NUS “New Technology in Higher Education Charter”

Through surveys and focus groups it has become clear that students increasingly regard the UCL online environment as part of their learning experience. Indeed much of the drive towards ‘total Moodle’ at UCL comes from perceptions of student demand; “it’s what learners expect nowadays“. Nevertheless it is sometimes difficult to determine exactly what those expectations are.  It is sometimes – and quite understandably – challenging for students to describe their ‘model’ learning environment.

This may be set to change with the publication of the National Union of Students’ charter on Technology in Higher Education (2011), which has been developed after consultation with the sector and students. The charter, announced at the Future of Technology in Education (FOTE) conference last Friday by Emily-Ann Nash of the NUS  Higher Education Committee aims to set out “best practice for the use of technology in higher education, for teaching & learning and how technology can improve the student experience“.

The idea is that students and their respective student unions will be pushing to make sure technology is high on the institutional agenda so that “graduates are equipped and ready for the 21st century environment“.

The 10 points of the charter cover; clear ICT strategy, staff development, training and support for staff and students, accessibility, online administration, linking technology-enhanced learning and employability, investment in using technology to enhance learning and teaching, research into student demand and finally that technologies should enhance teaching and learning but not be used as a replacement to existing effective practice.

In a sense this is much what learning technologists across the sector have been lobbying for for years, but what is really significant is that the NUS here claims to articulate student expectations in quite a specific (and measurable) way. It will be interesting to see what effect it has on student demands.

The charter builds on the HEFCE commissioned NUS report Student Perspectives on Technology – demand, perceptions and training needs (2010).