Medienmitteilung 02/15/2022 Brig/Bern

Network for digital education: FFHS becomes a partner of BeLEARN

BeLEARN, the knowledge and research network, aims to accelerate the digital transformation in education. The Swiss Distance Learning University of Applied Sciences (FFHS) is now also on board as a cooperation partner and is contributing its knowhow in e-didactics.

BeLEARN has been launched at the end of 2021 by five founding universities on the initiative and with the support of the Canton of Bern. It brings together researchers, educational stakeholders and entrepreneurs at all levels of education. The network aims in particular through research and development as well as knowledge and technology transfer to demonstrate new educational pathways - a vision that is also shared by the FFHS. «Last but not least, the pandemic has shown us that there is an urgent need to respond to the challenges of digital education» explains FFHS Rector Michael Zurwerra. «That is why we commit ourselves to BeLEARN and contribute our more than 20 years of expertise in distance learning.»

Providing solutions for everyday educational practice

With the Institute for Research in Open, Distance and eLearning (IFeL), the FFHS has at its disposal dedicated research in this field and holds since 2017 also a UNESCO Chair in Personalised and Adaptive Distance Learning. «The partnership was a logical step for us,» explains Prof Dr Per Bergamin, Head of IFeL. The cooperation focuses primarily on joint projects and knowledge transfer in digital tools, digital skills and data science for education.

The focus is on research-based solutions for practice. Dr Katrin Müller, Executive Director of BeLEARN, emphasises: «The FFHS is already working together with various BeLEARN founding universities. Within the framework of the formalised partnership agreement, we are institutionalising this cooperation under the BeLEARN umbrella, whether between research and practice or between research and start-ups. Short distances, the use of synergies and thinking in networks lead to rapid translation into practice and benefits to educational practice».