ACU launches second podcast series to tackle digital debates in higher education

The second series of The Internationalist, a podcast by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (@The_ACU), has been launched, looking at the issues of the digital revolution and its impact on universities.

The series, inspired by the events that have taken place over the last year, will examine how universities have responded to the pandemic and if digital technology will play a larger role in higher education in the future.

Hosted by Natasha Lokhun, Head of Marketing and Communications at the ACU, the podcast features academics, students, practitioners and experts from across the Commonwealth.

Across the six episodes of the series, the podcast explores topics such as whether blended learning will be the new normal in universities, how to equip academics and students with the skills they need to navigate a digital future, and how technology can close the inequality gap in higher education and beyond.

It features renowned guests including Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Johannesburg in South Africa; Professor Martin Weller, Professor of Educational Technology at The Open University in the UK; Professor Sue Bennett, Head of the School of Education at the University of Wollongong in Australia; Dr Luz Longsworth, Principal of the University of West Indies Open Campus; Professor Rocky Tuan, Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong; and Professor Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at the University of Oxford.

“The Internationalist is essential listening for anyone within higher education grappling with the implications of the COVID-19 crisis. It provides a global perspective on how digital technology is transforming universities while also putting these changes into historical perspective,” says Mark Carrigan, Digital Sociologist at the University of Cambridge and director of the Post-Pandemic University project who have collaborated with the ACU for the podcast.