Universit� degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Unimore and Edunext Bring Together Italy’s Universities to Discuss Digital Education Hubs

The adoption of digital tools, flexible teaching models, and personalised learning pathways are now among the top priorities for the entire higher education system. In this context, Digital Education Hubs are taking on an increasingly central role, as highlighted by the round table “Digital Education Hubs for the Innovation of University Teaching”, hosted yesterday at the Teatro del Collegio San Carlo in Modena in a hybrid format, open to the national academic community. This event marked a new stage in the EDUNEXT project, which places the exchange of best practices and exploration of future digital higher education scenarios at its core.

Hosting the event was Professor Carlo Adolfo Porro, Rector of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, who emphasised the importance of a project capable of combining quality, openness, and cooperation among universities, in line with European guidelines on higher education. Opening remarks were delivered by Professor Alessandra Petrucci, Rector of the University of Florence, Professor Giovanna Iannantuoni, President of the CRUI (Conference of Italian University Rectors), and Professor Antonio Felice Uricchio, President of ANVUR (National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research Systems).

The round table provided a valuable opportunity to delve into digital teaching methodologies and the development of an innovative university ecosystem capable of meeting the challenges of internationalisation, personalised learning, and interdisciplinarity. Key contributions came from the coordinators of Italy’s leading Digital Education Hubs: Tania Melchionna (ALM@ - University of Naples Federico II), Susanna Sancassani (EDVANCE - Politecnico di Milano), and Tommaso Minerva (EDUNEXT - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), who shared experiences and development pathways in the field of advanced educational design.

The EDUNEXT network, officially launched nationwide at Didacta Fair last March, currently involves 35 universities and 5 AFAM institutions, with the aim of building a new educational offering based on three core pillars: Educational Clusters, Open Badges, and Blended Intensive Programmes — together forming the ECOBI model.

During the round table, discussions also addressed the implications of accreditation, ANVUR’s guidelines for evaluating blended and digital pathways, and the potential integration of artificial intelligence tools with traditional methodologies.

The event concluded with a session dedicated to dialogue among vice-rectors and education delegates from the partner universities, who presented experimental educational projects and interdisciplinary programmes developed collaboratively. It served as a concrete demonstration of the participating universities' ability to work together and of the practical implementation of the project’s guidelines — with a direct impact on the education of over 700,000 students and 25,000 lecturers and researchers already involved in the network.

“The journey we have undertaken with EDUNEXT,” commented Unimore Rector Professor Carlo Adolfo Porro, “is one of the most significant system-wide initiatives our country has promoted in recent years in the field of higher education. The round table confirmed the strength of this framework, but above all highlighted how inter-university cooperation can become a true, tangible, and shared driver of innovation. The ECOBI model at the heart of our educational approach is, in fact, an integrated framework that connects skills, tools, languages, and methodologies — always keeping educational quality and accessibility as its primary goals.”

In the coming months, the EDUNEXT roadmap includes efforts to strengthen the European dimension of its programmes and the design of new micro-credentials, further enriching the learning ecosystem and responding effectively to the need for lifelong learning and professional development.

Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng