From 5^th September to 7^th September, Tim Ellis and I (Liz Walkden) attended the Association of Learning Technologists (ALT) Conference. ‘Student Voices: Shaping the Post-Pandemic Campus’ was day two’s keynote session. The purpose of the session was to emphasise the importance of the student voice and to encourage collaboration between policy makers, educators, and learners. It gave us first-hand insights into the experiences of learners following the pandemic. The students studied at three different universities so their opinions and views may not reflect the views of all students or those studying at Lancaster. We heard from a second-year student, a third-year student and a recent graduate. They gave candid accounts into the difficulties that students faced during their time at university. I wanted to share with you three takeaways that I had from listening to the panel’s experiences which readers may find ‘food for thought’.

One of the things that most stood out was the students’ discussions around ‘digital shock’. The panel acknowledged that the technological understanding and knowledge required at university is much more advanced than what was required of them only a couple of months before when they were finishing their A-levels. One member of the panel wanted lecturers to know that most of their previous learning had been done on pen and paper and that they only received their first laptop when they went to University.  To this student, typing was hard and so they used a notebook instead of a laptop in lectures. The student felt this was isolating because everyone else was using an electronic device. The student also then said that engaging with the learning materials and the assignments was also very difficult and that there was an assumption that students would be able to use technology easily.

In addition to the lack of ‘know-how’ when it came to the technology required, students also felt isolated by the access that they had to technology. The student who had recently graduated was frustrated by the fact that she wasn’t told about the possibility of borrowing a laptop earlier and she had been struggling to work on a slow and unreliable device. Another student was frustrated that the Chromebook they had been able to afford to buy did not actually have the right processing power for the technology that they were required to use on their course. One student said, “you feel silly when you don’t have the right technology”. We want students to be digitally literate and able to use technology in their future career with confidence but how do we encourage this and help students to navigate this digital world? The students had some suggestions:

1. Make the technological requirements of a course clear very early on. Students will be buying new devices before they join the University and should be forewarned if the software they need to use has certain device specifications or needs a certain level of technical ‘know-how’. This would help prepare students and prevent a sense of digital isolation.
2. Signpost where students can get help. Students struggled to find the information on central websites or portals and often felt lost. The panel suggested that lecturers put up a slide at the start of a lecture while waiting for everyone to sit down which could highlight help, important opportunities, or give answers to frequently asked questions.
3. Don’t assume that all young people are confident in their use of technology.

The second thing that students were keen for us to understand was how difficult and intimidating they find it to ask questions and get support not only from their lecturers but also from each other. They felt there was an expectation that they would be able to contact other students, work together and speak to the lecturers easily. Some students did manage to set up WhatsApp and/or Snapchat groups. However, they knew that not all the students in their cohort were in these groups and that they didn’t know all their fellow students. A variety of suggestions were made that could help students to collaborate and feel supported at university:

1. Use polling software (such as Vevox or Mentimeter) that allows students to contribute and ask questions anonymously.
2. Set up an online space where students can ask questions of staff and make sure it is monitored regularly.
3. Set up a space where students can ask questions of each other without the lecturer; so that they feel they can ask questions without fear of judgement.
4. Have a mixture of in-person and online support, don’t rely on too much of one or the other. Highlight office hours and signpost in-person workshops/sessions but also have similar opportunities for online support.

 The final takeaway that I would like to share with readers were the student panel’s concerns around the use of generative A.I. (artificial intelligence). One student said that it would be a “big worry for me” to be accused of using A.I in their assignments. The fear was that their work would be “mistaken for A.I.” generated content. They were concerned that an “educational gap” would form between those students who used A.I, used it well and were not suspected of using it in their assignments and those students who did not use it, either by choice, by a lack of knowledge on how to use it or from not being able to afford some of the more advanced tools which require a subscription. Students were worried that this would lead to a gap in student attainment and were frustrated at the unfairness of this. There was concern over the “credibility of grades”. They suggested that assessments needed to be more authentic and well thought out and what they saw as a good assessment was one that “shouldn’t be able to be completed by A.I”. The panel appreciated the difficulties here, the pressure on staff to change and the speed at which change is now required because of this technology. They had a couple of suggestions:

1. Universities need to bring about change faster and be more proactive.
2. The panel also wanted more value and emphasis to be placed on “in-person discussion” as discussion was a way to test knowledge and understanding.

So, there we have it, three things to think about from the student panel at the ALT Conference. To me, some changes seem simpler than others. There are things the students mentioned that would be straightforward to implement but some of the above changes and difficulties will take time to address. The important thing, which was the purpose of the whole keynote session, is to keep listening to students and to respond if we can to their needs and concerns.