Getting to know: Dr Tânia Dias Fonseca, ARLT Internal Engagement Officer

Tell me a bit about your educational and work background?

I‘m an Associate Professor and the Strategic Academic Lead for Sustainability. I lead the Sustainability Plan’s academic strand, working with senior leadership, academics, students, and community stakeholders to embed sustainability through an inclusive approach into all academic aspects. I also contribute to the Introduction to Learning and Teaching (ILT) programme and CPD on inclusion, and diversity at Kingston. Additionally, I’m an external trainer on online teaching for the Open University in Portugal and I work as a consultant. I have served as an expert for the European Commission, the Azorean Government, and the Museums and Galleries of Scotland to name some on inclusion, online teaching, and anti-racism approaches.

What is your interest in ARLT SIG?

My interest in anti-racist approaches to learning technology is driven by a commitment to creating more equitable educational environments. By integrating anti-racist principles into learning technology, I believe we address racial biases and support mitigating them into all what we do: from the educational tools and platforms we choose, to the data or information we access, ensuring these technologies serve all students fairly. I also think it is crucial to foster a more just learning environment by challenging systemic racism and promoting social justice through the critical use of technology.

What motivates you to undertake your role as Internal Engagement Officer in ARLT SIG?

Being able to contribute to a cause I believe in and use my sphere of influence to foster reflection on social inequalities that influence how we experience the world is incredibly fulfilling. With a background in a multidisciplinary area where technologies are researched from both social and technical perspectives, my role as an Internal Engagement Officer allows me to draw on my research and understanding of social factors that inform the design and how we use educational technologies. I try to find the ways to engage the community in reflecting on these topics. It takes a village! If you have any suggestions, please let us know 😊

What have you learnt so far in your journey in the ARLT SIG committee?

In my journey with the ARLT SIG committee, I have learned the importance of empathy, teamwork, solidarity, and open-mindedness. Understanding and valuing diverse experiences has helped me connect better with committee colleagues, even those I have never met face-to-face! Collaborating with a dedicated team has shown the power of collective effort. Standing together in our commitment to antiracism has allowed me to grow and adapt continuously.

What are you doing to improve things within ARLT SIG, ALT and the wider community in terms of antiracism & learning technologies?

I have actively incorporated anti-racism and technologies into my teaching, supporting other academics to understand that technologies are not neutral and that our positionality influences what and how we teach. Recognizing our identities and positionality, and how they shape our experiences of the world, is vital. Understanding how different aspects of our positionality inform and shape our perspectives on the world, what and how we work and teach, how we design technologies, and how they tend to exclude Black and People of Colour is integral to the personal and professional development process we all should go through.

Since you joined in 2021, what has your journey in ARLT SIG been like so far?

It has been a learning journey with its ups and downs. Sometimes it’s difficult to find time to do the work, but getting to know colleagues from different institutions and teaching contexts has been a privilege. Learning and sharing experiences with them, reflecting on possible solutions for common challenges that we all face in our institutions it’s needed. We all benefit from safe spaces to talk about these issues and to feel that we are not alone, so all is worth the time!