Round-table with HE discussions with HE students

The last three roundtables of our series (15 in total) were organised with HEI students. Following our discussions on what digital action is and the unique qualities of participating in digital action at HEIs, our questions focused on understanding participants’ perspectives on the drivers and barriers of digital action in these contexts.

The main focus for the students, which was highlighted in each roundtable, was that the digitalisation of education has been an effective and efficient method of learning. Students found the shift to online learning both beneficial and rewarding, leading to a more inclusive learning environment. Students mentioned time and freedom that the shift to online allowed them, such as less time wasted in commuting. The students were aware of, and some took part in different forms of DA.

While some students discussed space and scale as an important issue to be developed, others brought up the issues surrounding the over-complication of processes, and that digital libertarianism hindered humanisation. Digital equality was also raised but overall, students felt that being online for the most part was effective in producing collective work quickly. Being able to access data made research easier but also could create an issue with how much information is available. Some students felt that the abundance of information available digitally meant that misinformation was rife, leading to sensationalism. They believed that some social media

sites encourage arguments which lead to further misinformation and that this created division.

You can also read more about our roundtables with HEI decision makers, technical staff, academic and teaching staff and librarians and read the full report on these roundtables on our website.