The Changing role of universities in Lithuanian society

ENIn view of the aforementioned discussion, and the lessons learned from the recent COVID-19 crisis, a number of important issues need to be addressed if higher education is to continue to grow and contribute to the country’s development. These include the need to: – understand and evaluate the significance of HE in a broader sense: its impact reaches beyond a country’s economic development and affects the society, national culture, quality of life in a broader sense; – state focus on innovation and exchange of expertise, knowledge and research findings between HE institutions, businesses and other market participants; – extend access to HE in particular, and recognise its substantial role in promoting wider inclusion by all groups in the community; – increase investment by the state and HE institutions in creating virtual environments, platforms and open resources for studies and research. For this to happen, IT systems in HE institutions must be upgraded to apply to distance learning and blended studies, as well as the creation of effective IT support systems for students and lecturers; – boost the digital competencies of lecturing staff, aswell as empower them to organise a high-quality study process using modern advanced educational technologies; – revise and quickly eliminate bureaucratic and legal obstacles that are holding back the further application of technology to study models in HE institutions; – meet the challenge of decreasing the international mobility of students, which means ensuring “internationalisation at home” through the integration of virtual sessions of foreign teachers into national programmes, and distance learning facilities and opportunities for students living outside of Lithuania.