Principal & Vice Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, Professor P. Gillies,
welcomed the speakers and attendees to the launch event; emphasizing the Caledonian Academy’s achievements in contributing to new knowledge in learning innovation. The Principal emphasised the importance of linking new knowledge with practice to lead the University in becoming a leading edge, global learning organisation.

Director of the Caledonian Academy, Professor Allison Littlejohn,
underlined the commitment of the Caledonian Academy to cutting edge educational research linked to practice. Professor Littlejohn underlined Glasgow Caledonian’s commitment to meeting students’ needs, placing learners at the heart of future directions in learning and teaching.

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Professor Dr Jef Moonen, Emeritus Professor, University of Twente, Netherlands,
Navigation systems based on GPS technology have been in use for over a decade and have become highly complex and sophisticated; individuals expect to have this direct and personalized feedback and guidance on how to reach their destinations. Students in 2015 expect this same sort of individualized guidance to reach their learning destinations, via different starting points, different routes in terms of existing competences, different types of routes (fastest, most interactive, etc), and with tolerance for different periods of off-route activities. Higher education will need to offer navigation systems with this kind of sensitivity to the individual learners, not only in terms of choices among programmes and courses but also in terms of choices in learning activities and situations relating to their different levels of experience. Prof. Moonen will discuss the need for navigation-like systems in higher education balanced against the challenges in realizing such systems in a satisfactory way, for students, instructors, and higher-education institutions. Research that is closely linked to application and practice is essential for this development.

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Professor Dr Betty Collis, Honorary Professor, Caledonian Academy, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Society expects that higher education will produce graduates ready and able to make a strong contribution to the work environments in which they will be employed. For this to occur research is needed that studies the university-to-workplace transition. One input for this research should come from an examination of the ways that learning and competence development will continue after higher education within different corporate contexts. Another input for this research relates to the sorts of learning activities in higher education that strengthen the link to the workplace transition while retaining academic depth and credibility. In this presentation key developments in learning and competence development in the workplace will be identified and related to new requirements for learning activities in higher education. Issues in the university-to-work transition and ways that technology and research can support the transition will be discussed and key ways in which applied research can contribute to the transition will be identified.

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Reception,
The event was followed by a drinks reception and demonstration of Academy activities.