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Teaching Together in Fragmented Digital Spaces

What Student Use of Technology Tells Us About Engagement and Belonging Garth Elzerman and Ediyanto Liu: Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Technology is now a routine part of EAP teaching, but it is not always clear what student use of digital tools tells us about learning. This short presentation examines student engagement with a range of technologies across one semester of an EAP course and asks a simple question: what happens to learning when it becomes increasingly individual and optional? Using data from diagnostic tests, LMS activity logs, self-study tools, review quizzes, and AI-supported speaking practice, the presentation identifies a clear pattern. Early in the semester, most students engage with shared digital activities. As the course progresses, participation narrows, with smaller groups of students using optional tools, often close to assessment points. Rather than interpreting this solely as a motivation issue, the presentation offers an alternative perspective. As learning becomes distributed across multiple platforms, students may lose a sense of learning together. Digital tools can support practice and access, but they do not automatically create shared learning experiences. The presentation argues that teachers play a central role in restoring togetherness through deliberate choices about when to use technology and when to step away from it, supporting learning as a collective, not purely individual, process. Garth Elzerman is a university lecturer in English for Academic Purposes with research interests at the intersection of philosophy, pedagogy, and educational technology. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Philosophy, exploring questions related to agency, responsibility, and moral psychology. His pedagogic research focuses on academic literacies, assessment design, and the critical integration of digital and AI-supported tools in language teaching. He is particularly interested in how data, analytics, and technology shape teaching practice, student engagement, and professional judgement in higher education contexts.