improving digital capability through digital literacies
DESCRIPTION
Digital capability is critical to learning, living and working in the C21st. The specific role of higher education, as laid out by successive UK Governments, is to equip a generation of learners with high level skills for the global knowledge economy and – more recently – lead a national recovery based around digital industries (Livingstone and Hope 2011). Students too expect that higher education will equip them for employment in a digital economy, and for participation in a digitally-mediated society. NSS returns show that ICT facilities and support services are being more harshly judged, as students who have grown up digital – and experienced e-learning during school – expect higher standards of provision. There is evidence from the introduction of student fees in the UK that ICT provision is a factor affecting where students will choose to study (JISC/IPSOS MORI 2008). The evidence from more than 75 proposals to the JISC Developing Digital Literacies programme is that the digital learning experience is also being used as a marker of institutional distinctiveness. Universities need rethink their offer, from induction to graduation and into research careers, in terms of the digital experiences students have and the digital practices they encounter (Beetham et al, 2009). This session will introduce tools for auditing and developing digital capability at an institutional and departmental level, including student-facing surveys, competence frameworks mapped to professional body standards, and models of organisational change. Participants will also explore a number of different models for becoming a successful digital institution, based on the outcomes of previous JISC work. References: Beetham, H., Littlejohn, A. and McGill, L. (2009) Thriving in the Twenty-First Century: Report of the Learning Literacies in a Digital Age project. JISC. Available online at: http://www.academy.gcal.ac.uk/llida/LLiDAReportJune2009.pdf JISC/IPSOS MORI (2008) Great Expectations of ICT: How Higher Education Institutions are measuring up. Available online at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/jiscgreatexpectationsfinalreportjune08.pdf Livingstone, I. and Hope, A. (2011) Next Gen: transforming the UK into the world’s leading talent hub for the video games and visual effects industries, Nesta. Available online at: http://www.nesta.org.uk/home1/assets/documents/next_gen_video_games_and_vfx_skills_reviewTRANSCRIPT
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Improving Digital Capability through Digital LiteraciesPELeCON 2012
Dr. Doug Belshaw
Researcher/Analyst, JISC infoNet
11/04/2023
Session objectives
Access to, and experience of, practical tools to assess and progress digital capability across different staff roles and student groups
Familiarity with how other institutions are developing unique identities and strategies
Insight into how institutions are creating unique digital identities and strategies
A better understanding of the relationship between digital literacies and the student experience
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Session overview
This session will introduce tools for auditing and developing digital capability at an institutional and departmental level, including student-facing surveys, competence frameworks mapped to professional body standards, and models of organisational change.
Participants will also explore a number of different models for becoming a successful digital institution, based on the outcomes of previous JISC work.
Image CC BY-NC-SA Simon Greig
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Part I
Background
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Context
Many learners enter further and higher education lacking the skills needed to apply digital technologies to education.
As 90% of new jobs will require excellent digital skills, improving digital literacy is an essential component of developing employable graduates.
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What is our definition of digital literacy?
We’re working with colleges and universities to embed core digital skills into the curriculum. By digital literacy we mean those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society: for example, the skills to use digital tools to undertake academic research, writing and critical thinking; as part of personal development planning; and as a way of showcasing achievements.
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What have we learned to date?
2006-08 – Learners' experiences of e-learning programmeStudents' success depends on strategies for integrating ICT into academic practice; students' strategies and preferences differ widely
2009 – Learning Literacies for a Digital Age studyDigital literacy needs to be integrated across the curriculum: learners develop through authentic tasks in meaningful situations
2010 – Supporting Learners in a Digital AgeNine institutional case studies in developing learners' digital capabilities: listening to and responding to learners as a theme
2011 – Digital literacy workshop seriesCascading outcomes of LliDA and SLIDA: tools for organisational and curriculum development; sharing best practice
2011-13 – Developing Digital Literacies programmeFunded institutional projects, integrating digital literacy development across the board; community consultation
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Enhancing the student experience
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Being able to learn fluently across technologies and contexts
Building academic/professional
digital identity
Getting access tolearning opportunities
Integrating diverseliving/learning experiences
Having critical judgementin relation to digital means and media
Knowing what I need to know, and how to express it
Being a participant in the digital learning community
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Improving graduate attributes
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Sense making
Social intelligence
Adaptive thinking
Cross-cultural competency
Virtual collaboration
Computational thinking
New media literacy
Cognitive load management
Transdisciplinarity
Design mindset
Davies, A., Fidler, D., Gorbis, M. (2011) Future Work Skills 2020. Institute for the Future, for the University of Phoenix Research Institute. University of Phoenix.
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Why digital literacy?
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Impacts of digital technologyon practice
(research, teaching, learning, professionalism, knowledge transfer,
development)
New demands on the sector (graduate attributes and outcomes,
the learning experience, lifelong learning)
Fair access and opportunity(digital technology reduces some
barriers/inequalities,can introduce others)
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Part II
JISC Developing Digital Literacies Programme
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Developing Digital Literacies Programme
A sector-wide programme promoting the development of coherent, inclusive and holistic institutional strategies and organisational approaches for developing digital literacies for staff and students in UK further and higher education.
