Podcast Course 3

Digital Education Unpacked: Issues, Practice, Careers

Digital Education Unpacked: Issues, Practice, Careers explores the evolving landscape of teaching and learning in a digital age. Episodes range from practical discussions on the use of generative AI in higher education assessment, to debates about authenticity in language learning and the role of digital education in international education. Alongside these thematic explorations, we feature interviews with professionals working in digital education to give listeners a sense of the diverse and rewarding career paths in this field.

Let’s dive in!

To listen, click the podcast episode titles below:

Authenticity and language learning in digital lifeworlds with Blair Matthews

In this episode, we discuss Blair Matthews’ paper Artificial Worlds and Artificial Minds: Authenticity and Language Learning in Digital Lifeworlds. The conversation explores what authenticity means when language learning takes place in digital and AI-mediated environments, and how a relational approach to pedagogy can help us understand and respond to these challenges.

Access Episode 1 through Panopto

Reflective Questions:

Designed spaces, designed tasks:
Much of our teaching now happens in contrived/digital environments (VLEs, apps, games). How might you redesign one activity so that authenticity arises from students’ purposeful interaction within that space rather than from the provenance of the text alone?

Thinking before tinkering:
Before changing an assessment or resource, how do you want to define authenticity in the age of AI?

References and suggested further reading:

Matthews, B. (2025). Artificial worlds and artificial minds: Authenticity and language learning in digital lifeworlds. Journal of Responsible Technology, 23, 100131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrt.2025.100131

Internationalisation at a Distance with Ethan Hoggan

Today I’m joined by Ethan Hoggan to discuss internationalisation at a distance – a concept at the juncture of international and digital education – through the lens of his MSc International Education dissertation project: its aims, approach, and what he learned along the way.

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Reflective Questions:

When you hear “internationalisation at a distance”, what distinguishes it (in your mind) from “internationalisation abroad” and “internationalisation at home”? How does that distinction change what you pay attention to when judging quality or impact?

What opportunities and risks do you associate with technology-mediated intercultural learning (e.g., access, time zones, participation, belonging), and which feel most pressing from your perspective as a learner, educator, or observer?

Thinking about community and connection online, what practices have you experienced (or would you value) that make dispersed collaboration feel genuine rather than performative?

Useful References:

Mittelmeier, J., Rienties, B., Gunter, A., & Raghuram, P. (2021). Conceptualizing Internationalization at a Distance: A “Third Category” of University Internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education, 25(3), 266-282. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315320906176

Ramanau, R. (2016). Internationalization at a Distance: A Study of the Online Management Curriculum. Journal of Management Education, 40(5), 545-575. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562916647984

Digital Education Career Case Studies with Heather Jeffrey & Naomi Begg

In this episode, we speak with Heather Jeffrey and Naomi Begg from the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team at the University of St Andrews. They share insights into their roles in digital education, the projects they support, and how TEL contributes to enhancing teaching and learning across the university.

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Digital Education Career Case Studies with Avery Duncan

In this episode, we talk with Avery Duncan from the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team at the University of St Andrews. Avery gives us a look into another side of digital education, discussing the systems, tools, and innovations that make online and blended learning possible across the university.