[Air-L] Workshop: The Digital Divide in the Post-Pandemic University

[Mark Carrigan]

*Workshop: The Digital Divide in the Post-Pandemic University**May 3rd from
1pm to 5pm BST*

The pandemic has thrown a harsh spotlight on digital inequalities within
higher education. The university campus brought staff and students into a
shared space, with a degree of infrastructural provision which created at
least an appearance of digital equality. In its absence during this crisis
vast differences in the quality and quantity of internet access have been
both revealed and deepened, as a consequence of the reliance upon digital
platforms for research, teaching and engagement. This issue has been most
widely recognised in relation to students but we should note the digital
divide amongst academic staff
<https://postpandemicuniversity.net/2020/11/05/the-digital-divide-amongst-academic-staff/>
 which has been entrenched by occupational precarity and a cost of living
crisis. These developments have existed under the surface in a
university increasingly
resembling a platform
<https://www.jamiewoodcock.net/blog/digital-labour-in-the-university/> enabling
access to services at a distance. However the pandemic has brought them to
the fore in a way which raises conceptual, empirical and practical
questions relating to matters such as:

   - The role of public infrastructure in increasing or decreasing the
   digital divide
   - Geographical and regional variation in digital inequalities within
   higher education
   - Types of digital inequality and the role of university policy in
   entrenching or ameliorating them
   - Academic practice and its capacity to ameliorate the problems of
   digital inequality
   - Intersections between lack of study/work space and the digital divide
   - The political economy of a lack of study/work space e.g. housing, cost
   of living
   - Academic labour issues and the digital divide amongst academic staff
   - The impact of the digital divide amongst staff on learning and teaching
   - The political implications of platform choice and their implications
   for digital inequality
   - The geopolitics of platform capitalism and its implications for
   digital inequalities
   - Positive impacts of pandemic platformisation on equity e.g.
   accessibility and distance learning

These are just a few suggestions for our upcoming workshop. It will take
the form of three hour long thematic dialogues between 4 participants,
moderated by a host whose role is to facilitate a conversation. It will not
involve a formal presentation but you will be provided with a list of
conversation starter questions in advance of the session. These will be
used by the host to facilitate an open discussion between the speakers in
an interview style format.

If you would like to take part in this online workshop on the Digital
Divide in the Post-Pandemic University, due to take place on *May 3rd from
1pm to 5pm BST**,* please send the following information via this online
form <https://postpandemicuniversity.net/contact/> by March 31st: *a theme
you would be interested in speaking about, a brief account of your work and
how it relates to the theme and biographical details including your social
media handle (if applicable) and affiliation*. Accepted participants will
be informed by April 3rd and provided with further details about how the
event will work on the day.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Digital Learning Working Group <http://dlwgcamedfac.wordpress.com/>
Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge
www.markcarrigan.net  | @postpandemicuni
<http://www.twitter.com/postpandemicuni/>
www.cpgjcam.net | @cpgjcam <http://www.twitter.com/cpgjcam/>

*I sometimes work unusual hours as my preferred way of managing multiple
commitments. If you receive this e-mail in the evening or at weekends,
please don't feel any obligation to reply until your own working hours have
resumed. **I also try to follow the e-mail charter
<https://www.thensomehow.com/the-email-charter-10-rules-to-reverse-email-overload/>.*

*New book out in April:*