On Friday, 24th of April, the Sectorplan SSH-Breed will host a transdisciplinary conference on promises, challenges, and societal impact of digitalisation. Bringing together colleagues from across the social sciences and humanities at Erasmus University Rotterdam, alongside national and international colleagues, this conference continues the ongoing conversations around the topics of Education, Labour and Automation within and beyond Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH).
- Date
- Friday 24 Apr 2026, 09:00 - 18:00
- Type
- Conference
- Room
- Forumzaal (M3-15)
- Building
- Van der Goot Building
- Location
- Campus Woudestein
We are honoured to welcome three distinguished keynote speakers: Felienne Hermans (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) will open the conference with a keynote on Education during the morning session; Antonio Aloisi (IE University) will address the theme of Labour in the midday lecture; and Helen Beetham (University of Manchester) will close the day with a keynote on Automation.
Each of the three keynotes will be followed by a plenary panel discussion with an interactive Q&A. With its wide-ranging themes, the conference is intended to represent the many aspects of the social sciences and humanities. The conversations will be geared towards ample, generous interpretations, seeking to establish some common lines of thought, towards productive frictions and possible interfaculty and interuniversity collaborations.
Education
Digitalisation is changing all aspects of learning: in schools, universities and beyond. New tools, such as adaptive learning platforms, can in principle help widen access to education and improve the learning experience. At the same time, questions arise about whether these tools generate unnecessary obstacles to education, particularly if we consider issues of how the frameworks and data they are constructed from, and feed on, reinforce existing problems.
Digital technologies will inevitably reshape all manner of interactions in the classroom and the assessment of academic performance in ways that we do not yet fully understand. It is therefore paramount to discuss how this new condition ought to become thoroughly scrutinized, by pedagogical professionals, before it is (probably) too late. Guided by the tone as set by the keynote speaker, this panel will critically look at how education systems can make use of digital technologies while aiming to uphold some of the values we normally ascribe to pedagogy and academic integrity.
Labour
Digitalisation is reshaping how work is organized in our society. New technologies can, in principle, empower individuals with more flexibility in their working lives, enabling them to, for example, work from various locations and taking part in platform-based work. However, new technologies and recent development also bring plenty of risks. For instance, algorithmic management systems can increase efficiency, but they also raise concerns about surveillance, fairness, and privacy at work. This panel delves into how employers, workers, and policy makers can respond to these changes and support sustainable and fair working conditions.
Automation
Automation, from robots to CCTV surveillance, is often presented as desirable: the relegation of dangerous, repetitive, or highly complex tasks to machines can free up time for people to focus on other kinds of work. However, this utopian dream is not without its problems. Often, automation does not decrease workload equitably, but in fact creates ever-larger gaps between societal classes.
While automation can sometimes improve performance, reduce accidents, and increase productivity in many sectors, it also raises challenging fundamental questions: about human agency, autonomy, and accountability. This panel explores how automation can be used in ways that benefit society, while also addressing its disruptive effects and the need for public oversight and discussions on legislation, ownership and the future of technology.
Registration
The conference is not limited to members of SSH-Breed, but open to all who are interested. There is no admission fee, but preregistration is mandatory. Please register via the web form at the bottom of this page.
Responsible Digitalisation with sleeves rolled up
In April, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Erasmus University Rotterdam are joining forces around the theme of responsible digitalisation: digital technology that contributes to societal value, inclusivity, and broad prosperity. This marks a first step toward a single regional platform in which government, education, science, the business community, and civil society organizations work together to raise awareness of the impact of digitalization, strengthen mutual connections, and encourage action around the responsible use of digital technology.
Ahead of the SSH-Breed Sectorplan Conference, the Smart & Social Fest will take place on Thursday 23 April, organised by Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.
Photography during the event
Photographs will be made during the Annual SSH-Breed Sectorplan Conference. It is possible that you are recognisable in the picture. As a visitor, you give permission for the storage and use of these images for commercial purposes.
Register now!
- More information
For further information, please contact us at sshbreed@eur.nl.
