A Journey In to Innovative Practice Leadership-Crossed And Merged Paths!

Elise Omfalos, Innovation and Learning Manager, Queen Mary University of London and Graeme Hathaway, Academic Director, Arden University

Elise Omfalos is a seasoned global educator with 20 years of experience delivering innovative, student-centred learning solutions across Belgium, Mexico and the UK. Her flexible and creative approach has led to significant achievements, including designing the first 100 percent online PGCert in surgery for the Royal College of Surgeons. As the Innovation and Learning Manager at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), Elise focuses on integrating cutting-edge educational technologies, such as extended reality, to enhance and optimise learning experiences.

Graeme Hathaway is an experienced coach and leader dedicated to enhancing the student experience and colleague development. His career spans UK Further Education, Postgraduate Higher Education and a Russell Group university, leading him to a private university. With a background in teaching and a focus on education technology, Graeme excels in engaging educators and facilitating communities of practice. Recently, he moved from Queen Mary University of London to become the Academic Director at Arden University’s Holborn campus, where he supports the transition from online to campus-based learning. Through this article, Elise Omfalos and Graeme Hathaway explore critical trends in education technology, focusing on AI and extended realities like VR. Elise highlights AI's role in personalised learning and VR's potential to transform training while addressing digital literacy and mental wellbeing with initiatives like VR meditation. Graeme emphasises AI’s disruptive impact and the need for educators to adapt to new roles, advocating for evolving educational frameworks and participatory feedback methods. Both experts recommend frameworks such as TPACK and SAMR and stress the importance of effective communication and stakeholder engagement in technology adoption.

Emerging Trends and Advancements Shaping the Education Technology Industry

Elise:

The rise of AI has transformed student attitudes toward learning, with many now seeking personalised approaches tailored to their strengths and challenges. At Queen Mary University of London, students have shown interest in a 24- hour learning assistant that acts as a virtual coach.

I am particularly interested in the potential of extended realities, such as VR-enhanced training, which can train students and the workforce more effectively, safely and at scale. VR provides unique perspectives, literally and metaphorically and can complement or replace traditional training methods.

Graeme:

I don’t think you can look further than Artificial Intelligence (AI). It will be on a par or even more so in terms of disruption as we found when the internet began embedding. We’ve been increasing the amount of participatory research into how students perceive the impact of AI on their education and employability skills and I can’t see that slowing down. Employers know that new entrants to their workforce could be game changers if they have expertise in using AI, so embedding its use into education before this is imperative.

Addressing Future Challenges in Education Technology and Well-being

Elise:

Digital literacy and well-being are growing challenges, with one in four people in England experiencing a mental health problem each year. Digital solutions to address wellbeing should be incorporated into training programmes. At QMUL, we trial VR meditation to reduce stress and improve outcomes before exams. Education must optimise technology to make learning more diversified and personalised, catering to diverse learners, including the estimated 15-20 percent neurodivergent.

Graeme:

There will need to be a move away from a knowledge economy approach. Our students use AI to reword and clarify delivered content while using it for personalised learning when away from campus. There are challenges related to the changing roles of educators and students. We’ve been looking into this and students have precise needs about when and how to use AI and that is a role educators will need to become comfortable with in the future.

Frameworks and Practices Shaping Education at Queen Mary University of London

Elise:

Co-creation is critical for us and we run a variety of community practices that foster exchange and crosspollination across the university. To make the most of technological, pedagogical and content knowledge in our education provision, we used the TPACK model (Mishra & Koehler, 2006).

The SAMR model by Dr. Ruben Puentedura helps us compare different degrees of classroom technology integration.

All stakeholders can work with these two models as they are straightforward and visually appealing.

Graeme:

We encourage the exploration of educational frameworks that might benefit the student experience through annual bidding for internal research funding. These projects often incorporate education technology, e.g., e-portfolios, Virtual Reality (VR), Metaverse and AI and the university benefits from increasing evidence for decision-making.

Critical Considerations for Adopting Emerging Education Technologies

Elise:

I recommend starting with a Theory of Change to anticipate potential difficulties and ensure the project's impact can be measured accurately.

Learning from others' experiences can also help avoid common pitfalls. Engage in conversations with peers who have implemented similar technologies and learners who have used them to gain insights from their successes and challenges.

Effective communication around change and involving all stakeholders is critical and often underestimated. Ensuring everyone understands the benefits and their role in the process fosters a smoother transition and greater acceptance of new technologies.

Graeme:

Embrace the student voice often. Education technology is moving quickly and with changing demographics, cohorts of learners will provide new insights more frequently. Incorporating participatory data collection methods to gather on-demand user feedback adds value alongside standard annual approaches. In this regard, qualitative methods such as Listening Rooms or Photovoice may be worth incorporating to create a sense of curious enquiry for both students and educators.

Artificial Intelligence

Virtual Reality