The First National Conference on Future University in the Era of Digital Transformation was held

According to Khatam University’s Public Relations and Website Department, The First National Conference on Future University in the Era of Digital Transformation was held in Tehran on Sunday and Monday, February 24 and 25, hosted by Khatam University, in collaboration with Khatam University and Mehr Alborz University, with the presence and participation of experts, researchers, and enthusiasts in this field.

On the first day of this event, the message of Dr. Mohammad Reza Aref, First Vice President, was read by Dr. Jafar Tofighi, a member of the Board of Trustees of Mehr Alborz University. Dr. Aref's message to The First National Conference on Future University in the Era of Digital Transformation states: "Digital transformation, as one of the most important developments of the present time, is not only a technological change, but also a fundamental transformation in the methods of learning, teaching and managing the higher education system. Future universities must not only embrace this change, but also, as its pioneers, pave the way for future generations. Digital transformation has caused the traditional boundaries of universities to expand and learning to change from limited and in-person forms to flexible, interactive and global formats. Today, virtual education, artificial intelligence, educational data mining and new technologies such as blockchain have not only increased the quality of learning, but also facilitated educational justice. These technologies provide access to quality education for all, without geographical and time constraints being an obstacle to learning."

"The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as one of the main pillars of digital transformation in higher education, has always emphasized improving the quality of universities and creating technology-based infrastructure." He mentioned. "In this regard, the government has paved the way for digital growth and transformation in universities by developing information technology infrastructure, strengthening e-learning systems, and providing financial support and appropriate policies. Also, by supporting pioneering universities in this field, as successful examples of digital universities in the country, we have tried to create a platform for realizing the vision of future universities."

"Digital transformation, along with the countless opportunities it brings, has also presented us with challenges." He added. "Among these challenges are the need to build a culture among faculty members and students, provide appropriate infrastructure, maintain the quality of online education, and ensure information security. To overcome these challenges, cooperation and interaction between universities, industry, and policymakers are essential. We must pave the way for digital transformation by using global experiences, establishing educational innovation centers, and utilizing successful international models."

"I hope that this conference will be a platform for exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, and finding practical solutions for realizing the university of the future. Undoubtedly, digital universities will play a key role in training capable human resources for the future of the country, and we must pave the way for digital transformation with renewed effort and determination. In conclusion, I sincerely appreciate the host universities who, with the aim of fulfilling their social responsibility, have provided the basis for holding this important event with their continuous efforts, and I thank all the professors, researchers, and students who are present at this conference. Wishing success and increasing progress for the scientific community of the country." He concluded.

Continuing the conference's programs, Dr. Kamal Kharrazi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Mehr Alborz University, expressed hope for a transformation in the country's scientific governance by holding events such as the national conference University of the Future in the Era of Digital Transformation, and delivered a scientific lecture in the field of cognitive sciences.

Stating that there are about 85 million nerve cells in the human brain and that the length of the connections of these cells is said to be 150,000 kilometers, he said: "Therefore, the human brain is a collective being and in fact a collection of cells that create these great abilities in us."

"What we can gain from the brain metaphor for education are these principles: The first is the agency of the brain, which follows the agency of the learner; that is, we must center the learner." He added. "The second is that the brain is a connecting entity; that is, our learning must be collective. Also, the function of the brain is collaborative, and therefore, in education, production, and creation of knowledge, it must be collaborative. So, we should outline the cognitive approach to education as follows: learner-centered, collaborative creation of knowledge, changing the role of the teacher, dynamic content, changing the assessment method, intelligent research, and free dissemination of results."

Dr. Kharrazi then addressed the role of digital technology and artificial intelligence in knowledge production and said: "The art of artificial intelligence is that it can connect many people, and this creates great capabilities. It is in such circumstances that curricula will be dynamic, academic document management will be personalized, and the registration of university certificates and academic records will be virtualized using blockchain."

The chairman of the board of trustees of Mehr Alborz University concluded: "Educational methods will also change, including the emergence of artificial instructors or chatbots, as well as intelligent hybrid universities, and research processes will also be affected by artificial intelligence. Evaluation of articles can be done well with the help of artificial intelligence, and multimedia publication of research will become possible. We must be able to prepare our youth to present themselves in global forums using artificial intelligence."

As the next keynote speaker, Dr. Majid Ghasemi, President of Khatam University and host of this two-day conference, emphasized the role of startups in creating wealth in today's world and the importance of acquiring skills by students and even graduates of universities. He also mentioned some of the most important concepts raised in the approach of universities towards the future, which include: sustainable university, university without walls, entrepreneurial and innovative university, and digital university. "When we talk about a digital university, we are talking about a type of thinking in which the approach to knowledge is an open approach." He said.

He reviewed the evolution of the university ecosystem and added: "We are facing various spirals in this field, and we have reached the point where Western scholars have thought that three groups of scholars are not wise: the first group, those who have outdated knowledge, the second group, those who have new knowledge but do not use it, and the third group, those who have new knowledge and use it but do not consider the public good."

In another part of his speech, the president of Khatam University called this university a civilization-building, wisdom-based, and intellectual-producing university, and referred to some of the measures taken by Khatam University in the field of social responsibility to expand its public service sphere. "We have so far established 80 schools in 80 villages in deprived areas of our country, and we are also building and establishing Dar-al-fonoun high schools in provincial centers so that talented teenagers in these areas are not deprived of quality educational services just because they are in a deprived area." He stated.

Continuing, Dr. Mohammad Amini, the scientific secretary of the national conference University of the Future in the Era of Digital Transformation, in a speech referring to the commendable efforts of Mehr Alborz and Khatam Universities to form and hold this conference, said: "The conference today and tomorrow was formed with the aim of drawing the horizon of the university of the future and a preliminary model for the Era from the current concept of the university to its future scope."

He announced the holding of two sessions of the conference's policy council, as well as five pre-sessions with the presence of expert professors in line with the five conference themes. "During the two days of the conference, 15 selected articles and several keynote speeches will be presented. In addition, three panels and several educational workshops will be held during these two days, and we hope that the scientific community and policymakers will benefit from the results of this conference." He reminded.

In a speech focusing on the value proposition of the digital university, Dr. Mehdi Shami Zanjani, a professor of the Department of Information Technology Management at the University of Tehran, said: "The virtual world has gone through two main waves; the first wave began with information technology and moved towards the virtual university. If we talk about digital transformation in universities today, it is as if we are talking about a combination of a traditional university and a virtual university. A digital university is a university that has transformed its management and learning system based on digital technologies in order to achieve excellent performance by creating an attractive experience for its key stakeholders."

"The digital university also has a physical environment, but it has been enhanced with digital layers. We need new activities in the areas of skills, talent, and culture. We cannot have a digital university without strengthening ourselves in the area of governance. Accessibility of facilities, scalability of university services, intelligence (insight-based algorithms), experience creation through service personalization, model-based and ecosystem-based development, participation and co-creation, and flexibility and agility for resilience are among the characteristics of a digital university." He emphasized.

Then, the faculty member of the Information Technology Management Department of the University of Tehran emphasized by presenting several suggestions: "We must design and lead the university's digital transformation path with a systemic perspective. Without attracting and developing digital leaders, our efforts at the university for transformation will not go anywhere."

"To achieve digital benefits, we must launch a new plan in the university governance system and take the development of digital literacy of employees, professors, and students seriously, and cherish and support small digital experiments. Most importantly, let's not forget that the digital development of the university is possible step by step." He concluded.

Next, three selected articles from the conference were presented by their authors, and then a speech by Dr. Ali Akbar Jalali, Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Education and e-Learning, who participated in the conference virtually, was broadcast. In this speech, he said: "The integration of artificial intelligence and the metaverse will create a tremendous transformation in the field of higher education and create environments that enable interactive learning."

The chairman of UNESCO's e-Learning and Education emphasized the importance of asking the right questions of artificial intelligence and the metaverse with the aim of obtaining more accurate guidance, including the benefits of understanding threats and opportunities, understanding challenges and limitations, guiding policymaking and decision-making, promoting innovation, improving the quality of education, preparing for the future of education, increasing educational equity, improving interaction and collaborative learning, and managing risk and ethical challenges.

Dr. Jalali continued by referring to the nature of artificial intelligence and the metaverse in the field of higher education, examining the speed of change and transformation in the world and talking about the factors affecting this issue: "Various technologies will change the world of the future, including: Metaverse, AI, 6G, Internet of Things, and cybersecurity."

"Key steps for the university on this path also include education and empowerment, mastering the applications of artificial intelligence, and developing curricula tailored to the needs of the labor market." He added.

