Current events

The main aim of the project is to produce a report every two years identifying, on timescales of between one and five years, the emerging technologies that are likely to provoke change in higher education in Iberoamerica. 45 experts in the uses of technology in education from different Iberoamerican countries with varying profiles and careers took part in drafting the report.

Following a period of reflection and virtual debate, the technologies identified were:

• Time-to-adoption horizon: one year or less
  Open contents, mobile applications, cloud computing and collaborative environments
   
• Time-to-adoption horizon: two to three years
  Tablets, game-based learning, personal learning environments and geolocation
   
• Time-to-adoption horizon: four to five years
  Learning analytics, semantic applications, massively open online courses and augmented reality

The first report was published in 2010. It led to the creation of a network of experts in educational uses of ICTs throughout Iberoamerica with the aim of creating and disseminating knowledge on the emerging technologies in higher education. The 2012 edition takes up this aim again to consolidate the debate on the emerging technologies with the greatest potential to transform Iberoamerican universities. Thus, Begoña Gros, the driving force behind this project at the eLearn Center, said "our main aim is to contribute to educational innovation in Iberoamerica and create a network of experts in the use of ICTs to ensure the continuity of the reflections and ideas coming from this report."

In turn, Larry Johnson, CEO of NMC, highlighted the value of the technologies selected to catalyse debate at the universities in Iberoamerica. "This edition of the Horizon report focuses on emerging technologies in Iberoamerica, which will help drive dialogue among the region's universities on these questions. Each aspect of the project has been designed to guarantee communication between the 14 countries involved."


Trends and challenges

One of the leading trends identified in the report is people's growing expectation to work, learn and study whenever and wherever they want; in other words, customisation of learning. Thus, development of digital skills by both faculty and students is increasingly important. The Advisory Board felt that the great number of resources available from the web meant that the role of the teacher has to be reassessed. On an institutional level, universities are facing the challenge of having to transform their structures to meet the models of the knowledge society.


Practical cases

The report also aims to publicise the experiences underway at universities, research centres and educational institutions in general. These best practices include promoting the creation of open educational resources in Latin America, the creation of personal learning environments based on the Sapo Campus platform in Portugal, a massively open online course developed in Colombia or the use of augmented reality techniques to aid immersive learning in Mexico.