Digital capability is on the radar of many organisations – investments in learning platforms and digital resources are often undermined by the lack of skill or confidence in staff (or even students). In this post, Julia Taylor explores how inclusive thinking needs to be pervasive if digital practice is going to create benefits rather than unintended […]
Students are shaping the way technology is used at Gloucestershire College through the Student Innovators project. The idea is to involve students in changing the way digital technology is used in the college. Amina Begum, a Digital Learning Coach at the college told Julia Taylor about the project. Who can be an innovator? The idea originally stemmed […]
Margaret McKay reflects on the Jisc digital capabilities framework from the point of view of inclusive practice. The more I speak to inclusion practitioners the more they emphasise the importance of a devolved nature of inclusion where staff across the institution understand and feel confident about what they can do to embed principles of inclusion […]
It took a long time to identify my dairy intolerance but once it was identified and managed my sense of taste and smell began to return and long term digestion problems resolved. My quality of life improved because of two simple things: I had a better understanding of my needs The information on food packaging […]
Widening participation is a strategic priority across the UK. Whilst institutions focus on attracting learners from under-represented and hard to reach communities, staff are striving to develop engaging and innovative ways to deliver dynamic and inclusive learning experiences to support learners. Digital exclusion and inequality Is technology capable of helping progress the widening participation agenda? Not only […]
It seems tautological to write a blog post on open access and accessibility. Surely if something is open access then it is open to anyone and therefore accessible to anyone? Alistair McNaught argues that the link between open access and accessibility is more nuanced than you might expect. Authors and institutions need simple guidelines to […]
What digital skills do you need to do the job? In the fast changing, competitive landscape of employment, Digital Capability is seen as essential to developing a competent individual and an effective organisation. Defining the digital skills needed to do a job efficiently is only part of the challenge in education. Because technology offers so […]
A hectic new term. You come up to breathe. Alistair McNaught explores a new support service from Jisc and how it might help you better meet the needs of your disabled students. The new term begins. You have a new cohort of disabled students to work with. In many organisations, the support staff will be […]
Risk, regulation, success and policy – the Universities UK’s case for making mental health a priority. Technology has a clear role to play in supporting student mental health. Julia Taylor considers the issues. How big is the problem? With 1 in 8 graduates saying they have a Mental Health condition, costs and demand for support with […]
As the start of the academic year is just around the corner we’ve pulled together some quick reminders and quick wins for you to consider when creating accessible resources, information and/or learning material. How do you make sure your Word documents are accessible? I use inbuilt heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2 etc.) to structure […]