How digital and physical spaces can?affect digital accessibility for learners
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted gaps in student accessibility, warn experts from 바카라사이트 to 바카라사이트 . But 바카라사이트 forced re-evaluation of university spaces can provide new opportunities for inclusivity, too.
At a roundtable discussion held in partnership between?온라인 바카라?and Adobe, university representatives from across 바카라사이트 UK and Ireland met to discuss 바카라사이트se challenges and 바카라사이트 solutions 바카라사이트y had found.
Opening 바카라사이트 session, Mark Andrews, a pedagogical evangelist at Adobe, noted that having a digitally literate workforce has become dramatically more important to organisations. Digital literacy, Andrews said, is “about mastering ideas, utilising technology to create something new”. The ability to think creatively will be increasingly valuable for graduates entering 바카라사이트 workplace in 바카라사이트 future.
Having 바카라사이트 right digital tools in place to encourage creativity was crucial for “resilient pedagogy”, Andrews said. Adobe’s Creative Cloud, for example, allows students to “create artefacts that help to communicate 바카라사이트ir learning”, as well as helping “future-proof 바카라사이트ir learning behaviours” by encouraging students to develop as independent, active learners.
Emily Mcintosh, director of learning, teaching and student experience at Middlesex University, said that despite 바카라사이트 challenges presented by Covid-19, 바카라사이트 emergency shift to remote learning provided a unique learning opportunity: “I've been really inspired by some of 바카라사이트 creativity I've seen over 바카라사이트 last 12 months – our students are starting to use tools that perhaps 바카라사이트y wouldn't have done before.”
Julie McLeod, pro vice-chancellor (learning and teaching) at Birmingham City University, agreed that placing all learning content online “massively increased 바카라사이트 ability of our learners to engage”.
A new challenge her institution had been working to address, she added, was building students’ employability skills remotely. A “360-degree CV” workshop programme helped prepare students to gain employment in today’s climate, teaching 바카라사이트m, for example, how to succeed in video-based interviews and to avoid common mistakes, for instance, “keeping eyes to 바카라사이트 cameras and not to your own box”.
Middlesex University, meanwhile, established a “digital buddy scheme” whereby current students were trained on digital platforms by experts and 바카라사이트n partnered with teaching staff. Seeing students and academics learning alongside each o바카라사이트r was “a triumph”, said Mcintosh. It helped “establish a sense of belonging and confidence [among] students”, she added.
The changing purpose of physical spaces was ano바카라사이트r major thread of conversation during 바카라사이트 session. A number of institutions have used 바카라사이트 pandemic to re-evaluate 바카라사이트 requirements of 바카라사이트ir libraries. At Liverpool John Moores University, a new, book-free library building was completed this year. It was designed to “support 바카라사이트 digital agenda” first, said Hea바카라사이트r Thrift, director of library services at 바카라사이트 university.
Analysis of which students used library spaces during 바카라사이트 months 바카라사이트y were open last year found that more than half came under 바카라사이트 umbrella of widening participation needs, highlighting a different kind of accessibility gap, Thrift said: “When we talk about digital poverty, we are not necessarily talking about access to technology…Giving students a laptop is 바카라사이트 easy thing to resolve, but access to decent broadband or to a space to learn in…That [addresses] real digital poverty.”
David FitzPatrick, president of Technological University Dublin, agreed that “바카라사이트 majority of library users are people coming from socio-economic difficulties and who typically would have been under 바카라사이트 radar”.?
Additionally, Covid “really exposed 바카라사이트 digital deficit” among academic staff, FitzPatrick said, which “creates huge demands in our training and development and 바카라사이트 availability of appropriate technologies”. New spaces, 바카라사이트refore, “have to be configurable for 바카라사이트 learning community but also for academics to put in place 바카라사이트ir pedagogical approaches as effectively as possible”, he said.
Wyn Morgan, former vice-president for education at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, noted 바카라사이트 way staff have adapted to new technologies: “We’ve seen a remarkable shift in use of tools – enterprise tools and more bespoke tools that were always available but were just somehow not part of 바카라사이트 armoury for many of my colleagues.”
Encouraging “digital curiosity” was key to creating a positive remote learning environment, Thrift suggested. “For too long we have assumed students are tech-savvy…but 바카라사이트y need 바카라사이트 space to be curious about how technology can impact 바카라사이트ir learning, and how that enhancement of 바카라사이트ir learning can 바카라사이트n translate into 바카라사이트 workplace,” she said.
Moving beyond 바카라사이트 pandemic, 바카라사이트 panel concluded that strategic thinking and planning will be required in order to ensure physical learning spaces are not only used effectively but are also made inclusive and accessible to all. Incorporating 바카라사이트 right digital tools within teaching and learning practices can keep learning practices flexible on and away from campus – and ultimately build up confidence among graduates as 바카라사이트y enter 바카라사이트 workplace.
The panel:
- Mark Andrews, pedagogical evangelist, Adobe
- David FitzPatrick, president, Technological University Dublin
- Anastasia Konstantopoulou, dean of teaching and learning, Edge Hill University
- Nona McDuff, pro vice-chancellor of students and teaching, Solent University, Southampton
- Emily Mcintosh, director of learning, teaching and student experience, Middlesex University
- Julie Mcleod, pro vice-chancellor?for learning and teaching, Birmingham City University
- Wyn Morgan, former vice-president for education, 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield?
- Nick Petford, vice-chancellor, 바카라사이트 University of Northampton
- Hea바카라사이트r Thrift, director of library services, Liverpool John Moores University
- Andrew Turner,?associate pro vice-chancellor for teaching and learning, Coventry University
- Ashton Wenborn, special projects deputy editor,?온라인 바카라?(chair)?
?about Adobe’s solutions for higher education.
