based research; getting the skills to translate evidence-based research to the online education field; interacting with experts gathering data for observatories and impact of policies and strategies; and establishing the methodological foundations for the creation of an observatory for the reputation of online education, that will be evidence-based.

Speakers

• Richard Garrett, Observatory of Borderless Higher Education, UK
• Emmanuel (Manny) Jimenez, 3ieImpact – International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, USA
• Jairo Cifuentes, Red Telescopi – Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia.
• Katie Rose, Centre for Public Impact, UK/USA
• Donatella Persico, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR, Italy.
• Karsten Krueger, Fundación CYD – U-Multirank, Spain.
• Paul Prinsloo, University of South Africa, UNISA (Lecture), South Africa.
• Olaf Zawacki-Richter, Karl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Geramany.
• Richard Garrett, Observatory of Borderless Higher Education, UK.
• Francesca Pozzi, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR, Italy.
• Frans Kaizer, Centre for Higher Education Policy & Studies, CHEPS, Netherlands.

Presentations

• Jairo Cifuentes, “Evidence-based Institutional Research: Gathering data for measuring impact”
• Richard Garrett, “Researching Online Learning… Reflections on Techniques and Sources”
• Emmanuel (Manny) Jimenez, “Systematic Review of the Effects of Interventions to Improve Education in Developing Countries”
• Donatella Persico, “There is no such thing as context free evidence”
• Francesca Pozzi, “Will the future of Higher Education be evidence-based?”
• Paul Prinsloo, “Learning analytics in a time of an insatiable thirst for data and evidence: A provocation”
• Katie Rose, “Decoding Government Effectiveness”
• Olaf Zawacki-Richter, “Relevance and rigour – towards evidence-based practice in education”