Technology played an important role in education when students and educators needed to shift to online learning, allowing for safer delivery of lessons and lectures. Even with universities open again, education technology, or edtech, is becoming increasingly adopted in UK schools. While it poses many benefits for accessible and efficient learning, it may also be able to mitigate an even bigger problem faced by many students in higher education: racism. As we mentioned in a previous post, racism and education have been linked for centuries, with many prominent institutions like Cambridge University having benefited from systems of inequality and injustice towards marginalised groups. To this day, many students of colour are disproportionately affected by racism at school; they’re often placed in lower academic tracks, get suspended more frequently, face microaggressions from peers and educators, and are often left out of important data or affected by data biases.
While it may not be the sole solution, edtech opens up many opportunities to foster a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all students; here’s how:
Taking a global approach
The Internet can connect all kinds of people without divulging personal details about oneself, and the same can go for edtech. Edtech platforms can allow students worldwide to communicate and help each other without knowing who everyone is—what matters most is the contributions offered. Moreover, students get exposed to perspectives different from their own, leading to stronger globalisation.
Global note-sharing platform Studocu allows its 25 million users to upload study resources and notes from over 21,000 institutions in more than 100 countries. A student in the UK can access lecture notes or presentations not just from their own university but also from other schools in and outside of the country. Students of colour also don’t have to worry about unequal access to learning materials or facing racial microaggressions on these platforms, and they can boost their knowledge by using a global approach to learning that can broaden their horizons.
Improving connections to role models and peers
Many students of colour have had to endure an education not curated with them in mind. Curricula often exclude their history and experiences, which makes it hard for them to relate to and connect to the material and subject. Not being able to see themselves represented by educators and fellow peers can also be an isolating experience, making higher education a more harrowing battle than it already is. Edtech can help address this gap in representation by allowing students to connect to educators or a community that can provide them with a role model or group they can feel a sense of belonging. A shared sense of solidarity can make learning feel more inviting and accommodating.
Platforms like MyTutor aid in this by connecting students to tutors from top UK universities. Tutoring through online tools alongside traditional education can offer academic support, build confidence, and provide mentorship. It helps to address gaps in learning while making for a more relatable approach to education.
Boosting access to inclusive and diverse materials
In the Diversity and Inclusion in Schools Report by Pearson, 80% of teachers surveyed believed more can be done to celebrate diversity in UK education, with a focus on cultures, peoples, and experiences—and there’s no better time to do so. The online world houses an immense amount of resources and materials from all over the world, which can be leveraged to develop a more inclusive and diverse curriculum. Educators need not rely on outdated lesson plans and subject matter that lacks nuance; they can utilise free and comprehensive educational resources that are culturally sensitive, created from the perspective of marginalised communities, and relatable to modern social norms and views.
Video platforms like YouTube can be used to access these educational materials; they can be easily integrated into lesson plans and activities through edtech platforms like EdPuzzle that allow interactive lesson plans using such videos. Students of colour can benefit from more relevant material, and other students can increase their knowledge and understanding to build empathy in the classroom and beyond.
Is edtech a silver bullet for racism?
Edtech presents many opportunities to mitigate racism, but it isn’t the sole solution. There may even be cases where it can drive the issue further, as anonymous identities and instant communication can make it easier to be aggressive toward students of colour. Much edtech based on data also doesn’t consider biases and may exclude the experiences of students of colour from educational narratives and plans. Edtech is one aspect of improving and directing the entire educational system toward true inclusivity, which is still a work in progress today. There’s a long way to go in improving edtech to accommodate students of colour better. Still, its existence is already making strides in inclusivity for those historically marginalised communities in higher education.
