

EDEN Digital Education Leadership Academy (DELA)
November 29 @ 08:00 – December 1 @ 17:00
Who should join?
- Leaders, middle managers and emerging leaders leading or supporting digital transformation in their institution
- Experienced senior leaders with strategic planning responsibilities for digital education
- Teams of leaders and emerging leaders from the same institution responsible for implementing a digital education strategy
What does it involve?
- Inspiring talks by renown educational leaders
- Strategic thinking workshops to help envision the future of digital learning
- Real-life dilemmas, case examples and future scenarios facing institutions
- Active problem-solving to develop research informed responses to the digital challenges and opportunities confronting organisations
- A highly engaging social programme for networking and professional learning
Challenge yourself and future-proof your institution by becoming a graduate of the EDEN Digital Education Leadership Academy!
What is the EDEN Digital Education Leadership Academy?
- A place to learn from others
- A place to experience different strategies for digital education leadership
- A place to tackle challenges and create solutions together
- A place for professional networking
- A place to envision the future of digital education
Why participate?
- To connect with other European colleagues
- To find effective ways of realising the potential of digital transformation
- To help develop new strategies which tackle the challenges of digitalization
- To refine your leadership toolbox and find solutions together
- To envision the future of digital education
What will you learn?
- How other higher education institutions are responding to their challenges of digital transformation
- How to undertake a horizon scan of future trends and the impact they may have on your organisation
- What factors need to be considered when developing a successful digital transformation strategy
- Effective strategies other educational leaders are using to harness the potential of digital education
- How to challenge yourself and future-proof your institution by becoming a graduate of the EDEN Digital Education Leadership Academy.
Day 1 – November 29, Wednesday
Vision-Making and Strategy
Focus: Vision-Making and Strategy
On this first day of the DELA seminar, you will:
– Learn how to mobilise a toolkit for guiding you and your team as digital education leaders;
– Discover how renowned educational leaders have developed a vision and strategy for digital education;
– Develop your own strategic thinking for digital transformation.
8:30 – 11:00 Official Welcome by EDEN DLE President / Presentation of EDEN DELA Seminar / The Digital Education Leader’s Toolkit
Official welcome: Josep M. Duart, EDEN DLE President
Presentation of the EDEN DELA seminar: Albert Sangrà, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
Getting to know each other
The Digital Education Leader’s Toolkit: Deborah Arnold, NTT Data
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee Break
More information soon.
11:30 – 12:00 “Digital Transformation of Higher Education – what does it mean for leaders(ship)?” by Susannah Quinsee, VP (Digital and Student Experience) City University of London, UK
“Digital Transformation of Higher Education – what does it mean for leaders(ship)?” by Susannah Quinsee, VP (Digital and Student Experience) City University of London, UK
12:30 – 13:30 Networking Lunch
More information soon.
13:30 – 15:30 Real Life Case Example: Vision Making and Strategy / Strategic Thinking Workshop
A Real Life Case Example: Vision Making and Strategy – Mark Brown, Director, National Institute for Digital Learning (DCU, Ireland)
Strategic Thinking Workshop – Mark Brown, Director, National Institute for Digital Learning (DCU, Ireland)
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break
More information soon.
16:00 – 16:30 Sharing Experiences and Contextualisation
More information soon.
16:30 – 17:15 Feedback From the Workshop and Wrap-Up
Albert Sangrà, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
Evening Group Dinner
Short Description
Day 2 – November 30 – Thursday
Tackling Digital Transformation Challenges
Focus: Tackling Digital Transformation Challenges
On this second day of the DELA seminar, you will:
– Discover how a leading education institution has addressed digital transformation challenges;
– Tackle wicked problems related to digital transformation;
– Discuss the latest trends in digital education leadership research;
– Enjoy a very special social event!
08:30 – 08:45 Introduction to Day 2: Tackling Digital Transformation Challenges
Mark Brown – Director, National Institute for Digital Learning (DCU, Ireland)
08:45 – 10:45 Real Life case example: Embedding Digital Transformation in a Learning and Teaching Plan, Aligned with Overall Strategy. Sharing Experiences of Digital Transformation
A real life case example: embedding digital transformation in a learning and teaching plan, aligned with overall strategy – Ale Armellini, Dean of Digital and Distributed Learning (University of Portsmouth, UK)
Sharing experiences of digital transformation with Ale Armellini
10:45 – 11:15 Coffee break
More Information Soon.
11:15 – 13:15 Current topics and concerns in Digital Higher Education
(Problem-solving workshop on hot topics such as micro-credentials, AI and assessment) – Deborah Arnold, NTT Data
13:15 – 14:15 Networking lunch
More Information Soon.
