Interview Not only do these innovations help


universities drive higher NSS scores for digital experience than institutions that don’t use our platform, but they also increase engagement in their course – with one study showing students that use Kortext read nearly twice as much as when they use traditional paper books. Meanwhile, our innovations for the


Educator Experience include the ability for universities to monitor student engagement in real time. Every course leader has a digital dashboard that allows them to see how digitally engaged their students are with their course, including how many pages they are reading, and for how long.


This is critical, as a recent study shows that when a student lowers their digital engagement they are less likely to achieve their academic potential, and less likely to complete their course. Concerningly, over 40 per cent of students also report lower digital engagement is a sign of mental health struggles. This means universities that track


how engaged a student is will be able to better support their students’ academic potential and their mental health, as they can recognise the problem, and then offer one-to-one support. This early warning system is being called


for by students themselves, with more than three quarters of students (77 per cent) saying they’d be happy for their university to monitor their engagement and give extra, more tailored support if they noticed that their engagement was dropping. That’s why we’re so proud of Kortext’s engagement monitoring, which means educators can track an individual student’s engagement in real time, and offer extra support when there may be a potential problem. Finally, the Librarian Experience is crucial


for us, as we take our responsibility to the learning centre of the HE experience seriously. We maintain very close relationships with libraries all around the UK, and we want to create the simplest and most supportive environment, whether it is more than halving the time it takes to order books, or offering analytical tools to analyse which texts are inspiring the most engagement from students. This means we are committed to


providing cost-effective access to more books and more publishers than any other platform, and developing user-friendly technology that allows a librarian to save hours of admin time every month - freeing them up to spend more time supporting students and colleagues. We understand that libraries have a deep pride in their work, and every platform


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development we make is designed to support librarians to drive their institution’s learning.


What is the biggest issue facing the scholarly communications industry at the moment, and how will it have changed in 10 years’ time? We’ve seen the terrible impact of the pandemic on universities around the world, and around the UK. And, ultimately, we’ve seen how difficult the university experience has been for students. But, like everything in life, where there is hardship, there is hope. The switch to near universal digital-only learning, and then subsequently a more blended learning approach, has helped vast numbers of students who would otherwise not have been able to learn. We commissioned a recent study into the pandemic impact, and found that 26 per cent of 21/22 students actually find blended studying easier, as they have family commitments to attend to. Likewise, 19 per cent of 21/22 students have mobility issues, and not having to go into


“What’s to stop a student in Syria from earning a degree from Oxford without leaving their country?”


campus every day makes it more possible to study.


And, this is just scratching the surface of what a truly democratic educational future looks like – where no-one is excluded from learning through factors outside their control. For example, our recent study revealed that 21 per cent of current students are worried they won’t be able to continue their education because they feel they are a burden to their family post-pandemic. When an estimated 14.5 million people live in poverty in the UK, and family financial pressures impact their decision on whether to go to university or not, how many young minds are we losing? But, with the trend of universities moving


to paying for learning materials as part of tuition fees, and blended learning options allowing universities to consider different funding options, a more personalised and cost-effective future is emerging. Likewise, the UK’s reputation as the global centre for university learning has long seen students travel thousands of miles to get their degree on these shores,


but for most students around the world that’s just not an option for financial and logistical reasons. However, the technological revolution changes this, and allows us to work together towards a more connected world of education. We’ve seen this first-hand, as over the past year our platform has been used in over 200 countries and territories around the world, by students studying at UK institutions. This illustrates the true potential for


online, borderless education. After all, as our Academic Advisor Sir Tim O’Shea says: ‘What’s to stop a student in Syria from earning a degree from Oxford without leaving their country? Why should universities limit their vision, when they can run digital learning exchanges with other institutions around the world, and bring new ideas and experiences to their own students?’


Finally, do you have any fascinating facts, hobbies or pastimes that you’d like to admit to? I have always been lucky enough to live near the water, and these days I am a stone’s throw from the Dorset coastline. As such, the ocean has always played a


big part in mine and my family’s life, and if there is a watersport we’ll have tried it. You would have thought I’d have learned


my lesson from my two years travelling in my late teens – when I very nearly got lost at sea!


I was the junior member of a four person


crew, sailing the Atlantic Ocean – nearly two thousand miles from shore. I was the only one on deck and went overboard in choppy waters, with the boat speeding onwards on autopilot. And, as the weather drowned out my calls to my sleeping crewmates, my boat disappeared over the horizon incredibly quickly. I was in the water for more than two


hours, without a hope. However, I was extremely lucky the young French captain – who himself can’t have been more than 25 – realised I wasn’t on the deck, and did something that inspires me with decision making to this day. He didn’t panic, but instead halted the


boat, took out his paper charts and pencil to calculate the position, the wind, and the tides. He then turned the boat around to compensate for all that, and came back to rescue me – demonstrating an astonishing showcase of calmness under pressure. These days I am more likely to be out on the Solent, rather than far-flung oceans, but in addition to that you’ll usually find me walking the dogs along the beach with the family, or at Bournemouth FC.


Interview by Tim Gillett December 2021/January 2022 Research Information 23


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