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Playing it safe
Safeguarding students ’ digital learning journeys and wellbeing in pandemic times .
By Peter Nikoletatos
It ’ s clear that Covid-19 has accelerated
and amplified digital transformation in universities . Thankfully , a significant portion of institutions already have distance and online learning programs and digital platforms in place for international students and adult learners . But the challenge has been supercharging it .
Maybe a bigger challenge for universities has been shifting their entire workforce and ways of working from on-campus to home , literally in days . As a provider of enterprise resource planning and student journey software , we saw a huge spike in academic institutions asking for help to shift to software-as-a-service technology , so staff can carry on running the university ’ s enrolment , finance , student care and human resources functions remotely from home .
Academia has been quick to embrace and share new learnings . These range from how best to run an admissions and enrolment program online through to how to encourage student participation in a virtual teaching environment .
But what is starting to become clear is the new challenges digital and blended learning is creating for students and teaching staff .
Firstly , there ’ s a technology equity issue . We might all be in the same storm with Covid-19 but we ’ re not in the same boat . Education is normally a great leveller and it ’ s easy for all bright students to shine on campus . However , university students and staff coming from more socially disadvantaged backgrounds don ’ t have access to the same top of the range laptops , smartphones and connectivity as their more well-off peers .
Likewise , there ’ s also spatial disadvantages – it ’ s harder for students to study and think when confined to one small space , having to share with other family members or flatmates . If you live in a more remote or rural area , there are also potentially slower connectivity issues .
Secondly , the move to a more digital , remote teaching world is also throwing up new challenges around wellbeing , mental fatigue , cyber-bullying and the changing roles and responsibilities of the educator . Until now , most universities ’ pastoral care has been predominantly on-campus . They ’ ve been able to monitor student wellbeing through tutorials , attendance at lectures , access to university Wi-Fi and libraries , as well as attendance at extra-curricular clubs and societies . All these connections provide an insight into how engaged a student is likely to be . Coronavirus has led to students missing out on the exciting bustle of campus life , new friends and social interaction .
In terms of digital equality , universities have already begun to redesign courses with social inclusion in mind . The University of Edinburgh in Scotland , for example , has invested in laptops to loan out to students that need them , while designing courses to support both ‘ synchronous ’ or live learning and less broadband-intensive ‘ asynchronous learning ’ that ’ s accessible at any time . Learning from pre-existing distance learning courses , the university has discovered it can help students structure their day more productively , and around other commitments , enabling them to playback lectures and access course notes and modules over and over again .
In Australia , the Australian Council of Online and Distance Education has been at the forefront of online teaching , and this period has seen a welcome sharing of best practices to help the education community .
Digital learning , done right , can bring many benefits and break down barriers . For instance , research shows that retention from online learning can be really high . This is creating more opportunities for those who can ’ t study full time , as well as new revenue streams , in the form of micro-courses , for cash strapped universities .
But ensuring wellbeing is a much newer and harder challenge . The meteoric rise of social media means there ’ s ever more things competing for your attention . Some of it can be very helpful , but other parts can be potentially unsettling , even dangerous .
The growing levels of radicalisation , sexism , racism , trolling and bullying seen online , especially against women , people with disability and ethnically diverse students , is worrying . It ’ s an issue that tertiary education is very conscious of , alongside the need to continually invest in monitoring and providing pastoral support , albeit through different channels .
Equally , technology providers play a very important and key role in tackling these problems . Social media companies use algorithms to serve up commercially profitable content , but those very same digital analytics tools should also be used for the greater good .
I ’ ve been fortunate to hold the post of chief information officer at a number of leading universities across Australia , and it ’ s clear that institutions have access to hundreds of different digital applications and data sources that with appropriate and responsible use can provide valuable insights into student ( and staff ) wellbeing .
Technology partners must now work even more closely with educational institutions to combine technological innovation with education ’ s knowledge of teaching and learning , so we can collaborate and enhance student learning experiences . By working together and sharing insight we will be better positioned to create healthier and safer digital learning spaces . ■
Peter Nikoletatos is group industry director of education at TechnologyOne .
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