The Exeter Cascade Project: Academic Practice in a Digital Age

Dale Potter 06 July 2012

The context

Exeter a research-intensive university

High-achieving staff and students many of whom prefer 'traditional' research and study approaches

BUT an appetite for change if led by scholarship:

New campus developments including Forum building with innovative teaching spaces

New programmes and interdisciplinary research centres with digital elements

History of successful initiatives led by students as change agents

Generic aim

to design and implement a range of innovative strategies and curriculum activities

which ensure that researchers, students and staff develop their digital capabilities

in the context of their own disciplines

Activities

Baseliningthe situation as is, and priorities for change

Developing peopleworking with 15 postgraduate researchers to develop their

digital expertise and local influence

Developing the curriculumworking across taught programmes to embed authentic, research-

rich activities that enhance digital capability

Developing know-howbuilding online resources and activities, working in partnership

with Colleges and professional services

Critical values

Digital scholarshipKnowledge practices that support learning, teaching and research,

focusing on how knowledge is generated, grown, shared, critiqued and communicated in the discipline

CollaborationActivities designed by staff and PGRs, following consultation about

the needs of students and scholars in the context of different disciplines; partnerships with professional services

Students as change agentsPostgraduate students are key agents of change in this area, as

early-career researchers, digital natives, and emerging teachers.

SCAP findings and theExeter Cascade project

5. DL development is framed in the context of the disciplines

6. Opportunities exist to broaden the conversations around DL, to include research

7. Opportunities exist to strengthen discussions of student development of DL, possibly through better collaboration with students

These findings tie in closely with our activitiesand critical values!

5. DL development is framed in the context of disciplines

(We found): Some digital academic practices are subject-specific at the level of topic or research area, e.g. data capture, analysis and visualisation

Others are generic e.g. collaboration, communication, note-taking, referencing, time and task management, publication, networking

(We are): Developing digital literacy through research-like activities embedded in taught modules

Supporting postgraduate interns to undertake relevant development work in their own departments

Producing College reports and recommendations to ensure local ownership even where issues are common

6. Broaden the conversationsaround DL to include research

(We found) Digital scholarship opens more doors that digital literacy at a research-intensive university

Postgraduate researchers can be effective change agents as both early career researchers and emerging teachers

(We are) working with researcher developers and ADs (research) as well as PGRs directly

Orientating events around scholarly discussion and showcasing rather than skills development

Bringing researchers and teachers together to share ideas

7. (Explore) DL developmentin collaboration with students

We found: PGRs can be brilliant digital pioneers with the right

support and recognitionOur postgraduate students are: developing resources, setting up peer networks,

pioneering methods of data collection and visualisation, communicating research in novel ways, developing their skills together, blogging, conducting original research into digital attitudes, asking difficult questions, criticising, contributing to new strategies, putting on events, writing reports, forging new partnerships between colleges and academic services...

Find out more

http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/cascade/

http://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/cascade/blog/

twitter: exetercascade

cascade@exeter.ac.uk

d.j.a.potter@exeter.ac.uk