Empowering Change

Navigating Twin Transitions and Enhancing Civic Engagement in Higher Education

Workshop W6 – UP2YOU

Date: June 17
Time: 14:00 – 18:00

The labour market in the European Union is changing, with a shift towards services. This shift is expected to increase the demand for highly skilled workers by 2035. Rather than job polarisation, we are witnessing a trend towards job upgrading, with most job openings requiring high-level qualifications (CEDEFOP, 2023). Digitalisation and environmental sustainability are two closely interconnected aspects of this transformation. Furthermore, the demographic crisis raises concerns regarding the availability of human capital. It necessitates various company strategies, such as age and diversity management practices, upskilling, reskilling, and continuous training programmes. Therefore, it is essential to promote skills development to address the growing disparities and to compare challenges related to green and digital transitions, active ageing, and democratic participation. In the current complex landscape, the involvement of higher education institutions (HEIs) with the community and creating synergies between academia, enterprises, and civic society organisations are increasingly vital. This engagement is essential for enhancing citizens’ understanding and commitment and ensuring long-term positive effects. According to the quadruple and quintuple helix model, this collaboration facilitates the exchange of knowledge and skills and increases community participation (Vargiu, 2014; Cavallini et al., 2016; Miller et al., 2018; Carayannis & Campbell, 2019; Ostrom 1990).

According to this scenario, the workshop aims to gather groundbreaking research and innovative perspectives on integrating digital tools and sustainable practices to foster inclusive, future-ready learning environments and promote civic engagement.

Based on these premises, the workshop Call is interested in understanding:

  • Critical theoretical reflection and empirical research to thoroughly examine the dynamic interplay between environmental responsibility in higher education and active civic engagement.
  • The evolution of higher education in response to digital, ecological, and demographic transitions.

Following an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, we welcome submissions that examine, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • The university’s strategies in facing the twin transition
  • The sustainable impact of digital technologies on higher education: a focus on economic, social, and ecological dimensions.
  • Innovating curriculum design for skills and civic engagement in a changing world.
  • Eco-friendly digital educational practices that promote sustainability, equitable access to technology for all learners, and innovative teaching methods to address pressing global challenges while fostering individual well-being.
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education towards sustainability and innovation
  • Academic Research on Addressing the Twin Transition (best practices, case studies, risks and opportunities)

We welcome theoretical and empirical papers addressing the proposed timings at the meta, macro, meso, or micro levels.

Goals & Objectives

The primary aim of this workshop is to share research findings and best practices related to the topics above. Establishing research networks among researchers, experts, universities, and research institutes aims to foster international collaboration in higher education and encourage an open research observatory.

Proceedings

The contributions accepted will be published as workshop proceedings with DOI in the Academic Journal Quaderni di Comunità. Persone, Educazione e Welfare nella società 5.0.

Call for papers

Submission deadline: 2 April 2025
Acceptance notification: 23 April 2025
Workshop: 17 June 2025
Abstract Template for submission (click HERE)

For more information Maria Chiara De Angelis

Submission:
Send to: redazione.quadernicomunita@unilink.it
and in copy to: mc.deangelis@unilink.it; s.capogna@unilink.it

Organiser

UP2YOU Erasmus Project

Stefania Capogna is an Associate Professor at Link Campus University in Italy. She is also the founder and director of the Digital Technologies, Education & Society research centre and the “Quaderni di Comunità” academic journal. Community Notebook. People, education and welfare in society 5.0. In her research, she examines the education system as a unitary macro-sector in which education-training-university-work converges. In recent years, she has focused on the transformations induced by the digital revolution, with two privileged lines of intervention: a) social effects of the digital revolution on people, organisations and community; b) empowerment for people, organisations and communities.

Maria Chiara De Angelis. Social Sciences PhD, Research Fellow at Link Campus University, and Adjunct Professor at Niccolò Cusano University, where she teaches Media Studies, Social Journalism, and Environment. She is also a member of the DITES Research Center’s Steering Committee. Her main research topics are the impact of digital innovation on people, educational systems, and organisations, the ethical-public dimension of digital culture, and flourishing and social well-being in the digital age.