Written by Kitt Holohan, Graduate Management Trainee,
Business Partnering
Each year, the Business Partnering team attends Digifest – an EdTech conference run by JISC. Digifest 2021 adapted to social distancing restrictions, going online with an interactive virtual environment to host talks and panel discussions on learning, teaching and libraries from leaders in the industry.
Each day of the conference had a different focus:
- Reframing the student experience
- Tomorrow’s technology in today’s education
- Digital leadership
- Culture and resilience
There were some recurrent themes in the variety of sessions the team attended throughout the week. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they largely focused on the sector’s response to the pandemic – sparking some fascinating discussions.
The digital divide
The “digital divide” is the gap between those who have access to experiences that require technology and connectivity and those who don’t. This theme was discussed in almost every session.
As part of his engaging talk entitled ‘Digital Leadership in a Pandemic: A Call for Humility, Creativity and Transformation’, John O’Brien (President, EDUCAUSE) shared a case study about a concerning trend of students in the USA having to drop out of their university courses because they lack access to the internet. When thinking about digital poverty, we often talk about people without suitable technology such as a laptop – but John’s example highlighted that some learners don’t even have WiFi at home. This is something the sector needs to continue to consider, to ensure equal access to education for all, as we embrace an increasingly digital university experience.
In the ‘Shaping tomorrow together- the future of education and learning’ discussion, a panellist mentioned that a physical campus environment is important for marginalised groups to feel involved. This is an interesting point when thinking about bimodal education and how we enable students from underrepresented groups to access the best university experience.
The pandemic as an enabler of change
Another key theme was the rapid change that institutions have undergone over the past year.
While the pandemic has been a global tragedy, many speakers recognised that it has also provided an opportunity to “make the impossible, possible” in a very short period – and that technology has been an enabler of this change. John O’Brien suggested that, as the pandemic ends, we will need to move from a period of “digital lifeline to transformation” – where we build on the innovation sparked over the past year. To do so will require:
- Technology changes
- Workforce changes
- Culture changes
The idea that change needs to be human-centred was also raised in ‘The vital role of digital leadership’ session, and linked with the point that online teaching needs to create a collaborative learning environment. Technology is no longer just being used for education. Institutions gave examples of how they are also providing social activities – such as online gaming competition – and encouraging communication – both staff to student, and peer to peer – through tools such as Microsoft Teams.
Students’ expectations of technology
Another topic surrounded the high expectations that students have of the technology to support both their academic and social experience during their time in higher education.
Mike Cope and Max Scales’ (Tribal) talk, ‘Student engagement: Strong foundations, smashing silos and meeting expectations’, focused on how students want channels and technology that works for them. Students expect an excellent experience and effortless administrative activity – and are comparing their university’s technology with what they use outside the institution, with the bar being set by companies such as Google and Facebook. Mobile apps can no longer be add-ons, but must be the core way that we interact with students. Students are mobile-first – we can’t just replicate web functionality in an app; we must go beyond, and have the app at the centre. By working with students’ chosen technology we can nudge their behaviour for a better university experience.
In conclusion
Overall, the conference celebrated the way that the Higher and Further Education sector has responded to the challenges of the last year, and encouraged institutions to be brave and innovative as we look forward.