Digital Together
Digitalisation affects all areas of our lives; how we live, work, and interact with each other. It offers many opportunities to improve our well-being, but it also has its pitfalls. Our Digital Together expertise group is committed to a process of digitalisation that is human-centred & data-driven. Our aim is to give shape to digitalisation and the use of data in such a way that it best serves people and society at large. Whether citizen or government, student or employer; we want as many people as possible to benefit from digitalisation.
Digitalisation is shaping the future and there is a growing need for new skills, working methods and professions. As a university of applied sciences, we wish to participate in shaping this future. Our primary focus is the interaction between humans and technology: We give shape to and provide content for digital applications, while always placing the needs and interests of people and society at the centre of our attention. We refer to this as human-centred digitalisation.
The design of our applications (products, services and working methods) are based on the collection of data, but we make sure that such applications collect data in a responsible manner. This data serves to customise digital solutions specifically to the needs and interests of individuals, professional practice and society. In this way, we arrive at solutions that are valuable and meaningful for people and society at large. We refer to this as data-driven digitalisation.
New techniques are never entirely neutral or value-free. What choices do we make with regard to new digital possibilities? How can we ensure that these choices - for example, regarding transparency, autonomy and safeguarding privacy - always remain in the hands of people, so that we remain in control of our digital developments? Digital Together is committed to a critical and ethical incorporation of digitalisation and the use of data.
Three societal challenges
The Digital Together expertise group mainly tackles three societal challenges:
Digitalisation and data are radically changing professional practice; the way we work, the location, the revenue models of organisations and even entire sectors. We strive to deliver professionals who can make a difference, who contribute to the digitalisation of their (future) working environment by knowing how to use digital technology for the betterment of all. Our professionals understand that the use of technology and data radically changes human interaction. Human values, data wisdom and meaning are their core values.
We help identify key digitalisation issues within professional practices that are either changing or newly emerging, and we set about solving these issues through data-driven innovations. Human beings form the bedrock for our innovations, which are only successful if people - professionals, citizens, customers - consider them to be of value.
With our knowledge and with the professionals that we supply, we endeavour to capitalise on the social and economic opportunities of digitalisation. We maintain and keep an eye out for new promising networks within and beyond the HU with which we can collaborate. Through these networks we contribute to data-driven solutions that are socially and economically beneficial to the region and which are inclusive so that anyone who wishes will have the opportunity to participate.
