HX on the College Quad: Lessons from Undergraduates’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Concurrent Session 2

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

What does it take to develop healthy and empowered relationships with technology in the midst of a global crisis? This presentation and subsequent discussion will present an HX-focused analysis of three periods of data collection that led to three valuable lessons that should inform future user-based, needs-focused applications of technology.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Luna Laliberte, Chronicle Of Higher Education - recent graduate of Rutgers University

I recently graduated from Rutgers University with a Master’s in Communication and Media. For my graduate studies I participated in research on pedagogy and student strategies regarding remote learning. I intend to continue researching online learning strategies and best practices with the intent to support equitable online pedagogy. I currently work with the Chronicle of Higher Education as an events coordinator. I produce CHE’s free virtual events where experts on leading issues in higher ed share their insights.

Extended Abstract

       When the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly shuttered U.S. universities in March 2020, millions of undergraduate students had to trade their college lecture halls for their childhood bedrooms and continue their coursework remotely. Facing extreme uncertainty in most facets of life, few students felt they had much control over their learning conditions. Undergraduates without access to reliable, high-speed internet and a fully functional computer faced even more uncertainty. The authors’ national survey of 3,100 undergraduates revealed that two in five were under-connected when the pandemic began; they started remote learning at a distinct disadvantage to their better-connected peers. 

        The term ‘human experience’, and its acronym HX, refer to an emerging philosophy in tech that reframes technology use as primarily for humans and their needs. An HX approach to technology prioritizes agency, health, and power. While the COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly created or worsened an array of student hardships, pandemic conditions also revealed important lessons about how young people can develop relationships with technology that are both agentic and inclusive, even in the most trying of circumstances. Using data collected between April 2020 and May 2022, the authors present three evidence-based “lessons” from the pandemic remote learning experience that should inform HX initiatives going forward. 

     The first lesson is that positive HX experiences for young people require resolving digital inequality. The second lesson is that developing a sense of ownership over their technology experiences is fundamental to fostering positive HX for young people. The third and final lesson is how important relationships are to young people having positive HX experiences. If educators and leaders are to support students in agentic relationships with technology, then implementing these lessons is paramount towards ensuring HX-initiatives connect people to technology in healthy and sustainable ways. 

 

  • Interactivity Component:

    • Mentimeter can capture audience submission to a word cloud during the beginning of the session to get an idea of how the audience understand HX

    • After each lesson, the presenter will include an example of that lesson in a practical, applicative setting. The presenter will then ask the audience “What have you tried so far?” in regard to each lesson, and facilitate a short discussion on the practical strategies the audience has already implemented.

    • The presentation will end with suggestions for university leaders, EdTech designers, faculty, and students. A discussion will take place that invites the audience to think about what practical applications of those suggestions look like.

Takeaways: HX-initiatives need to prioritize methods that support healthy and agentic relationships between people and technology. Data about undergraduate students collected throughout 2020 and 2023 led to three valuable lessons that we all must keep in mind when designing and facilitating technology in order to ensure a human-focused approach to tech.