Student Equity Forum at UTS

Greetings from the Student Equity Forum at University of Technology, in Sydney (slides & videos are available). I signed up because it was free, and I happen to be in Sydney. But this turns out to be a big event, both in terms of the more than 100 people present, but also the weight of the topic. Professor Mary O’Kane, chair of the Australian Universities Accord Panel, will be arressing the forum. A main aim of the day is to see that equity is addressed by the Panel.

When I arrived for lunch I did not know anyone here. This is because they are equity practitioners, whereas I am an educator. I am not exactingly sure what equity practitioners are, and feeling very much the outsider. But I did write some points on the panel issues, and made a submission to the Panel, which touches on some of the issues. My preference would be to build equity into the system, much as accessibility is, rather than have it an add-on.

Agenda for the Forum

12.00 pm: Registration and networking lunch

1.15 pm: Doors open to presentation room

1.30 pm: Keynote lecture - Student equity

2.10 pm: Presentation - Sector data analysis

2.30 pm: Q&A Panel - Responding to the Universities Accord discussion paper

3.30 pm: Closing remarks

4.00 pm: Event end & afternoon tea

Digital Inequality: Academic Heal Thyself

The University of Canberra is hosting what is claimed to be the "First International Symposium on Digital Inequality and Social Change" (ISDISC). The theme is  Bridging digital inequality for a better and inclusive society. Researchers, practitioners and policy makers are invited.

But I suggest university academics need to set their own house in order before being able to claim the moral high ground on digital equality. The scramble to convert university courses and research participation online over the last two years has shown a lack of thought given to this area by academia. Courses were converted from hard to access lectures, to hard to access video lectures. Assessment was changed from hard to access paper based examinations, to hard to access web based examinations. The sad part of this is that there were open online distance universities with decades of experience in how to provide equitable access to a wider range of people, but elite institutions willfully ignored the freely offered advice, as it would place their campus based business model at risk.

Similarly with research: it is open to anyone who  can afford to get to expensive conferences, and passes the entrenched gatekeepers of the academic publishing system.

Fortunately the University of Canberra is leading by example, offering virtual attendance for those who can't get to Canberra, with a low fee.