1. Digital higher education and
diversity and inclusion
EADTU-EU Summit
Prof. John Butcher
The Open University, UK

2. The Open University - UK

3. 3
• No entry requirements
• Part-time study
• Distance learning
• Adult learners
Open to all?

4. Are we ‘open to all’?
Danger that the most disadvantaged still miss out
on higher education as costs increasingly passed
on to learners.
Digital higher education reaches learners
unreachable by other means, it is ‘always on’,
flexible, asynchronous, accessible from almost
anywhere, potentially providing opportunities for
those who would otherwise miss out ...
Digital higher education became ‘mainstream’
during COVID lockdown but should not be a ‘book
put online’ or a passive filmed lecture. Rather, it
should be purposefully media-rich and
pedagogically engaging.

5. Diverse approaches to diversity
and inclusion across Europe
Urgent need to address barriers to student
participation:
Geographical isolation (where study?)
Socio-economic status (cost of study?)
Time poor (when to study)
Disabilities (how to access study?)
(In some countries there are specific legal
requirements universities have to meet in relation
to protected Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
characteristics, but inconsistent)

6. English Equality Act 2010 requires that a public authority
must, in the exercise of its functions, have due regard to
the need to: Eliminate discrimination, harassment and
victimisation… Advance equality of opportunity between
persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and
persons who do not share it;
The relevant protected characteristics are:
Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Marriage and civil partnership
Pregnancy and maternity
Race
Religion or belief
Sex
Sexual orientation

7. Social Inclusion
‘Historically, higher education has been inaccessible to groups such as
the poor’ (United Nations)
‘By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and
quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university’
(United Nations Sustainable Development Goals)
Issues to address
Poverty as a barrier for working adults (least likely to participate in HE)
Intersects with:
Disability and the need for accessibility/assistive technology to enable
participation in HE

8. Approaches to social inclusion differ
In England, policies extol HE participation but practices
are inadequate: limited maintenance provision (on top of
high fees) and inflexible delivery mean the cost of HE is a
disincentive to the most disadvantaged adults who can
only study part-time.
Access, success and progress is therefore inequitable
In Portugal, diversity and inclusion are institutional goals:
although fees are low, salaries are low and students depend
on family support.
In Spain, tuition for the disabled student is free

9. Digital accessibility
Digital poverty contributes to a digital divide resulting
in digital exclusion
Students need digital agility
Universities need to:
Provide policies and accessibility training
Design HE materials for diversity (digital inclusion)
Embed centralised technical support helping students
access the ‘right’ technology
Adhere to legal requirements for accessible websites
Introduce simultaneous transcription & subtitles
Offer students digital familiarisation

10. Functional disabilities
Digital HE needs to support students with
hearing, vision or mobility impairments
Reasonable adjustments’ should be based on a legal principles of accessibility
Consider ompensation for the individual need, or inclusive adaptation at an
institutional level?
‘Advisors can monitor support including personal assistance,volunteer support
and adapted exams
But some students fear disclosing their disability, so clear information, advice
and guidance is crucial…and not all universities provide equal opportunities for
students with functional disabilities
Role of disability statements?

11. Specific learning disabilities
Neuro-developmental disorders are often ‘invisible’
(dyslexia, ADHD) affecting foundational academic skills
Specific technical adjustments can be made to materials (eg
templating is inclusive and benefits all)
Time extensions can be granted in exams
Professional support and staff training is vital in enabling
students to be confident in discussing their needs
In some countries, discrimination is forbidden but universities
cannot ask – relies on students declaring

12. Migrants/ethnicity
No shared legal definition of ‘migrants’
EU aim: integration and inclusion, but requires overcoming of structural barriers
Digital HE can be innovative and inclusive – thus open to all
Institutions need to be aware of cultural diversity and offer language skills and
appropriate support structures
A pan-European recognition of prior learning (albeit costly) would help to
galvanise strategic institutional plans
UK OU has ‘sanctuary scholarships’ offering fee waivers
(Increasing awareness in UK of awarding gaps based on ethnicity –strategic
drive to reduce ‘black awarding gap’)

13. Gender
EU approach to gender equality seeks to empower all
Data imbalance very similar across countries (Finland, Germany, Austria)
Engineering and IT remain disproportionately male (as do senior professors)
Education, Arts and Health remain disproportionately female
Danger of gender segregation
Concpt of gender equality crucial, supported by obligatory training

14. Prisoners
Human right to education extends to prisoners
Prisoners significantly more likely to have experienced truncated school
education, and be from the most disadvantaged backgrounds
Digital HE can provide opportunities, but adaptations required
UK OU offers an online portal through which digital materials can be
safely accessed, with correspondence support from a named tutor
National protocols and binding frameworks are important

15. How to make digital higher
education diverse and inclusive?
Affordable
Accessible
Appropriate
Accredited
Acceptable
Adaptable
But context increasingly about accountability
(John Daniels on distance education, 2007)

16. Are we at a tipping point?
This summit, and report, demonstrate commitment
across Europe to address issues of diversity and
inclusion through the potential of digital higher education.
Report chapters and case studies were authored by
enthusiasts from 12 universities – those digital educators
already engaging in inclusive practice and teaching a
more diverse range of learners…
But is diversity sufficiently embedded in national
policies? Is inclusion always embedded in institutional
practices?
When we can answer yes, we can transform higher
education across Europe by large scale and cost-
effective provision reaching those most in need

17. A research agenda for a more
critical perspective on digital HE?
Oztok’s (2019) Hidden Curriculum of Online Learning
argues the research literature has been apolitical, with
arguments (as I have made) that online learning is an
equaliser, providing access to HE for those otherwise
excluded.
He suggests this is not the same as equity, and offers
evidence of power hierarchies and social absence
(rather than presence) affecting disadvantaged learners.
Perhaps we need complementary research bringing a
more critical perspective to digital learning experiences.

18. Thank you
John.butcher@open.ac.uk