VIRTUAL: Applying Education

Abstract

Recent energy research has drawn attention to the complex and largely overlooked interactions between education policies, practices, and energy consumption (Cox et al., 2019; Gormally et al., 2019). This innovative area of research highlights how education policies can inadvertently shape energy use, potentially undermining efforts to meet net-zero commitments and address climate change (Royston et al., 2018). While the digitalisation of education creates new opportunities for virtual teaching and learning, little attention has been paid to its potential impact on energy demand and other important energy issues in education policy settings. For example, virtual learning policies contribute to societal data demand growth, necessitating energy use for developing and operating new digital infrastructures, such as 5G masts and data centres. In this presentation, I will present findings from my qualitative research on the interactions between national and local education policies, digital learning practices, and energy use in UK secondary schools. The study is based on a longitudinal policy review and in-depth interviews with education policy actors and subjects about changing school practices with consequences for energy use. I will begin by outlining the research’s social practice theory conceptual framework. After this, I will discuss teachers’ and other policy actors’ varying experiences of emerging digital teaching practices, technology procurement, and growing data demand, all of which pose significant implications for energy use in schools and beyond the gates. I will argue for the need to adopt pedagogical approaches that advance low-carbon transitions in schools by encouraging less energy demanding teaching practices.