The inaugural meeting of the NUDGING 360 Ethical Council on January 24, 2025, marked a major milestone in advancing the project’s mission: supporting digital transformation in higher education through the strategic use of (self-) nudging techniques.
ACEEU successfully organized, hosted, and facilitated the Inaugural Meeting. The session opened with an introduction to the concept of nudging. Prof. Dr. Thorsten Kliewe, Chair of ACEEU, reflected on the consortium’s ongoing work and insights developed throughout the project. He highlighted the potential of nudges as powerful tools for change—but also stressed the importance of applying them ethically, ensuring they do not limit individual freedom of choice or create financial burdens.
The Council’s core responsibilities include ensuring ethical considerations in nudging practices. It also reviews proposed nudges to assess their ethical impact and creates a framework for ethical digital transformation in higher education. The Council itself is composed of experts from various backgrounds.
A highlight of the meeting was the participatory workshop on the ethical use of nudges and self-nudges in higher education. Following the introduction of the project and provisional assignment of roles and responsibilities of each Ethical Council Member, this workshop was conducted by ACEEU and was previously designed to support participants familiarising with the main topics of the project. Reflecting on the potential advantages and challenges of (self-) nudging in education, the Council members also considered ethical concerns, such as autonomy, transparency, and potential biases in digital nudging. As one of their responsibilities, they will hold four general meetings to establish best practices and ethics guidelines. Overall, the session fostered an engaging exchange of ideas and set the foundation for the Council’s next steps.
By establishing the Ethical Council, the NUDGING 360 project is set to make a lasting impact in digital higher education. Stay tuned for more updates!
