David White
Head of Technology Enhanced Learning, Head of Digital Learning at the University of the Arts London
I’ve worked at the intersection of teaching, research and digital for over 20 years. This has taken me from hand-coding websites for the BBC Natural History unit through to my current job of helping to run the largest Creative Arts university in Europe* as Head of Digital Learning. In between I worked at the University of the West of England and a long stint at the University of Oxford co-managing an online distance learning unit.
I’m not a technologist in that I’m more interested in the implications and opportunities of digital for learning, work and society than I am in procuring the latest shiny tech. A large aspect of my role at the University of the Arts London is focused on enhancing teaching and learning by encouraging emerging aspects of digital practice – a good example of this work being the Digital Creative Attributes Framework.
Beyond UAL I’m probably best known for the Digital Visitors and Residents continuum (V&R), an approach to understanding how we relate to the digital environment. The V&R mapping activity is used globally in many courses and staff development sessions and has been central to numerous research studies.
Seeking connections between enhancing teaching and learning and open, online modes of engagement earnt me Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Alongside this I have led a number of national studies which explore the potential of digital in higher education contexts and have supported institutions in the strategic development of teaching practice.