JISC offers an overview of a Guardian supplement publication that investigates the ‘profound transformation’ of higher education by technology in the past decade. Excerpts:
Sponsored by JISC to launch its ‘Student experiences of technology’ campaign, the Digital Student supplement explores the achievements of institutions in this area and some of the future challenges as universities look to exploit technology and place the student experience at the heart of learning and teaching.
As Stephen Hoare reports in the opening article: ‘Technology has dramatically changed the way students experience university life, and not just in terms of the number of gadgets they own. It has affected where and how they study, helped them collaborate with each other and broken down barriers between students and teachers, social life and study. It has also given students a bigger voice in they way they learn.’
Podcasting, wikis, immersive worlds such as Second Life and texting are just some of the issues highlighted in the publication, for placing technology at the heart of the learner experience. How such technologies have impacted on assessment, the management of intellectual property rights, student progression and retention and the building of new and more flexible learning spaces, is also a focus of the supplement.
The challenges faced by institutions during this period of change are a further theme of the supplement. As Stephen Hoare continues, ‘All this presents major challenges for institutions, which are also learning to cope with a larger, more demanding and more diverse student body.’
The supplement also highlights JISC’s and others’ work to support institutions meet these challenges, through innovation projects and through its support for the take-up and use of new technologies. …