14:15 – 16:00 Workshop on Research in Digital Education Leadership
Albert Sangrà and Montse Guitert, Researchers of the Edul@b Research Group on Education and Technology
16:00- 16:30 Coffee break
More Information Soon.
16:30 – 17:00 Sharing Experiences and Contextualisation
More Information Soon.
17:00 – 17.15 Feedback from the workshop and Wrap-up
Mark Brown, Director, National Institute for Digital Learning (DCU, Ireland)
DELA Dinner and Social Program
More Information Soon.
Day 3 – December 1, Friday
Ensuring Your Institution Is Future-Ready
Focus: Ensuring Your Institution Is Future-Ready
On this third day of the DELA seminar, you will:
– Discover how a renowned educational institution designed a fit-for purpose organisational structure;
– Refine your understanding of leadership mindsets and actions;
– Tackle a concrete challenge to develop leadership capacity throughout your institution;
– Develop your own action plan;
– Receive your DELA diploma!
08:30 – 08:45 Introduction to Day 3 – Ensuring your institution is future-ready
Deborah Arnold
08:45 -10:45 Real Life Case Example: A Networked Structure For Digital Education.
Real Life Case Example: A Networked Structure For Digital Education by Tine Baelmans, KU Leuven, Belgium
10:45 – 11:15 Coffee break
More Information Soon.
11:15 – 13:15 Current Topics and Concerns in Digital Higher Education
Problem-solving workshop: developing leadership capacity by Mark Brown, Director, National Institute for Digital Learning (DCU, Ireland)
13:15 – 14:15 Networking Lunch
More Information Soon.
14:15 – 14:45 Sharing Experiences and Contextualisation
More Information Soon.
14:45 – 16:15 Future Action Plans: Conclusions, Feedback and Follow-Up
Deborah Arnold (NTT Data), Albert Sangrà (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya) and Josep M. Duart (EDEN DLE President)
16.15 – 16:45 Coffee break
More Information Soon.
16:45 – 17:30 Diploma Delivering Ceremony and Group Photo
Josep M. Duart (EDEN DLE President) and members of EDEN DLE Management Board
We want to offer a high quality professional development event about leadership in digital education, therefore, we kindly ask you to fill a short initial information about your leadership role and motivation for the course:
After filling-in this form we will review your application and will invite to perform the final registration.
Registration fees:
Registration fees | |
Early bird regular (till October 15, 2023) | 690 eur |
Regular (October 16 – November 15, 2023) | 750 eur |
Early bird EDEN member (till October 15, 2023) | 550 eur |
EDEN member (October 16 – November 15, 2023) | 590 eur |
- Partial waiver is available to low GDP countries.
- Discounts are applied to group registrations (3 and more) from the same organization.
- Contact: secretariat@eden-europe.eu
The venue for EDEN Digital Education Academy has been purposefully chosen to be Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. The UOC was created in 1995 as the world’s first university with a virtual campus, which allowed its students to study at any time from any location. The University continually uses cutting-edge e-learning research and innovation to refine the UOC methodology. This is possible thanks to UOC R&I and its 50 plus research groups, as well as the eLearning Innovation Center, which drives educational innovation at the UOC. With more than 100,000 graduates, it is now one of the biggest universities in Spain.
EDEN Digital Education Leadership Academy will be organized in a modern UOC campus located in an ex-industrial creative and cultural Poblenou area allowing an easy reach to the Barcelona central attractions and a walking distance to the beach.
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya: Rambla del Poblenou, 156, Barcelona. See the location on Google Maps.


Plan Your Stay in Barcelona
Find below a list of hotels that are within a walking distance to Universitat Oberta de Catalunya:
- Four Points By Sheraton Barcelona
- The Hoxton
- SB Glow
- Paxton (More than 10 minutes walk from the venue)
- Novotel Barcelona City
Novotel Barcelona City Hotel is offering participants of EDEN DELA an attractive limited offer which is valid by November 14, 2023 and is first come first served basis:
DOUBLE ROOM FOR SINGLE USE | 150 € | |
DOUBLE ROOM | 170 € | |
BUFFET BREAKFAST INCLUDED | ||
VAT (10%) INCLUDED | ||
TOURISTIC TAX (4.90€/PERSON/DAY) NOT INCLUDED |
* Please note that in Novotel there are no twin bedded rooms; all the rooms have a queen size bed and a comfortable sofa bed (1.10 m)
- Prices are subject to changes of VAT
- Prepayment non-refundable when making the reservation through a link sent by the hotel. The city tax is to be paid upon arrival.
For reservations in Novotel Barcelona City please write directly: h5560-re2@accor.com and mention EDEN DLE.