Freddie Quek FBCS, Chair of the BCS Digital Divide Specialist Group, discusses the digital divide, how he became fascinated by the topic, and how blended learning can benefit students of all backgrounds.
Sit down with Freddie Quek FBCS for half an hour and, along with receiving views and ideas about many facets of the IT industry, you’ll soon be reminded of what passionate means in its dictionary form. Freddie really does hold incredibly strong feelings about digital inclusivity. He believes passionately in building an inclusive digital society — a place from which everybody can benefit, and in which everybody can participate.
As a career technologist, Freddie’s CV bridges many different countries and an equally long list of industries. His experiences span Europe, the US and the UK. And, in those regions he’s worked in travel, loyalty, insurance, financial services, automotives and higher education. He’s also chair of the BCS Digital Divide Specialist Group, a community board member of the Digital Poverty Alliance and founder of #JoiningtheDots.
Discovering the divide
He explains where his interest in the digital divide started: ‘When COVID began, and homeschooling and homeworking became mandatory, I saw that my children were struggling. That’s despite our family being in a privileged position with a dad who knows a thing or two about tech.’
When a fellow BCS peer approached him to help raise funds for a device donation campaign to help three schools in an academy trust in the northeast of England, it was the start of his journey.
‘We did social media and got a great response’, he says. ‘But, we failed miserably. If only everyone who said it was a good idea had donated 10 pounds, we would have achieved the target of raising funds for 150 devices.’
Despite the experience, Freddie was catalysed: ‘I started asking my peers, and within three weeks, I had spoken with 60 leaders. I felt that I had a responsibility to share what I had found out.’
Addressing the digital divide, Freddie is keen to point out that providing people with a laptop isn’t the only intervention needed. We need to take a much more holistic approach because ensuring everyone in society can participate digitally is a problem with many different intersections.
‘It’s not just the haves and have-nots’, he says. ‘It’s not a standalone issue. It’s about devices, data and connectivity, tech support, skills, being cyber safe and also embracing inclusive digital design. We need to join all these dots. One way to relate to this is to consider alongside the haves and have-nots, the cans and can-nots, and the wills and will-nots. It is a complex issue intertwined with other existing ones such as financial, social and healthcare issues. We also need to understand and support someone to have the confidence and motivation to be digital.’
Joined up thinking and action
Last year, the BCS Digital Divide Specialist Group and the Digital Poverty Alliance completed a joint submission to the House of Lords’ call for evidence to address digital exclusion. This led to the joint signing of a memorandum of understanding to address this issue.
This year, Freddie, BCS and representatives from the higher education sector took the opportunity to raise awareness and understanding of the real issue of digital exclusion faced by students. They contributed to the Higher Education Commission’s report called Digitally enhanced blended learning: leveraging the benefits of technology in higher education to drive a sector-wide approach to tackle this challenge.
Returning to COVID again and providing background, Freddie explains that nationwide lockdowns forced a rapid and unplanned shift to online delivery, pushing higher education institutions (HEIs) to overhaul and innovate their blended learning approaches. In the continually changing higher education environment, HEIs are now aiming to implement long-term strategies to enhance digital learning and teaching, fully leveraging the benefits of digital technology.
Digital technologies coupled with well balanced learning can offer many advantages from a student's perspective. These include enhanced accessibility, improved engagement, personalised learning, collaborative learning opportunities, access to a wide range of resources, immediate feedback and assessment, and preparation for the digital workplace.
Of equal or possibly greater importance, Freddie explains that blended learning also equips students with digital skills and prepares them for work in the digital age.
‘This is the new reality’, he says. ‘COVID introduced us to blending the physical and virtual worlds and to new ways of working.’
Bringing everyone along
After describing blended learning’s advantages, Freddie quickly returns to the digital divide. He explains that, once again, people who are excluded from digital society may find themselves unable to fully participate in blended education — not just because they lack a laptop but also because of the unjoined dots we’ve already mentioned.
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‘For far too long we have got away with a solution for the masses’, he says. ‘If it is good enough for 80% of the population, we assume it is good enough for everyone. That’s the essence of today’s issue with digital exclusion. The 20% unfortunately have different needs.’
Expanding further, he says: ‘I know it is hard to cater for everyone, but to be inclusive, we need to find a way to address the needs of the 20%. For example, with AI, there is a tremendous opportunity to take into account personal preferences, learning styles, physical and cognitive constraints, and have a more adaptable experience that is fit for purpose for each student.’
Recommendations
Returning to the report again, Freddie explains that while many institutions are embracing blended learning, many are not. And among those who are, results can be patchy.
He says: ‘We need to embrace how digital can contribute to and enhance traditional classroom learning. I was a student before the internet, and am currently a postgraduate student. I’ve also done a few online courses. If I am honest, I would say my student experience has not been great.’
Thinking about the future and a pathway towards inclusive blended learning, Freddie says: ‘Firstly, the HE sector is a decade behind in terms of technology and digital. We need to take a sector wide approach to tackle digital inclusion…we need to take heed of the "customer" — the student voice — and understand their needs. Finally, today we are only tackling yesterday's problems; AI is not yet mentioned. It could be an excellent opportunity, but the sector cannot afford to be slow to respond.’
In summary, Freddie believes blended learning is essential for modern education, but it must be inclusive to ensure no student is left behind. He emphasises the importance of providing all students with the necessary digital tools, connectivity, support and training, recognising that many still lack access to these resources. He also highlights the need for institutions to take responsibility for facilitating digital inclusion and ensuring equitable access to online learning environments.
If you’d like to get involved, visit the BCS Digital Divide Specialist Group’s website.
