Plenary
From Access to Integrity: Rethinking Education Today
Date Friday, Dec 5 Time – Room: Potsdam I
Higher education stands at the frontline of the intelligent age. Universities are adapting to AI, automation, and digital transformation while carrying the responsibility of preparing future generations to navigate them. At the same time, the sector faces urgent challenges: widening inequality of access, rising costs, cultural and political pressures, and the rapid spread of disinformation.
This plenary brings together leading voices from research, practice, and policy to examine higher education’s role in an era of disruption. From widening access to knowledge through convivial technologies, to reimagining education for uncertainty, to embedding AI and digital tools in ways that support human development, our speakers will highlight new directions and critical choices for the sector.
This plenary sets the stage for debate on how education can remain a force for inclusion, critical inquiry, and human connection in the intelligent age.
Shafika Isaacs
Chief of Section: Technology and AI in Education, UNESCO
Shafika Isaacs is Chief of Section for Technology and AI in Education at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. As an international specialist in digital learning, AI, and education, she has spent the past two and a half decades on building communities, coaching professionals, and leading global, regional and national digital learning initiatives. She also serves as Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, has contributed to UNESCO’s AI Competency Framework for Teachers, advised UNICEF on AI and children, and led research on AI in African primary education systems with the LINK Centre at Wits University. She has supported national, local, and global organizations on digital learning policy and large-scale education programs. As the Founding Executive Director of SchoolNet Africa, she helped pioneer equitable, justice-driven integration of technology in African schools across 16 African countries. She has served on multiple governance boards, earned prestigious leadership awards, and published widely on digital education. Shafika holds a PhD in Education, an Executive MBA with distinction, and a Master’s degree in science and technology policy.
Niall Winters
Socio-Technologist and Founder , Openstrand
Professor Niall Winters is a practitioner-researcher concentrating on technological praxis for positive social change. He is the founder of Openstrand, a start-up focusing on widening access to global knowledges in the cultural sector, through the development of convivial technologies.
Niall was a Full Professor of Education and Technology at the University of Oxford, where he co-led the Critical Digital Education Research Group, directed the MSc Education (Digital and Social Change) and is a Visiting Fellow of Kellogg College. He has published widely on the equitable design and use of educational technologies, in particular for those at the periphery of society.
Yong Zhao
Professor, School of Education and Human Sciences, University of Kansas
Dr. Yong Zhao is a Foundation Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas. He previously held leadership roles at the University of Oregon and Michigan State University, including as director of institutes focused on global education and educational technology. He has also worked in Australia and the UK, and is an elected member of the National Academy of Education.
An internationally recognized scholar, Zhao has published over 100 articles and nearly 40 books on globalization, technology, and education reform. His recent titles include Focused (2024), Duck and Cover (2023), and Learning for Uncertainty (2022). He has collaborated with schools worldwide to develop innovative education models.
Over his four-decade career, Zhao has led major research projects, developed software tools, and advised institutions across five continents. Born in Sichuan, China, he earned his Ph.D. in education from the University of Illinois in 1996 and began his U.S. academic career at Michigan State University.