Following the programs of the national conference "Future University in the Era of Digital Transformation", a panel entitled "Future University and Emerging Technologies" was held, moderated by Dr. Abbas Bazargan, Professor of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, and with speeches by Dr. Fattaneh Taghiyareh, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Sciences, University of Tehran, Dr. Maryam Tayefeh Mahmoudi, Assistant Professor of the Institute of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Kaveh Bazargan, Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, and Dr. Raha Abedi, Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran.

In the speech titled "The University of the Future; Some Features, Its Role in Continuous Learning and the Future of Education", Dr. Abbas Bazargan said: "The features of the university of the future are as follows: First, the mechanisms for producing goods and services will be carried out with systems with advanced technologies. Second, the skills and capabilities of artificial intelligence will be applied not only in the emerging cyberspace, but also in the physical space. Third, artificial intelligence and robots will assist and replace humans in performing monotonous tasks. Fourth, the university of the future will have unique features that distinguish them from traditional universities due to rapid technological changes, the needs of the labor market in the expansion of lifelong learning."

In the speech titled "The Art of Learning Assessment in the Future University in the Context of Time," Dr. Fattaneh Taghiyareh emphasized: "If artificial intelligence is used artistically, it is possible to have more accurate assessments of the level of student learning. With the help of artificial intelligence, it is possible to have assessments from exhausting to possible or from discrete to continuous, which has two dimensions: micro-measurement and hidden measurement. The third serious axis of transformation is the movement from uniform to adaptive. The fourth point is from inauthentic to authentic, from antique to modern, and from compact to discernible."

Dr. Maryam Tayefeh Mahmoudi, in her speech titled "Challenges and Opportunities for Applying Emerging Technologies in the Future Digital University," said: "The role of augmented reality and metaverse in future universities includes immersive and interactive learning, accessibility and inclusiveness, personalized learning, collaboration and social learning, field trips, experimentation and experiential learning, teaching complex concepts, technical and vocational education/skills training, gamified education, and digital twins."

The programs of The First National Conference on Future University in the Era of Digital Transformation continued on the second day with a speech by Dr. Seyed Rasoul Emadi, General Director of the Non-Governmental Higher Education Office of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, entitled "The Relationship Between Educational Technology and the University of the Future." He initially referred to different approaches to the use of technology and emphasized the importance of using technology in a timely manner and not with delay in various fields, including education, and said: "In this regard, the attitudes of rulers, managers, and decision-makers must also be affected by technology and change."

"Automation and the use of artificial intelligence can help improve things, and the further we go, the more we see the ratio of technology to digital. Educational technologies are constantly evolving, and artificial intelligence will certainly not be the last stage of these technologies." He added.

Referring to different scenarios for using technology in universities, including universal and transformational scenarios, General Director of the Non-Governmental Higher Education Office of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology added: "We must strengthen universities that move based on the synchronization scenario, close to the metaverse, and universities that move based on the transformational scenario. It is very important to know that tools cannot replace humans, but rather we must use them well."

Dr. Mohammad Hassanzadeh, the head of the Iranian Institute of Information Science and Technology (Irandoc), in a speech titled "The Value Proposition of the Digital University; From University to Metaversity", said: "The university of the future is taking shape, but there is a fundamental question, and that is whether the university will exist at all? In fact, we are facing a positive decline; meaning that education has always been a human need and he has always had the need to learn and teach others. The university has also understood this challenge today and is thinking about solving it."

Regarding the characteristics of the metaversity, he added: "The metaversity is based on a virtual structure, it is flexible in its curricula, online and interactive education is recognized in it, widespread access to virtual objects is possible in it, and learning in it is based on collaboration. In terms of the efficiency of the metaversity, we are also faced with reducing the cost of education and improving the scope of education."

At the end of his speech, the head of the Iranian Institute of Information Science and Technology put forward four executive suggestions in this regard, which were: forming academic alliances, creating mechanisms for sharing resources, creating mechanisms to support universities, and developing new capabilities in the academic community.

