This Webinar will take place on Thursday 14 November, 2024, from 11h00-12h30 UTC.

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In light of the African Union’s designation of 2024 as the “Year of Education,” the Association of African Universities has this year decided to focus its prestigious African Universities’ Day celebrations on Education for the 21st Century.

This special edition of the Ethical Data Discussion Series, part of the Africa Universities Day Celebrations, will focus on the theme: “Building Resilient Education Systems through Responsible Research and Innovation.” We aim to explore how ethical data and research practices can enhance access to inclusive, lifelong, and quality learning across Africa. We will discuss strategies for responsible research governance to address the educational challenges posed by digitisation and explore its potential for capacity development.

The webinar will explore ethical data practices designed to enhance inclusive education in Africa, featuring insights from educators, policymakers, and data experts. We will address the critical role of ethical governance in transforming research assessment within higher education, especially as science and academia undergo rapid digital transformations.

As technologies such as AI, IoT, AR, and VR reshape research, teaching, and administration, it is essential for universities to establish responsible assessment frameworks that uphold academic integrity while meeting the needs of students, faculty, researchers, and society. This session will explore strategies for reforming research assessment that empower higher education institutions in Europe, Africa, and around the world. Together, we can foster accountability and responsible innovation to meet the demands of our advancing digital and technological society.

The Association of African Universities is an international NGO established in 1967 to foster cooperation among African universities and the global academic community. Initially comprising 34 public universities, its membership has expanded to over 450, representing diverse educational traditions across the continent. The AAU’s core mission is to enhance the quality of higher education in Africa and bolster its role in development through collaboration, support for teaching, research, and community engagement, as well as addressing critical issues in higher education. In celebration of its 57th anniversary, the AAU invites institutions to participate in Africa Universities’ Day from November 11 to 15, 2024.

The Ethical Data Discussion Series

The Ethical Data Discussion Series is a collaborative project between the Association of African Universities, the University of Nottingham, and the Ethical Data Initiative. The series aims to explore ethical considerations surrounding digital technologies, data collection, and data-driven research. It highlights the importance of providing ethical training for digital professionals. The ongoing set of programmes, originally broadcast on AAU TV, features expert panel discussions on various topics related to data ethics, research, and education.

We have launched a global  education campaign to advocate for the inclusion of data ethics in all data science and research-based higher education courses. Our goal is to train the next generation of data and research professionals about their legal and ethical responsibilities regarding the use, reuse, and sharing of data.

Panelists

Professor Evelyn Chiyevo Garwe, Associate Dean at the Mahommed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Morocco, is an expert in education, quality assurance, and strategic planning, and agriculture with 30 years of experience and over 100 publications. Her transdisciplinary background and leadership in development cooperation initiatives across Africa, Europe, and Asia-Pacific inform her work in building resilient education systems through responsible research and innovation.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyn-chiyevo-garwe-72b18578/
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=bRhnmGwAAAAJ

Francis P. Crawley is Chair of the CODATA International Data Policy Committee (IDPC). He is a philosopher with a career in bioethics and expertise in research policy, regulation, ethics, integrity & methodology as well as in data and digital technologies. He is also currently Co-chair of the UNESCO-CODATA Working Group on Data Policy for Times of Crisis Facilitated by Open Science; Co-chair and Principal Investigator of the EOSC-Future/RDA Artificial Intelligence & Data Visitation Working Group (AIDV-WG); Co-chair and Coordinator of CoARA-ERIP: Ethics and Research Integrity Policy for Responsible Research Assessment in Data and Artificial Intelligence; and Co-chair, FORCE11 Working Group on ‘Developing research assessment criteria for the use of AI in scientific and scholarly publications (RA4AI)

Dr. George Okeyo is an Associate Teaching Professor and Director of Academics at Carnegie Mellon University Africa. He received his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Ulster, United Kingdom. His thesis explored activity recognition in smart environments using a knowledge-driven lens.

Until recently, he served as a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the De Montfort University in Leicester, United Kingdom. Prior to joining De Montfort University, he lectured at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, where he was also the Head of the Department of Computing. Dr. Okeyo’s main research interests and experience are centered on inclusive teaching strategies, artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital technologies in agriculture and health, semantic computing, Internet of Things, and responsible research and innovation.

Professor Simisola Akintoye is an Associate Professor of Law at Northumbria University School of Law. She is interested in multidisciplinary research around legal and ethical regulation of Emerging Technologies and Corporate Sustainability. Her research covers critical issues at the intersection of law and technology, including; Data Governance, Privacy and Data Protection, Ethics of Emerging Technologies and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). Simi is an International Privacy Practitioner and was the Data Protection Officer for the European Union Future and Emerging Technologies Human Brain Project (HBP). She is involved in multi-disciplinary Policy Expert Reports on the future implications of AI for societal benefit. Over the years, Simi has formed consortia that contribute to the furtherance of knowledge, practice and public policy in applied contexts of research, teaching, consultancy and business. Her current research investigates the legal, ethical and socio-cultural implications of AI in Africa towards developing an inclusive, equitable and sustainable AI ecosystem for Africa.

Moderator: Kathryn Bailey, Operations Director, Ethical Data Initiative