Digital Learning Team
Meet the Digital Learning Team
The Digital Learning team comprises 4 functional areas - Educational Technology, Learning Design, Digital Learning Faculty Support, and the Management and Projects team - as well as cross-team working groups with a specific pedagogic focus and interest. We work alongside and consult with academics and departments to design courses and use multimedia and online learning tools to create educational experiences.
Natasha Nakariakova
Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your role in the Digital Learning team
I work with academics across the university to make teaching more engaging and effective using digital technologies. I am passionate about using AI to enhance teaching and create a better learning experience for students.
How did you come to work in DL? Have you always worked in this area?
I have been working at the University of Warwick for over 20 years, developing and supporting the use of digital technologies to enhance online assessment, student module feedback, academic integrity, and pedagogical best practices for Digital Learning. Prior to this role, I worked as an IT developer. One of my earlier projects, an IT solution developed for a major UK cancer charity, has remained in active use for over a decade.
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about the work your team does?
I would love academic colleagues to see us as partners - people you can turn to for help, advice, and collaboration in the fast-changing landscape of digital education. We are always eager to explore new tools and approaches that can make your teaching more efficient and less time-consuming, while also creating a more engaging and rewarding experience for your students.
How do you see the future of digital learning evolving, and what excites you most about it?
We are incredibly lucky to be at the forefront of a new era, one that will be reshaping education as we know it. Traditional teaching and assessment will be changing, setting priorities on developing original ideas, decision making, practical AI skills and, more importantly, lifelong personalised learning.
Our role is to guide and support both students and academic staff in taking AI as a natural part of the learning process, just as we once moved from abacuses to calculators. It is not about replacing the human touch, but enhancing it, and this transition will not happen overnight.
What’s your favourite part of working in Digital Learning or at Warwick?
The best part of working in Digital Learning is, without a doubt, the people. We are lucky to have such a supportive and competent team, where everyone brings their own expertise and is always willing to help, share, and learn from each other.