Colin de la Higuera, UNESCO Chair for Open Educational Resources and AI at Nantes Université and leader of the EUniWell working group on Open Education, just received the prestigious Open Education Global Award in the Leadership category.
Recognising excellence in Open Education worldwide
Of the 112 nominees from 28 countries, two received this prestigious award in the Leadership category. For the first time in 13 years, a French university was honoured through the commitment of Colin de la Higuera, professor of computer science at Nantes Université. This award is a significant recognition of the expertise acquired and testifies to the progress made by Nantes Université in the field of Open Education. The winners were announced on Wednesday 18 September: Colin de la Higuera and Laura Czerniewicz, from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
Since 2006, the Open Education Global Awards have been recognising excellence in Open Education worldwide. This important prize is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated significant and long-standing leadership through major contributions to advancing the Open Education movement, with an impact that spans several regions and/or the globe. Organised each year by Open Education Global, the international organisation for the development of Open Education worldwide, the Open Education Global Awardsaim to reward outstanding efforts in the field of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Educational practices, recognising contributions that improve access, inclusion, collaboration and knowledge sharing in education around the world.
Colin de la Higuera is internationally recognized for his vision and inspirational mentoring in the field of Open Education, notably in linking the issues of Open Education with those of Artificial Intelligence.
Open Education expertise in Nantes and EUniWell
A pioneer and driving force in the field of Open Education for the past twenty years in Europe and beyond, Colin de la Higuera, a lecturer and researcher in computer science at Nantes Université and the Nantes Digital Sciences Laboratory (LS2N), is a fervent advocate of Open Educational Resources (OER). He has devoted his career to making education more accessible, inclusive and effective. His innovative approaches have inspired many teachers and learners around the world, and his work has been recognised by UNESCO, with the creation of an academic chair entitled “Technologies for teacher training through Open Educational Resources” in 2017. In 2021, UNESCO granted him a new RELIA Chair in Open Educational Resources and Artificial Intelligence. He has also led the creation of the UNESCO sponsored Unitwin Network in Open Education, including 16 institutions from 14 countries, which Nantes Université will coordinate for the next four years.
As an expert within various national and international organisations, Colin plays a key role in the development of policies and strategies promoting Open Education on a global scale. His advocacy of open access to educational resources has not only advanced the cause of educational equity, but has also fostered the creation of a global community of practice dedicated to Open Education.
Within EUniWell, Colin de la Higuera is the expert on Open Education, leading the Open Education group, and driving the development of Open Education resources within the Alliance. He also plays a key role as advisor to Nantes Université’s Open Education policy. The selection of Colin de la Higuera as finalist in the leader category confirms the position of Nantes Université and EUniWell as leading institutions in the fields of Open Education and access to quality education.
Congratulations Colin for this achievement!
