Can digital technology open up higher education?

Digital technology is often promised as the key to widening participation in university education for more students, but this technology isn’t neutral, and not all learners have the same access to it. Bronwen Swinnerton has been looking at how the ‘digital divide’ affects students in the UK and worldwide. And she describes how the University of Leeds’ mission to tackle such inequalities starts at home.

We need a greater understanding of digital literacy, accessibility and poverty.

—Dr Bronwen Swinnerton

Impact

• International collaboration: found that digital provision worsened inequalities and access due to issues of digital literacy

Key information

• Major funders: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Partners and collaborators: University of Cape Town
• Disciplines: education, technology, access and inclusion
• Investigators: Dr Bronwen Swinnerton

Keywords: digital education, online learning, equity, diversity