Debbie Holley, Emeritus Professor, Bournemouth University and Dr Michelle Morgan, Dean of Students, University of East London, on the assumptions and realities of use and accessibility of technology of incoming undergraduate university students.
As technology reshapes every aspect of life, digital and AI competencies are no longer optional – they are essential. From classrooms to careers, children, youth, and adults must be equipped with the skills and ethical understanding to navigate a digital future.”
Preparing Learners for a Changing World’ (UNESCO 9 May 2025)
Access to tech for learning
The role of technology in higher education now extends beyond teaching support; digital technology has become integral to contemporary pedagogy. The EDUCAUSE 2026 Horizon Report positions digital learning within a broader sustainability agenda, emphasising its potential to support institutional climate goals while meeting student demands for flexible, multimodal learning.
Similarly, the Open University’s Innovating Pedagogy 2026 report highlights the growing adoption of eXtended Reality (XR). With almost 34% of 16-24-year-olds in the United States reportedly using virtual reality devices, XR is enabling more flexible, curiosity-driven and immersive learning. New generation mobile phones enable access to much multi-media and immersive content. With rapid advances in artificial intelligence, these developments challenge higher education models based on fixed curricula, linear progression and narrow career pathways. They point towards a future in which learning is more personalised, adaptive and responsive to the changing needs of students and society.
The recent Children and Parents Media Use and Attitudes Report 2026 published by OfCom shows that parents stated that just under eight in 10 (78%) children aged 8-17 have their own mobile phone, while nine in 10 (91%) have overall access to a mobile.
The Government Office for Science’s recent report published in June 2026 Beyond the headlines: what research shows on children’s online lives highlights 97% of those aged 13 to 15 have a mobile phone.
The challenges
When universities hear headlines like this, it is easy to make the assumption that when a student enters higher education, they will not only have the skills to navigate our digital platforms because they use smartphones to live and socialise, but they will also have access to and appropriate technology to do so.
Covid-19 without doubt contributed to this advancement of use of digital technology due to lockdowns and social distancing which transformed their social and living routines. But even during the pandemic, teaching may have been delivered online but learning remained traditional, with handwritten notes and course textbooks still being the primary source of information. What it did highlight though was the digital inequity between young people resulting in certain groups experiencing ever-greater forms of educational and social disadvantage as the Children’s Society Net Gains? Young people’s digital lives and wellbeing reports.
And we know from the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report: Building a world-class curriculum for all led by Professor Becky Francis, that there is a lack of consistency of digital skills being taught in school and college. This lack of digital learning experience was highlighted in the findings from the first National Pre-arrival Academic Questionnaire pilot (PAQ) funded by the Office for Students, led by Advance HE, JISC and the University of East London and undertaken across Phase 1 by 15 institutions, which reinforces the importance of Bridging the gap between secondary, further and higher education.
Digital learning can widen inequalities where students have unreliable internet access and limited access to suitable devices. As universities look to becoming more sustainable by reducing hardcopy materials, the gains may come at the expense of equity unless digital environments are intentionally inclusive and well supported. As universities seek new markets and opportunities, educators must respond critically to the UNESCO call for digital learning to be treated as a civic right.
For new students to be successfully onboarded and integrated into university study and life across all levels of study, it is important that we understand not only prior learning experiences and concerns on entry but also have a greater insight into their tech accessibility and tech experiences.
What did the PAQ find regarding type of tech used and tech accessibility for incoming students?
Type of smartphone
When looking at type of smartphone of Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate Taught (PGT) respondents, UK were notably more likely to have an iPhone, whereas for Non-UK it was split between Android and iOS (see Table 1).
Table 1 Type of smartphone
| UG UK | UG Non-UK | PGT UK | PGT Non-UK | |
| Android | 25% | 40% | 34% | 47% |
| iOS | 75% | 60% | 66% | 53% |
| I do not have a phone | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Age of smartphone
When looking at the age of their smartphone, there is similarity across UG and PGT levels of study as Figure 1 highlights. The majority of the respondents’ phones were two years and older.
