In Universities without Walls, a recent report from the European University Association, a vision for universities in 2030 is laid out as “open, enforcing the vision of universities without walls”. Universities are described as cooperative and networking institutions which take the form of communities with open boundaries that build bridges between countries, cultures and sectors. Furthermore, the report states that “the nature and structure of universities will be hybrid. They will be open as physical and virtual spaces and will work to cultivate both of these when engaging with society”. But what does it actually mean to be hybrid? And how can we grasp the notion of hybrid higher education beyond pandemic panic, emergency education and technological solutions to see the ways in which it might transform both future universities and higher education futures?

• The pandemic university is not the hybrid model we need. University World News, 8 May 2021
• Hilli, C., Nørgård, R. T., & Aaen, J. H. (2019). Designing Hybrid Learning Spaces in Higher Education. Dansk Universitetspædagogisk Tidsskrift, 14(27), 66–82. Available at https://tidsskrift.dk/dut/article/view/112644

Rikke Toft Nørgård

Rikke is associate professor at the School of Education, Aarhus University, Denmark.