Building digital capability for inclusive higher education: a scoping review of staff development and unequal digital capital.
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| Title: | Building digital capability for inclusive higher education: a scoping review of staff development and unequal digital capital. |
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| Authors: | Burns, Diane1 d.burns@greatermanchester.ac.uk, Freeman, Sean1 |
| Source: | Widening Participation & Lifelong Learning. Jun2026, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p185-209. 25p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Digital literacy, *Educational equalization, *Higher education, *Electronic information resources, Capacity building |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom |
| People: | Bourdieu, Pierre, 1930-2002 |
| Abstract: | Digital literacy and digital capability have become institutional necessities in higher education rather than desirable add-ons, particularly in universities with increasingly diverse student cohorts. In these contexts, equitable participation is shaped not only by students' access to devices and connectivity, but also by the digital capability of academic staff and the extent to which institutions enable staff to develop effective digital teaching practices. Using Bourdieu's concept of capital as a framing lens, this scoping review examines how inequalities in staff digital competence and professional development contribute to uneven distributions of digital capital and influence inclusive learning opportunities. The review was conducted in line with established scoping review guidance, with searches across multiple databases, supported by grey literature retrieval and citation chasing. Studies were screened against predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, with selection reported through a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and MetaAnalyses (PRISMA) flow diagram. Thematic analysis identified four recurring themes: uneven staff digital confidence and competence, fragmented integration of digital literacy within curricula, variation in student digital readiness, and limited institutional consistency in staff development approaches. Importantly, these challenges have clear implications for equity and inclusive practice, particularly in widening participation and lifelong learning settings where disparities in digital readiness and support may contribute to unequal student engagement and outcomes. While structured training programmes and institutionwide strategies were associated with more sustained improvements, many initiatives remained locally driven and dependent on variable organisational support. Overall, the evidence suggests that staff digital capability functions as a form of capital that requires long-term institutional investment, rather than reliance on individual initiative. Within the UK higher education context, future research should strengthen UK-based evidence on effective staff development models and explore how emerging technologies, including generative AI, are reshaping expectations of digital competence in academic work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Widening Participation & Lifelong Learning is the property of Open University, Centre for Widening Participation and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 195447016 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Building digital capability for inclusive higher education: a scoping review of staff development and unequal digital capital. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Burns%2C+Diane%22">Burns, Diane</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> d.burns@greatermanchester.ac.uk</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Freeman%2C+Sean%22">Freeman, Sean</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Widening+Participation+%26+Lifelong+Learning%22">Widening Participation & Lifelong Learning</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p185-209. 25p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Digital+literacy%22">Digital literacy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+equalization%22">Educational equalization</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+education%22">Higher education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electronic+information+resources%22">Electronic information resources</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Capacity+building%22">Capacity building</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%22">United Kingdom</searchLink> – Name: SubjectPerson Label: People Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="PE" term="%22Bourdieu%2C+Pierre%2C+1930-2002%22">Bourdieu, Pierre, 1930-2002</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Digital literacy and digital capability have become institutional necessities in higher education rather than desirable add-ons, particularly in universities with increasingly diverse student cohorts. In these contexts, equitable participation is shaped not only by students' access to devices and connectivity, but also by the digital capability of academic staff and the extent to which institutions enable staff to develop effective digital teaching practices. Using Bourdieu's concept of capital as a framing lens, this scoping review examines how inequalities in staff digital competence and professional development contribute to uneven distributions of digital capital and influence inclusive learning opportunities. The review was conducted in line with established scoping review guidance, with searches across multiple databases, supported by grey literature retrieval and citation chasing. Studies were screened against predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, with selection reported through a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and MetaAnalyses (PRISMA) flow diagram. Thematic analysis identified four recurring themes: uneven staff digital confidence and competence, fragmented integration of digital literacy within curricula, variation in student digital readiness, and limited institutional consistency in staff development approaches. Importantly, these challenges have clear implications for equity and inclusive practice, particularly in widening participation and lifelong learning settings where disparities in digital readiness and support may contribute to unequal student engagement and outcomes. While structured training programmes and institutionwide strategies were associated with more sustained improvements, many initiatives remained locally driven and dependent on variable organisational support. Overall, the evidence suggests that staff digital capability functions as a form of capital that requires long-term institutional investment, rather than reliance on individual initiative. Within the UK higher education context, future research should strengthen UK-based evidence on effective staff development models and explore how emerging technologies, including generative AI, are reshaping expectations of digital competence in academic work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Widening Participation & Lifelong Learning is the property of Open University, Centre for Widening Participation and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=195447016 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.5456/WPLL.28.1.185 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 25 StartPage: 185 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Digital literacy Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational equalization Type: general – SubjectFull: Higher education Type: general – SubjectFull: Electronic information resources Type: general – SubjectFull: Capacity building Type: general – SubjectFull: United Kingdom Type: general – SubjectFull: Bourdieu, Pierre, 1930-2002 Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Building digital capability for inclusive higher education: a scoping review of staff development and unequal digital capital. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Burns, Diane – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Freeman, Sean IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 06 Text: Jun2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 14666529 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 28 – Type: issue Value: 1 Titles: – TitleFull: Widening Participation & Lifelong Learning Type: main |
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