Figure 1 Age of Smartphone

When age of the phone by domiciled status is explored, interestingly, Non-UK UG and PGT respondents were more likely to have a phone under one year than UK domiciled (see Table 2).
Table 2 Age of smartphone by domiciled status
| Age | UG | PGT | ||
| UK | Non-UK | UK | Non-UK | |
| Under 1 year | 20.6% | 31.4% | 17.7% | 29.0% |
| 1-2 years | 32.8% | 31.1% | 30.7% | 32.6% |
| 2-5 years | 36.1% | 29.8% | 40.9% | 32.7% |
| Over 5 years | 5.9% | 4.9% | 9.0% | 3.9% |
| Do not know | 4.6% | 2.7% | 1.7% | 1.8% |
When looking at student characteristics, there was not a correlation between generational status, age or sex across either level of study. When looking at UK domiciled age of phone by ethnicity, Asian/British Asian, Black/British Black African and Mixed were notably more likely to have a phone under one year than the other ethnic groups.
Smartphone data package
When data package is explored, UG and PGT Non-UK domiciled respondents were less likely to have an unlimited data package than UK domiciled.
Table 3 Data package by domiciled status
| UG UK | UG Non-UK | PGT UK | PGT Non-UK | |
| Up to 10 GB | 12.3% | 13.4% | 17.8% | 21.5% |
| Up to 15 GB | 6% | 9.3% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Up to 20 GB | 8.4% | 14.2% | 9.1% | 14% |
| Over 20 GB | 22.1% | 24.2% | 19.5% | 21.2% |
| Unlimited | 29.5% | 18.6% | 31.1% | 16.9% |
| I do not know | 21.6% | 20.3% | 15.7% | 18.4% |
Issues with phones over 2-3 years old and low data packages
At Undergraduate level, although the majority of respondents expected to use technology other than a smartphone, for 11% their phone was going to be their main source of accessing information and learning materials. The challenge of reliance on smartphones, but also older smartphones and laptops, is that it can significantly hinder participation in modern virtual learning environments (VLEs). Issues include:
- performance and software incompatibility
- app incompatibility: older phones may no longer support the latest operating system (iOS or Android) updates
- lag and slow processing
- limited storage
- technical limitations (video/audio/battery).
What do universities need to think about?
Inclusive, whole-institution approaches
- Develop whole-institution approaches, such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), integrating inclusive curriculum design, effective onboarding, flexible learning pathways and personalised academic and wellbeing support.
Digital capabilities
- Provide explicit opportunities to develop digital capabilities for university study, including:
- navigating virtual learning environments
- managing digital resources
- communicating professionally and collaborating online
- protecting privacy
- using digital and AI tools ethically and critically
- Ensure access to emerging technologies, including Extended Reality and AI, and understanding of their future relevance.
Addressing the digital divide
- Invest in device loan schemes, campus study spaces and reliable Wi-Fi.
- Provide targeted digital support for students without consistent prior opportunities to build these skills.
Beyond access: building confident learners
- Successful transition into HE is about more than accessing technology; it’s about enabling confident, independent learners, with digital capability, academic confidence and belonging closely connected.
- Understanding students’ prior experiences, eg via the Pre-arrival Academic Questionnaire, helps universities reduce barriers and build inclusive environments from the outset.
Navigating the AI era
- As digital technologies evolve, particularly with generative AI, supporting students to become critical, ethical users of technology is as vital as ensuring equitable access.
- If digital learning is a civic right, how should universities respond when many students arrive from systems with restricted access? Are we equipping learners, or reinforcing inequalities?
An international challenge
- This is acute internationally, as universities diversify and expand into global markets.
- Institutions must consider whether their approaches recognise students’ varied digital experiences across educational systems.
Beyond access: equipping graduates for a digitally connected world
The challenge for universities is therefore two-fold. First, to design inclusive digital learning environments that enable every student to thrive, regardless of their starting point or previous educational experience.
Second, to recognise their wider responsibility – not only to respond to local policy debates and institutional priorities, but also to prepare graduates for participation in a globally connected, digitally enabled society. The question is not simply whether students should use these technologies, but whether higher education can afford to leave them unprepared for the world they will enter.