A panel titled "Cooperation and Symbiosis between Industry and University: The Challenge" was held, moderated by Dr. Mohammad Rabiei, Assistant Professor at the Iran Institute of Information Science and Technology (Irandoc) and with speeches by Dr. Mehdi Moghimi, Associate Professor and Head of the Office of Scientific and Industrial Cooperation at the Iran University of Science and Technology, Dr. Ali Mohaghar, Professor at the Faculty of Management, University of Tehran and Director of the Production and Operations Management Department, Dr. Mehdi Mohammadi, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Management, University of Tehran and President of the Innovation and Technology Management Association, and Dr. Shahram Rahimian, Deputy Vice President of Planning and Development at Datin Company.

Initially, Dr. Rabiei, in a speech referring to the position of Iranian universities in various global rankings based on indicators regarding their relationship with industry, which indicated that this position was undesirable, asked questions from the experts present on the panel to obtain their answers.

In response to the question, “What skills are needed in the future industry and what is the role of universities in providing them?” Dr. Ali Mohaghar said: "The philosophy of management is problem solving, and if a manager says that I and my team have no problem, it becomes clear that he is not a manager at all. If the problems of the rulers were the same as the problems of 70 percent of the people, then the events that take place in society and the subsystems that are created, including in the field of education, would be successful. I believe that today we are witnessing one of the successful manifestations of the relationship between industry and university in Iran, in the military sector."

"The university of the future must be a solution to the country's problems. In addition, the university must be able to stand on its own feet; not constantly waiting for funding from different sources." He stated.

After that, in response to the question, "What are the needs and expectations that industry has from universities and why are these needs not being met?", Dr. Rahimian said: "Universities should be more teachable. The reality is that positive changes do not always necessarily come from positive and logical people. We must be prepared to hear the latest developments from those who may not have attended university at all. We must understand the needs of the next generation well and be able to have an answer for them."

Dr. Moghimi, a faculty member of the University of Science and Technology, also emphasized in his remarks at this panel the need to strengthen the skills-based training sector in universities and higher education centers, saying: "Skills-based training is highly welcomed by students because it is a valuable experience for them."

Dr. Mehdi Mohammadi, also pointing out of being in a turbulent ocean of technological change, said: "If there was a time when there was a university where each of us studied for several years to obtain a degree, in the not-so-distant future we will no longer be faced with such a thing. In the near future, everyone who enters university will have to follow their own personalized educational path, and it will no longer be the case that the same syllabus is presented to a large number of people as students in the same way."

"Policymaking in our country is not so stimulating for industry to communicate with universities. The Ministry of Science or universities actually play the role of a model, not a leader. If we accept open governance as a model that only allows for open decisions, this will be the beginning of a new trend, and if we do not accept it, each of us will play our own instrument, and society will not accept any of us." He emphasized.

Dr. Shahab Javanmardi, CEO of Fanap Holding, emphasized in a speech the need for institutional development of innovation in universities and shared his perspective on this issue based on studies of experiences that have occurred in the country over the past decade.

"Reviewing 10 years of innovation development in the country from an academic perspective leads us to a conclusion, which is that if we want innovation in universities to develop along an effective path, we must pay more serious attention to creating institutions that will be in charge of this matter and take institutional development in universities seriously." He added.

The CEO of Fanap emphasized: "To develop innovation in the university, we need five basic actions, including promotion, culture building, and education, team building and support for ideas, development of start-ups, commercialization, investment, and financial support, and sustainability of companies. A university moves toward development that defines these five specific actions."

In continuation of the conference programs, a panel titled "Future University Vision and the Future of the University" was held, moderated by Dr. Ali Kermanshah; faculty member of Sharif University of Technology and head of the Information Technology Department of Mehr Alborz University, and with speeches by Dr. Reza Farajidana; full professor of the Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Tehran, Dr. Hadi Khaniki; full professor of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, Allameh Tabatabaei University, and Dr. Somayeh Fereydouni; faculty member of the Institute of Higher Education Research and Planning.

In his speech at the meeting, Dr. Khaniki stated that "In Iran, especially in the process of accelerated development, the question is usually raised: What is the solution to these problems? But I believe that the question should be: What is your problem?"

"Today, the existential philosophy of the university is exposed to questions: Is there still a need for the university, and if there is no need, what is its replacement and what could it be?" He stated.

Emphasizing that we need to rethink the theoretical and philosophical foundations of the university, he added: "The second issue is that the phenomenon of artificial intelligence itself has led to the university's withdrawal from the process of producing knowledge. The third issue is that the institution of technology has taken precedence over the institution of the university. Fourth, this transformation is taking place in a more pronounced way in the Middle East, including our country."

