During his recent visit to Chile, within the framework of the 1st Ibero-American Congress of Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Trends in Online Education organized by the Andrés Bello University (UNAB)he Dr. Francisco Marmolejo, President of Higher Education at the Qatar Foundation, highlighted the challenges and opportunities that higher education presents in the digital age. Their analysis focused on how universities can adapt to an ever-evolving educational environment.
Dr. Marmolejo stressed the importance of focusing quality assurance in education not only on inputs, but on results. “Investment in education and higher education is increasingly the norm internationally. What we have to ensure is that the objective is achieved, which is a relevant and quality education. If the means used for this is online education, we must have evidence that this is indeed what is being achieved,” he noted.
Inequalities in access to Higher Education
One of the main challenges that Dr. Marmolejo identified is inequality in access to higher education, a problem that affects many regions, particularly in Latin America. Online education can be a powerful tool to democratize access, allowing students from vulnerable communities to access educational opportunities that would otherwise be unattainable.
“There is an immense majority, especially young people, who are not being able to benefit from higher education. And that, of course, is a responsibility for those of us who have benefited from it,” said the expert, emphasizing that, in addition to technical knowledge, students must develop the curiosity and flexibility necessary to adapt to a changing future.
Ensuring quality in digital environments
Dr. Marmolejo also highlighted that online education should be considered as a legitimate option that can offer the same quality as in-person education. “The most important challenge that the university has today, both in online and offline education, is to ensure that what we are doing is providing students with the tools that will be required for an increasingly complex world. ”he explained.
He stressed the need to not focus only on digital tools or platforms, but on the results that students achieve. “First we see what the expected results are, then we have evidence that they were achieved and then we evaluate the means to achieve them,” he stated, remembering that the focus must be on effective learning.
International collaboration for learning
Online education not only breaks down geographic barriers, but also encourages international collaboration, something that Dr. Marmolejo considers essential to improve educational quality in Latin America. “The great advantage of online education is that it allows us to combine resources and knowledge from different parts of the world, which enriches learning,” he highlighted.
The expert highlighted that universities must collaborate to ensure that all students, regardless of their origin, have access to quality education. “Equitable access to education remains a global goal, and online education offers us a unique opportunity to move toward that goal,” he concluded.
