Today we announce the detail of our next major project investigating digital learning and teaching at HE level.
This will be a global comparative study that will explore what HE institutions around the world are doing in terms of their digital learning provision. We aim to learn from international examples of best practice and consider how this can be translated to a UK setting so that we can propose policies and strategies so to futureproof our HE system. We can announce that we will be joint partners with the Open University, Leeds Beckket University as well as NEON.
We aim to investigate the digital learning landscape in 5 countries- UK, US, Australia, Taiwan, and China. Phase 1 will run from April – August, which will essentially be a surveying to get a sense of what the key issues, opportunities and challenges are. Phase 2, which will run from January- July next year, will be further investigation and evaluation of the key issues as identified in phase 1.
We will set out with the following three objectives:
- To investigate whether, because of the coronavirus pandemic, we are experiencing a cultural and societal shift in the demand for how and why people access education at HE level?
- To investigate how countries are addressing the increase in demand for online learning and what does their online provision look like? How are institutions managing the transition to digital learning in terms of pedagogy?
- Consider how the UK can become a global leader the development and implementation of digital learning. What social, technological and other barriers do we have to overcome to fully embrace this technological educational shift and ensure equity in education at HE level?
We previously identified 8 key pillars that encapsulate the main areas of investigation in the digital learning sphere. For this project, however it is proposed that we focus our investigations on just 3 pillars to ensure that the project scope is feasible within budget and time restraints. The three proposed areas are; pedagogy, technology, and social mobility.
Director Andrea Jenkyns said.
This is a fantastic project that seeks to understand and enhance the opportunities of digital learning and teaching. This will ensure our education system is futureproofed regardless of where we might be with regards the coronavirus pandemic. The UK HE sector is world renowned for its ability to innovate and stay ahead of the curve, and we hope this project will contribute to its sustainability in a small but significant way. We are very pleased to be working with the OU, Leeds Beckket and NEON, who each bring unique perspectives to this partnership. Their experience and shared commitment to improving education will, I’m sure, contribute to the project’s success.