This faculty member of Allameh Tabatabaei University continued by stating that institutions such as the university, family, books, culture, and art are not institutions that can be easily discarded, adding: "Of course, universities themselves must review their functions. Today, the need for innovative and flexible environments, digital technology, and artificial intelligence has become tangible, and these can transform the university institution. In addition, we are in dire need of strengthening international relations based on the university institution, which, unfortunately, due to security concerns, the relationship between the university and external institutions is always a source of suspicion."

Dr. Khaniki also suggested several strategies to deal with the aforementioned situation: "First, the government should adopt a strategic view based on an intelligent approach and use the university's capacities. Second, adopt political strategies with the participation of the university. Third, have targeted support and strengthening policies. Fourth, support innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization. Fifth, promote international cooperation. Sixth, ensure the independence of the university. Seventh, adopt transparent evaluation and accountability mechanisms."

According to this panel, Dr. Somayeh Fereidouni, the faculty member of the Institute for Higher Education Research and Planning, delivered a speech on the need to create educational justice, especially for women and the underprivileged in society, saying: "In the field of gender, we usually have post-event policies; that is, something happens and then we think about what to do. Since the 1990s, when policies focused on expanding higher education, the policy-making body had not thought about the fact that girls would enter universities in large numbers and change the demographic profile of universities. In the face of this issue, it turned to other policies such as local selection, the establishment of single-sex universities, etc."

"The second point is the importance of the gender justice debate; what is considered power today is knowledge; developed countries are countries where access to knowledge and its application are at a high level, and therefore the university, as an institution for the creation of knowledge, has a very important aspect." She added. "If we pursue justice through the university institution, then our definition of justice and the function of the university in providing it, etc., will be different. My approach is to pursue the realization of justice through the university institution, with the caveat that an institution that does not realize justice within itself cannot realize justice in society."

In a speech titled "Digital University; Opportunities and Threats," Dr. Faraji Dana, the professor at the University of Tehran, listed some of these opportunities as follows: eliminating geographical barriers to global access to higher education, reducing the costs of accessing quality higher education, personalizing education, realizing real and affordable continuing education, using modular education to provide the ability to quickly update curricula to meet the needs of industry and society, solving the capacity problem in traditional universities due to their lack of dependence on expensive infrastructure, improving the quality of learning by utilizing new technologies, increasing trust in university encyclopedias by using new technologies for storing and publishing digital documents such as blockchain, and making digital universities more compatible with sustainable development, especially by eliminating paper.

According to him, some of the threats in this regard include the inherent weakness of digital universities in the field of practical skills training, especially in fields that require practical experience, such as medicine and engineering, the heterogeneity of societies and geographical regions in terms of digital facilities, quality control, curriculum evaluation and accreditation of educational courses, market saturation with the provision of higher education by countless universities and the lack of a competitive edge between them to attract an audience, the relative distrust of the labor market in digital course encyclopedias, the weakening of human interactions and the replacement of the human-human interface with the human - machine interface, concerns about students' mental health, the possibility of serious disruption in the learning process due to the proliferation of malware, hacking of used databases and leakage of personal information, and the creation of risks for digital education by anything that is considered a risk to digital technologies.

In the final part of the programs of The First National Conference on Future University in the Era of Digital Transformation, Mohammad Amini, the scientific secretary of the conference, presented a report on the process of holding this event and said: "Out of a total of 55 papers submitted to the conference secretariat, the largest number of articles was on the future of universities in Iran; requirements and roadblocks, and the smallest number of articles was on the economy and business fundamentals. After evaluations, 34 articles were finally accepted, and 5 articles were ultimately selected."

Then, after announcing the titles of the selected articles, their authors were honored as follows :

• Pedagogy of the Future University (Farhad Saraji);
• Presenting a model for strengthening the effectiveness of the e-learning system in universities (Ali Mohaghar, Mohammad Hassan Maleki, and Zahra Dashti);
• Socio-technical systems, knowledge from activism, and the future of the university (Maryam Poostforoush and Mostafa Taghavi);
• Systematic study of the impact of using wearable devices in improving the personalization of students' learning processes (Marim Nazarzadeh and Asal Basiji);
• Digital literacy and the development of digital universities; a systematic review of concepts and frameworks (Masoumeh Chamasmani).

 The First National Conference on Future University in the Era of Digital Transformation concluded with the reading of a final statement.