EMPHASISING care in digital education is key to building a more human-centred future.
This, says Prof Felicitas Macgilchrist, could be achieved by imagining more care in the design, development, administration and practices of education, as well as the technologies used.
“Care is one of the most radical things that we can do in digital education.
“The day-to-day patterns of care, if we really enact them, would be a key way to move beyond standard scripts and imagine more human-centred futures,” she said during the second Open University Malaysia (OUM) Annual Public Lecture Series on Aug 5.
Held under the theme “Beyond Standard Scripts: Imagining New Futures in Digital Education”, the public lecture featured presentations by five newly appointed OUM Global Fellows (2026-2027) from institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan.
Rather than focusing only on speed, efficiency and technology, she said digital education must be grounded in care and an understanding of students’ lived realities.
Describing care as the often-invisible work of paying attention to students’ needs, vulnerabilities and circumstances, she cited examples such as tutors reaching out to disengaged students and educators adapting online courses for learners with slow Internet connections in rural areas.
“Nothing works, survives or thrives without care from others,” she said, stressing that universities need to consider not only whether a digital education system works, but also who it serves, who might be left behind and what conditions are needed for students to benefit from it.
Meanwhile, Prof George Veletsianos said universities should question the growing emphasis on speed and efficiency in digital education, noting that it overlooks whether students and educators are given enough time to learn, teach and implement new approaches effectively.
“The assumption that universities and students must be efficient, and that digital education should prioritise efficiency, is one that universities should be willing to question, while considering alternatives that give learning the time it requires,” said the academic from the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development in the US.
OUM president and vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang, in his welcoming remarks, emphasised the importance of maintaining a human-centric approach.
“What matters most is not the technology itself, but how it is used to create richer learning experiences and stronger support for every learner,” he said.
In his speech, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir called on universities to ensure technological innovation translates into better learning opportunities.
He said digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), provide new possibilities for access, personalisation and flexibility, but universities must continue to uphold “wisdom, responsibility, integrity and human connectivity”.
This, he added, is reflected in the Malaysia Higher Education Blueprint 2026-2035.
“Higher education should not just be measured by the tech-
nologies adopted, but also by the lives improved, the opportunities created and the contributions graduates make to society,” he said in a speech read out by Higher Education director-general Prof Datuk Dr Azlinda Azman.
The ceremony also saw OUM unveil a new modernised corporate logo, marking the institution’s most significant brand evolution since its founding in 2000.
Serving learners with AI
All three scholars were among the five newly appointed OUM Global Fellows (2026-2027) who presented at the public lecture.
