GUIDE TO THE DIGITAL FUTURE

PROFESSOR IN FOCUS

The right book at the right time for the right audience. That is how you could characterise ‘Evolving as a Digital Scholar’. The authors take their fellow scholars and researchers by the hand and lead them into the digital world of today and tomorrow. The three-dimensional framework they developed serves as a compass and a handle. An interview with Professor Wim Van Petegem, co-author and inspirer of this extraordinary book.

Prof. Van Petegem is expert in Learning Technologies at the Faculty of Engineering Technology. As Head of the Media & Learning Unit (formerly known as AVNet) and subsequently as Director of the Technology & Learning Department of the KU Leuven, he earned his spurs in, among other things, new educational technologies, networked e-learning, lifelong and open distance learning, and science communication. As a passionate education innovator, he is also engaged in several international academic networks. In 2019, he co-founded the European EdTech Network (EETN), a project that brings together professors, researchers and entrepreneurs around educational technology.

Training

The book may be hotly topical, but it has deep roots in the author’s career. In this regard, Prof. Van Petegem refers to the AVLM training courses he has been giving since 2000. “AVLM stands for ‘Audio-visual Learning Materials’. Initially, it was about the production of AV material, but later the focus evolved to new educational technologies. We have already organised more than ten editions in Leuven, each time for twelve to eighteen participants from all continents in the South. From 2017, we added the ‘Digital Scholar’ course, which is a one-week training course organised twice a year by the African Doctoral Academy at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. It was during a stay in Stellenbosch that we decided with several colleagues to pool our knowledge and ideas. At first, we thought of a massive open course (MOOC), but this turned out not to be financially feasible. When Leuven University Press later provided the resources for an open access publication, the choice was quickly made”.

How do you get a grip on the ‘digital world’ and the enormous opportunities that present themselves to scholars and researchers? “It soon became apparent that there was a need for a structure, a framework to support our ideas and to guide the reader through this complex subject matter. We started working on this in good spirits,” says Prof. Van Petegem.

Prof. Wim Van Petegem

© Julie Feyaerts

Three-dimensional

The development of such an order-creating framework is perhaps the authors’ greatest achievement. “Evolving as a Digital Scholar” thus becomes a thoughtful and useful manual that provides guidance at any time.

“As mentioned, we distinguish three dimensions of digital agility,” explains Prof. Van Petegem. “These are: getting involved in research, education and service, then mobilising digital skills on various levels and thirdly acting in multiple roles, both individually and interlinked with others”.

“In terms of the roles and the skills involved, we distinguish five. First, there is the author who writes specialized articles for experts. Then there is the storyteller who delivers comprehensible messages to a wider audience in the form of blogs or podcasts. The creator uses graphics, audio and video to keep the audience captivated. The integrator goes a step further and develops multimedia applications that are shared and spread via websites, webinars and open-source channels. And last but not least, there is the networker who plays the social media and is active in online learning communities”.

Change agent

According to Prof. van Petegem, these five roles should not be seen as hierarchical, nor as sequential. “One role is indeed not ‘better’ or ‘higher’ than the other. Moreover, you can combine or switch roles. What matters is that the scholar or researcher recognizes himself in it and makes himself familiar with the competences that are connected to it. “

“The current and future digital scholar and researcher is above all a professional learner,” concludes Prof. Van Petegem. “A change agent who does not suffer the rapid changes, but who takes the lead and actively contributes to innovation in the ever-evolving digital age”.

Yves Persoons

Wim Van Petegem, JP Bosman, Miné De Klerk, Sonja Strydom, Evolving as a Digital Scholar. Teaching and Researching in a Digital World. Leuven University Press, 2021 (open access: OAPEN, JSTORE)