The first two weeks of our new module Digital Technologies and the Future of Work have flown by. After a series of pep talks from Alison Truelove and myself, and a number of inspirational guest speakers, next week it’s all happening online. We’ve just started the third running of our FutureLearn MOOC titled “Building your Career in Tomorrow’s Workplace“, so over 200 Exeter students (including 18 from Penryn who were beamed in by video conference supported by Stephen Hickman) are now studying with a global cohort of MOOC learners for the next couple of weeks, before moving to materials and discussions on ELE for the rest of the term.
We created the module because how we work, and the nature of the work we do, is being re-imagined. New digital applications, the maturing of automation, and the emerging transformations facilitated by artificial intelligence, have prompted innovations that offer creative opportunities for fundamental restructuring of employment practices. This has significant implications for work, communication, and community.
We are encouraging our learners to take a critical review of this landscape. In practice the picture is more complex because many technologies endure while others gradually evolve, or spark off totally new applications. Technology in itself is meaningless – it is created and shaped by people.
Week 1 featured a Keynote presentation by Mark Thompson, Professor of Digital Economy in INDEX, who specialises in digital transformation. Mark gave us all a whistlestop tour through the many ways in which society and industry structures are fundamentally changing. His key messages? 1) No sector can hide from digital transformation, and 2) culture change is hard.
Week 2 featured a short talk by successful StudyTuber Ruby Granger about the role of social media in productive learning, and Craig McEwan, Academic Liaison Librarian, explained how best to evaluate online information sources and the evolving role of the Library in supporting this.
Our challenge as educators is to ensure that learners are equipped with the critical thinking skills and digital literacies necessary to take advantage of the opportunities inherent in a world of work which rewards flexibility, adaptability and commitment to lifelong learning.
**We are indebted to the Education Incubator for sponsoring our project to develop the module: “Sharing a social learning pedagogy across the institution” The team members were myself, Alison Truelove, Stephen Hickman and Beverley Hawkins, with help from our Student Digital Mentors.**
Innovation in Education 