empowering staff and students to flourish in the digital age

Liz Dore, University of LimerickBlaneth McSharry, National University of Ireland, Galway

CONUL Teaching and Learning Annual Seminar, 2015.

National Forum project Team members

Iain MacLaren (NUI Galway)Aine Galvin (UCD)Jonathan Flynn (UCD)Gobnait O’Riordan (University of Limerick)Deirdre Ryan (Mary Immaculate College)Leone Gately (UCD)Sharon Flynn (NUI Galway)Liz Dore (University of Limerick)Gráinne Mc Grath (NUI Galway)Anne O’Keeffe (Mary Immaculate College)Aoife Geraghty (University of Limerick)Blaneth Mc Sharry (NUI Galway)Michelle Tooher (NUI Galway)

My agenda…

• A flexible open framework• Recurring themes & topics• Why a digital skills framework?• Back to basics

– Review of existing frameworks– Collaborating with the wider community

• Digital skills working definition• Digital skills models• Skills for students• Skills for staff• The framework explained

A Flexible open framework:

The intention is for an approach that is flexible, whilst being comprehensive and accessible.

• Analysis & review of existing frameworks• Relevant to particular needs• Informed by experience, knowledge and professional networks• Flexible for localised use• Accessible and open to all• Co-ownership to foster engagement• Appealing to engage and nurture skills and confidence

Key recurring themes and topics emerging…

• Finding and using information and digital resources • Using information and applying effectively• Using tools to learn and support learning of others• Managing online identity• Creating materials in varied media formats• Communicating and collaborating using a range of tools• Higher level critique of sources and wider societal implications

Collaborating with the wider community for input…

• Social media• Project website• Question and Answer session – conferences/workshops• Printed postcards• Online forms• Communication with experts in the field

Why a digital skills framework?

“the most recent progress report on digital skills in the general European population found that 47% of citizens did not have the basic skills to function in the digital society” (European Commission 2015).

Higher education landscape is fragmented…

More than training…about moving towards ‘confidence’ and nurturing opportunities for critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and innovation.

“Digital already supports almost 95,000 jobs both directly and indirectly in the Irish economy”(Doing More with Digital 2013).

Digital Skills Working Definition

define digital skills, literacies or competencies as …

“the capabilities which fit someone for living, learning and working in a digital society, with the knowledge that a digital society is ever evolving”.

An extension of the definition used by JISC in Developing Digital Literacies – https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/developing-digital-literacies

Back to basics…A review of existing frameworks for information and digital literacy:

ANCIL – A new curriculum for information literacy (University of Cambridge)

DIGICOMP – European Framework

Digitally Ready – digital literacies and work placement framework (University of Reading)

Mozilla web literacies framework (Mozilla Web Foundation)

SCONUL 7 Pillars of information literacy

UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers

Digital skills a complex range of multiliteracies

• Information literacy• ICT • Visual literacy• Media literacy• Transliteracies• Multimodal literacies

Models for digital skills

Skills for students“a co-ordinated, multi-level approach to foster digital literacy, skills and confidence among students at all levels of education.” (National Forum Digital Roadmap, 2015).

‘I am’ higher order capability than…

I have, I can, I do (Beetham & Sharpe)

Need help to develop skills to know quality of resources

Engage as creators

Skills for employment

The employment ‘readiness’ of graduates and citizens is an identified priority at the European level.Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs

Higher Education Authority’s (2015) survey of employers Recommendations:

• Soft skills (verbal/written communication, teamwork, grammar) transfer to working environment

• Technical skills (problem solving, analytical skills, data analysis)

Framework should reflect and embed into curricula and graduate outcomes.

Projects…showcase student engagement and skills development:

• SADL – Student Ambassadors for Digital Learning

• Shadow modules from the Digidol project at Cardiff University • The Deakin University Library digital literacy tutorials

• The JISC Digitally Ready project

Skills for staff

It is important that we address the balance between innovation and the learning experience of students.

The focus “has shifted decisively towards questions of professional development of academic staff in their teaching roles and to the organisational factors that must be addressed in order to embed changes of scale and sustainability.” (Strategic and Leadership Perspectives on Digital Capacity in Irish Higher Education 2015).

Project / Case study examples

• Deakin University Digital Literacy Tutorials

• In the making…caught on camera

• Knowledge Hub

• European e-competence framework

• DIGCOMP framework

References

Devine, J (2015) Strategic and Leadership Perspectives on Digital Capacity in Irish Higher Education, commissioned by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, available: http://www.teachingandlearning.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Senior-Management-FINAL.pdf

European Commission (2015) Measuring Digital Skills Across the EU, available: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=5406

Higher Education Authority (2015) National Employer Survey http://www.hea.ie/sites/default/files/employersurveymay2015final_web_0.pdfIreland, Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (2013) Doing more with digital National Digital Strategy for Ireland, available: http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/NR/rdonlyres/54AF1E6E-1A0D-413F-8CEB2442C03E09BD/0/NationalDigitalStrategyforIreland.pdf

JISC Design Studio (2013) Literacies development framework, available: http://jiscdesignstudio.pbworks.com/w/file/40474958/Literacies%20development%20framework.doc

JISC (2014) Developing digital literacies, available: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/developing-digital-literacies

National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Irish Higher Education (2015) A Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World 2015-2017, available: http://www.teachingandlearning.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Digital-Roadmap-web.pdf

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