The Digital Academic Leadership Webinar Series is an international initiative organized by the EU–China Higher Education Research Center (ECHE) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) within the framework of the World Education Research Association (WERA) International Research Network on Digital Academic Leadership and the LEAD Academic Network. The series brings together global scholars, academic leaders, and practitioners to explore and reflect on the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation and how it is reshaping leadership in higher education institutions worldwide.
The webinar series is connected to the Digital Academic Leadership (DAL) MOOC, a global online learning initiative designed to strengthen digital leadership competences among university leaders, faculty members, and researchers. While the MOOC provides structured learning modules on key dimensions of digital academic leadership, the webinar series further complements this learning experience by offering live expert lectures and interactive discussions.
By integrating research insights, global dialogue, and open online learning, the webinar series and the DAL MOOC together aim to foster a global community of scholars and leaders committed to advancing innovative, responsible, and inclusive digital transformation in universities.
Webinar 1 – Digital Academic Leadership in Higher Education: Understanding DAL through a Systematic Review
The first webinar of the Digital Academic Leadership Webinar Series, organized by the EU–China Higher Education Research Center (ECHE) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), successfully brought together scholars and higher education professionals from around the world to explore emerging research on digital academic leadership.
The session featured Dr. Zhao Cheng, who delivered an insightful lecture titled “Digital Academic Leadership in Higher Education: Understanding DAL through a Systematic Review.” His presentation provided a comprehensive overview of DAL, highlighting findings from a systematic review that examined how the concept has been defined in higher education research and identified its core dimensions.
Following the presentation, attendees participated in breakout discussions where they exchanged perspectives on digital transformation challenges and leadership opportunities in their respective institutional contexts.
The webinar marked a strong start to the series and set the foundation for further exploration of digital awareness, mindset and readiness, vision and strategies, the future of higher education, and the transformation, implementation, and practices of digital academic leadership in higher education worldwide.