It takes a lot of work for anyone to apply for higher education, but the challenge is even greater for pupils facing educational barriers. Though students from marginalised communities deserve better chances. In the UK UCAS has found that it could take 332 years to close the admissions gap between disadvantaged and advantaged students. These gaps are caused by everything from limited admission slots to, more recently, pandemic learning losses.
To attempt to bridge the gaps and make higher education more equitable, institutions have been leveraging technology so that more students can qualify and apply to universities. Here’s a quick look at some of the ways in which this is being done….
Accessible remote classes
School closures have led to significant learning gaps, especially given that remote learning isn’t accessible to students who have no home access to computers. Thus, the past few years have affected the qualifications of secondary school students who are planning to apply to universities.
Recognising that more families have access to TVs than computers, in the UK the BBC aired educational programming for primary and secondary school students throughout Covid lockdowns. Apart from expanding the accessibility of remote learning, these programmes were also designed to increase student engagement and learning retention, thus boosting the qualifications of secondary school students for university applications.
Faster skill building
The pandemic is only one of the causes of learning loss. A lack of financial resources and educational opportunities are also among the reasons disadvantaged students often fail to meet the qualifications required for application to university.
To build the foundational skills of students from marginalised communities in countries around the world technology is playing an increasingly important role. For example, New Globe launched a data-driven digital platform that focuses on increasing students’ rates of learning, and is now being used around the world. This transformational education system bridges the gaps in core skills by tracking data relating to learning outcomes and skills. Thanks to their efficiency, these data-driven platforms such as this can increase school enrollments and ultimately strengthen the students’ qualifications for higher education.
Online recruitment events
Applicants from disadvantaged areas may also be unable to explore greater educational opportunities simply because many universities have inaccessible recruitment programmes. Though they’re easy to take for granted, these recruitment programmes make it easier for students to learn about the degrees they can pursue and the requirements needed for these paths.
The Guardian points out that due to online recruitment events and virtual open days, some universities have been able to reach more students from disadvantaged communities. As a result, experts note that university applications from disadvantaged areas have increased.
Comprehensive educational planning
Digital platforms whilst becoming increasingly important in all aspects of education are one amongst many tools. Personal mentors are also crucial in changing a student’s life by guiding them toward the right opportunities and the digital world can be used to facilitate this.
As an example, Uni Direct has partnered up with the Unibuddy platform to help students decide where they want to take up their degree. Besides providing virtual student fairs, this platform also has a peer-to-peer student messaging feature that allows prospective applicants to ask current students about the university’s offerings.
Numerous barriers stand in the way of all students, but technology is slowly eliminating the gaps to make way for a brighter future in education. If you want to enjoy greater opportunities in higher education, we at Uni Direct can offer some much-needed support. Through our services, it’s far easier to manage your university applications and plan for your future.
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