Student-led Project: Desk Research
Publication date: 16 Mar 2022
Following the shift to online learning that took place during the pandemic, there is recognition that learning and teaching delivery in higher education will not return to the pre-pandemic experiences. Universities and student associations are keen to build on the momentum and lessons learned over the last couple of academic sessions as they work collaboratively to build a student experience that supports all students however and wherever they learn. HEIs in Scotland are currently reflecting on learning from the pandemic to continue to develop approaches that maximise the benefits of a more blended environment to support the diverse needs of their student populations.
Building on the work of last year’s student-led project, Digital Student Communities, this session’s project will explore equity and inclusiveness in this context and how we can best develop representative systems and student/class representative skills to effectively support all the students they serve.
As one example, not all student groups were affected equally by the move to online learning Equity in the learning environment would mean providing additional support to students where it’s needed to ensure that all students, regardless of circumstances, have an equal opportunity to thrive and succeed in their studies.
Over the course of the next academic year, Promoting the Equity of the Student Learning Experience project will explore the following questions:
The project will also seek to promote examples of good practice in equitable learning and teaching practices.
Each member of the Student-Led Steering group will play an active role in sub-teams that have been established to deliver the outputs that have been identified in the project plan.
These teams are working to deliver a range of outputs including: a piece of desk-based research to collate existing theory, practice and resources related to equity on learning and teaching; a set of ‘top tips’; a suite of case studies of practice and a workshop that explore how students’ associations can develop course rep systems that represent diverse groups of students.
To provide a solid grounding for colleagues interested in exploring the topic, the project team undertook desk research exploring key existing theory, practice and research relating to equity in blended learning and teaching.
This report gathers together resources around the five themes which emerged in the research:
Publication date: 16 Mar 2022