Gravity assist: propelling higher education towards a brighter future: report of the digital teaching and learning review [Barber review]

The first national lockdown [due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic] in March 2020 sparked a rush of activity in universities and colleges to transition from in-person teaching to online delivery. This was done at great speed under intense pressure. By the time this review was commissioned in June, there was already a wealth of expertise and innovative practice to explore. This report attempts to capture the lessons from an extraordinary phase of change. We conducted 52 interviews with digital teaching and learning experts and higher education professionals from around the world, received 145 responses to our call for evidence and surveyed 1,285 students and 567 teachers.

We have drawn out a checklist of six things we think every university or college leader should consider ahead of the 2021-22 academic year: (1) Assess students' digital access on a one-to-one basis and address issues before learning is lost; (2) Inform students what digital skills they will need; (3) Involve students in designing teaching and learning; (4) Equip staff with the right skills and resources; (5) Make the digital environment safe for all students; and (6) Plan how you will seize the opportunity for the longer-term.

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