Track description n°26

Competences and Competence Management in an Augmented Digital World

Track Chairs

Vasso Stylianou

University of Nicosia

stylianou.v@unic.ac.cy

Vasso Stylianou is an Associate Professor of CS and MIS at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. She received a Doctorate Degree for work in the area of Knowledge Management. She is a dedicated academic and researcher with a number of publications in book chapters, academic journals and international conference proceedings. She is an active reviewer and a member of the organizing and scientific committees of international conferences and journals. She is currently researching issues relating to Creative Thinking and Learning, Gamification in Education, and Knowledge Management.

She served as the President of the Special Interest Group on Education of the AIS in 2023 and 2024 and is currently SIGED’s immediate Past President.

Toon Abcouwer

University of Amsterdam

a.w.abcouwer@uva.nl

Toon Abcouwer was lecturer at the University of Amsterdam for almost 40 years, co-establisher of the Amsterdam Information management model (in Dutch known as the ‘Negenvlak’-model) and the Adaptive Cycle of Resilience model. He is co-author of books about the ‘Me-We-All approach, Adaptive Information Management and Organisational Change.

He served as the President of the Special Interest Group on Education of the AIS. Currently, he is SIGED’s Treasurer. Toon is also one of the associate editors for the Communications of the AIS (CAIS) journal.

Rosetta Romano

University of Canberra

rosetta.romano@canberra.edu.au

Rosetta Romano is an Assistant Professor of Information Technology and Systems in the Faculty of Science & Technology at the University of Canberra. She is an Information Systems researcher. Information systems involve humans, processes, and technology to solve business problems. Her Ph.D. research used information systems to compare the legislative burden on an individual being assessed as an ‘Australian resident’ by the government in the welfare, taxation, and immigration settings. An ontology can be used to describe the relationships between things in a system.

After 36 years in the Australian Public Service, she accepted a role at the university where she completed her Bachelor of Arts (Accounting), Master by Research, and Ph.D. part-time studies. As one of two early adopters, she volunteered and developed an Indigenised curriculum for Information Technology. A first for the faculty. In 2021, the work received an international Best Conference Paper award. In 2022, the work attracted a national grant and a University of Canberra Teaching Award for a Program that enhances student learning.

In 2023 she is embarking on a sabbatical to concentrate on her emerging cyber security research. Funding this research are Surround Australia (experts in visualizing the relationships in data to create business knowledge) and Pathfinders Ltd (a not-for-profit company delivering programs and services aiming to improve the quality of life and well-being for children, youth, and families). The aim of the sabbatical is to demonstrate the use of information systems to assist Indigenous, micro, small, and medium businesses to make sense of the cyber security standards that exist to avoid minimum sets of risks that are inherent when operating connected systems. A handbook will be written and reviewed by Indigenous, micro, small, and medium businesses in Australia to support them in understanding why compliance with cyber security standards is so important.

She is currently the President of the Special Interest Group Education of the AIS.

Digital innovations profoundly impact organisations and society, as well as the way individuals address the accompanying challenges. New competencies and skills must be developed to prepare people for the unknown futures (plural).

Based on this assumption, this track focuses on two crucial elements of this societal (r)evolution in an integrative way. Firstly, how do individuals, organisations, and society identify the necessary competencies and skills needed to function in unforeseen futures? Secondly, how can educators and educational institutions develop and manage education to help people navigate these rapid digital disruptions, and how can modern technology support this development? To survive in such an evolving setting, the input of every person is required. The traditional approaches used in contemporary education are no longer sufficient as we face societal, cultural, and technological challenges. This means we must emphasise and value the differences among individuals. This observation highlights the critical role of diversity, inclusion, and equity. At the same time, digital transformation in education can contribute to addressing global challenges such as economic instability, social inequality, and environmental sustainability.

The track welcomes research on the design of learning environments, the integration of advanced technologies, and the development of frameworks that foster workforce agility and resilience. Submissions may include best practices, innovative methodologies, and case studies highlighting the opportunities and risks of technological integration. We welcome both conceptual and empirical contributions using different methodological approaches (qualitative, quantitative, design-oriented, phenomenology etc). Ultimately, the track aims to explore strategies that enable sustainable growth, equitable access, and meaningful societal impact through education.

The track examines how digital transformation necessitates rethinking competence development and management, with a strong emphasis on the role of education and continuous learning.

Track topics

Digital Competence Frameworks

Building adaptable skill sets for future work
Competence mapping and curriculum alignment

Emerging Educational Technologies

AI-driven adaptive learning techniques
Robotics for practical and collaborative teaching

AI in Education and Training

Personalized learning pathways and assessments
Ethical considerations in AI-powered learning tools

Analytics and Decision-Making

Utilizing learning analytics to improve student performance
Balancing learner privacy with the need for data analytics

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Competence Development

Strategies to eradicate digital skill gaps
Inclusive design for educational platforms and content

Adaptive and Continuous Learning Models

Self-directed learning platforms
Corporate training programs and their alignment with higher education

Instructional Design and Methodologies

Gamification and interactive student experiences
Designing blended or hybrid course structures

Institutional and Policy Considerations

Governance models for responsible educational technology adoption
Policy frameworks promoting digital inclusion and equitable access

Relevance to the conference:

The track examines how digital transformation necessitates rethinking competence development and management, with a strong emphasis on the role of education and continuous learning. With this setup, we align with the ECIS 2026 theme, “Re-imaging Digital Technology for Business, Management, and Society”, which suggests that digital innovation requires models for upskilling and reskilling across sectors.

Similar topics are covered in related tracks on education in all the major AIS conferences, including ICIS, AMCIS, ECIS and ACIS as well as in the ICISER conference, a dedicated pre-ICIS-conference organised by the AIS SIG on Education. Over the years, SIG Education remains dedicated in contributing towards aligning IS/IT education to the evolving demands of the society by considering both education of IS/IT and education with IS/IT.

Publishing Opportunities in Leading Journals

The organisers will apply for a special issue in one of the AIS journals or some other journal that fits into the proposed track’s aims and scope. Possible candidates are the Journal of Education for Sustainable Development (https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jsd), International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/1467-6370), Journal of Sustainable Development Studies (https://infinitypress.info/index.php/jsds), Sustainability (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability), Discover Sustainability (https://link.springer.com/journal/43621), etc.

In the past SIGED-organized conferences have successfully fast-tracked a number of papers to Communications of AIS.