Students are also experts in their own learning and are the primary stakeholders in the learning process. Students should be empowered to participate in the decision-making processes about technologies that affect their education, their careers, their lives. The outcome of this research project is a blueprint for the nation’s first student body focused on technology governance and innovation—piloted at UVA, where there is a history and culture of strong student governance.
The Student Technology Council brings fresh perspectives and a direct understanding of the challenges and opportunities technology presents in education as experienced by students, serving as a bridge between the student body and university administrators and educators and helping identify and prioritize the technology needs and concerns of students. This is ever more important in the context of AI, where the pervasiveness of large-scale data collection and predictive analytics can affect students’ lives far in the future. The council examines and deliberates on technology trends and advises key decision-makers about the student perspective on technology procurement, innovation, and governance.
The Student Technology Council project is grounded in a research-, stakeholder-driven, and transparent process. Student researchers and liaisons are directly driving this process, including listening sessions and workshops.
This project has been led by Sloane Lab, with financial and administrative support from the Digital Technology for Democracy Lab, the Mead Endowment, the Jefferson Trust, and the Office of the Vice Provost for Digital Innovation and Online Education.
