Through its Rector, Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, the University of Nicosia has been an active participant in the various online meetings and seminars organised by the European University Association (EUA) and the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education (EURASHE). The latest meetings of these fora have focused on the future of Higher Education in the post pandemic era.
On Wednesday, 24 June 2020, Rector Pouyioutas participated in the annual 2020, EUA Leadership Roundtable, an online meeting between Rectors of European Universities. The discussion focused on the actions taken by European Universities in relation to the pandemic, including the challenges they faced and the lessons learned, the best practices employed, their future plans, as well as the future of Higher Education in general. During the meeting, Rector Pouyioutas outlined the University of Nicosia’s response in combating the current crisis, focusing on best practices adopted by the University.
On Friday, 19 June 2020, Rector Pouyioutas was the invited guest speaker at the Online assessment and exams seminar organised by EURASHE, during which he mapped out the University’s position on alternative methods of assessment and the future of Higher Education. The Rector underscored the fact that “the new normal” in Higher Education demands the use of alternative teaching and learning methods (online and blended learning), as well as alternative methods of assessment. His presentation addressed, amongst others, e-proctoring of examinations and the lessons learnt from using e-proctored software. Referring to distance learning, he highlighted how the compulsory use of face-to-face invigilated assessment creates unnecessary difficulties in the development of online and flexible learning. Therefore, he said, the policy-makers, on a national but also European level, should work towards shaping the legal and regulatory framework of Higher Education so that it is attuned to the real needs of the 4th Industrial Revolution and of digitized education.
When answering questions about the support the universities received from their respective countries, the Rector spoke of the excellent cooperation that the Cyprus universities have enjoyed, especially during the crisis, through the Cyprus Rectors’ Conference, with the Cyprus Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth, the Parliamentary Committee on Education, and the Cyprus Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education. He noted that this cooperation has allowed the Cyprus universities to face the crisis successfully. The Rector also mentioned the especially important contribution of the Universities’ Medical Schools in successfully dealing with the pandemic and spoke highly of the overall contribution of the academic community in this respect.
The University of Nicosia and Rector Pouyioutas actively contribute to these two important European University Networks, as well as to the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).