See no evil? Ethics in an interventionist ICTD

This paper considers some of the ethical questions that arise in conducting interventionist ICTD research, and examines the ethical advice and guidance that is readily available to researchers. Recent years have seen a growing interest from technology researchers in applying their skills to address the needs and aspirations of people in developing regions. In contrast to much previous research in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) which has sought to study and understand processes surrounding technologies, technology researchers are interested in finding ways to change the forms of these technologies in order to promote desirable social aims. These more interventionist research encounters raise distinctive ethical challenges. This paper explores the discussions that have been presented in the major ICTD journals and conferences and major development studies journals as well as examining codes of conduct from related fields of research. Exploration of this literature shows that the quantity, quality and detail of advice that directly addresses the challenges of interventionist ICTD is actually very limited. This paper argues that the there is an urgent need for the ICTD research community to investigate and debate this subject

Fostering purposeful engagement by building staff-student communities

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, many universities moved to a blended delivery of online and in-person teaching. While necessary for public health, this significant disruption to education risked greater isolation and anxiety for students with the potential for less engagement and, consequently, reduced confidence in their abilities. However, it also presented an opportunity to re-evaluate practice and take steps to create new staff-student communities with potential to shape student engagement.The School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Nottingham took several approaches to preserve and enhance student engagement, such as induction processes to foster new online communities, initiatives to boost academic and social interaction, development of close partnerships between staff and students in shaping the pandemic response, and the creation of an online staff community to discuss pedagogic practice and share training resources. The effectiveness of these approaches has been evaluated throughout the pandemic via staff-student meetings, module evaluation surveys and staff surveys.More than half the cohort joined an online student forum showing students appreciated online social interaction. However, for studying, students engaged in new one-to-one study-buddy and peer-mentoring schemes which students reported reduced their isolation and anxiety associated with online learning. Students reported online discussion forums to be one of the most useful tools for online learning. They liked being able to ask questions anonymously, in a forum where the lecturer was also present, something they could not do previously with in-person teaching. However, many students reported difficulty with managing their time because of increased asynchronous learning activity indicating a need for students to be trained in how to engage with online studying.Most staff have adopted elements of flipped learning to maximise student-student and student-staff interaction in the limited contact time. Staff engagement in their online community was strong, with most staff attending workshops and training sessions regarding online teaching. Consequently, staff were able to rapidly trial and share approaches that successfully addressed student feedback and promoted interaction

Constructive activism in the dark web: cryptomarkets and illicit drugs in the digital ‘demimonde’

This paper explores activism enacted through Silk Road, a now defunct cryptomarket where illicit drugs were sold in the dark web. Drawing on a digital ethnography of Silk Road, we develop the notion of constructive activism to extend the lexicon of concepts available to discuss forms of online activism. Monitoring of the cryptomarket took place between June 2011 and its closure in October 2013. Just before and after the closure of the marketplace we conducted anonymous online interviews with 17 people who reported buying drugs on Silk Road (1.0). These interviews were conducted synchronously and interactively through encrypted instant messaging. Participants discussed harnessing and developing the technological tools needed to access Silk Road and engage within the Silk Road community. For participants Silk Road was not just a market for trading drugs: it facilitated a shared experience of personal freedom within a libertarian philosophical framework, where open discussions about stigmatized behaviours were encouraged and supported. Tensions between public activism against drug prohibition and the need to hide one's identity as a drug user from public scrutiny were partially resolved through community actions that internalized these politics, rather than engaging in forms of online activism that are intended to have real-world political effects. Most aptly described through van de Sande's (2015) concept of prefigurative politics, they sought to transform their values into built environments that were designed to socially engineer a more permissive digital reality, which we refer to as constructive activism

Do I Belong Here?:An exploration of meeting structure and language, alongside gender and a sense of belonging.

This paper discusses to what extent the productivity and creativity of a design meeting can be attributed to meeting structure and various, related, aspects of social interaction including gender, and participants’ sense of belonging. This paper examines the literature on meeting structure, language, gender and sense of belonging and analyses them for overlaps and potential areas of future research. Following a discussion, this paper then considers ‘implications for design’ presenting three possible areas of further research and development; how can meeting structure be designed for equal opportunity, how can a sense of belonging be created in design meetings and what can be done to encourage empathy in design