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Developing Digital Literacies Programme
University of Bath
University College London
Oxford Brookes University
Cardiff University
Worcester College of Technology
Institute of Education, Londonslide 13
University of Greenwich
University of the Arts London
University of Exeter
Coleg Llandrillo Cymru
University of Plymouth
University of Reading
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/developingdigitalliteracies
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Engagement with Sector Bodies
JISC is working in collaboration with sector bodies and professional associations to:
Gather information and user requirements
Develop professional frameworks and practices
Synthesise and validate outcomes from the programme
Raise awareness and consult widely with stakeholders
Opportunities to involve and engage others will follow.
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Engagement with Sector Bodies
The sector bodies and professional associations JISC is working with initially include:
Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE)
Association for Learning Technology (ALT)
Association of University Administrators (AUA)
Heads of Educational Development Group (HEDG)
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Organisational Development in Higher Education Group (ODHE)
Standing Conference on Academic Practice (SCAP)
Staff Development Forum (SDF)
Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA)
Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL)
Vitae
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Design Studio
The JISC Design Studio is a developing set of resources for institutions to use and share, including:
Tools
Resources
Research papers
References
Project resources
Project outputs
slide 16http://jiscdesignstudio.pbworks.com
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JISC e-Learning Programmes blog
The JISC e-Learning Programmes blog includes information from the Developing Digital Programme, including:
Outputs from projects
Contributions from experts
Details of upcoming and past events relating to programmes
slide 17http://elearningprogs.jiscinvolve.org
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JISC Mail list
JISC-DIGLIT-PUBLIC is a JISC Mail list for those interested in digital literacies but not directly involved in the JISC Developing Digital Literacies programme.
Resources, opportunities for funding, and general information about the programme are posted on a regular basis.
slide 18http://jiscmail.ac.uk/JISC-DIGLIT-PUBLIC
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Project blogs
The projects funded by the JISC Developing Digital Literacies programme all have blogs.
The RSS feeds from these project blogs are aggregated at a Netvibes page.
slide 19http://www.netvibes.com/jiscinfonet
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Part III
Initial findings from Baseline Synthesis report(written by Helen Beetham, JISC Digital Literacies consultant)
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Difficulty of benchmarking complex practices
“The practices we are most concerned to develop are critical to institutions - the core practices of learning and teaching, research and knowledge transfer, and the necessary administrative and managerial activities that support them. Such complex practices are extremely difficult to benchmark, and there is a temptation to focus on issues that are more amenable to measurement such as access to and use of specific technologies.”
Image CC BY-SA nerovivo
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Major barriers to digital literacies (1)
Time – both staff and students perceive that they lack time to practice and become proficient in new technologies, even if they are generally aware of their potential.
Transferability – although the majority of students are comfortable with using digital technology for social and personal ends, they can struggle to transfer these skills to academic study.
Assumption – many staff believe that students are 'digitally ready', an assumption which is challenged when they set students specific tasks to do
Motivation – there is low take-up of learning opportunities that are obviously skills-based as students can see them as remedial, irrelevant to their main programme of study
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Major barriers to digital literacies (2)
Conflicting beliefs of academic staff – there are fundamental debates over how far digital technology is 'spoon feeding' students and whether 'traditional' academic methods have value that should be asserted as an alternative to habits of reliance on digital technology
Overload – a sense of being overwhelmed by the availability of information and services, and the pace of technological change
Digital divide – a minority of staff and students have real problems accessing digital technology, either for reasons of background, culture, previous educational experience, or simply a lack of means.
Image CC BY-NC-SA Norma Desmond
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Assumptions around digital literacy development
“But while the best tutors clearly do address personal readiness for study and even provide guidance on digital study practices, many others expect students to progress simply by engaging in their course work:
At the beginning of the [dissertation] year [academic literacy] is pretty dire but by the end when they’ve completed it they improved a 100% from where they were. To some extent, part of that is that they are
actually up against it and they’ve got to get it sorted.
Image CC BY-NC-SA alandberning
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BYOD
“The philosophy of 'bring your own device' is being extended to 'bring your own services' and even 'bring your own skills', as most staff and students have achieved basic levels of digital access and are choosing technologies for themselves. This rationale, however, is not always expressed clearly, and nor are policies always in place to identify and support those with less digital capital to draw on.”
Image CC BY Adam Selwood
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Marginalisation through technology?
“There is nowhere for most students to find out what devices are required, expected, or recommended for their course, or having invested in a device, how best to use it to support their studies. Students who lack digital capital of all kinds – devices, know-how and positive experiences with technology – risk being marginalised.”
Image CC BY CarbonNYC
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Mobile technologies
“Students' use of mobile technologies is being acknowledged in the support for mobile networks and the use of text messaging, for example, to provide updates on the timetable or reminders of overdue library books, but there are very few examples of it being used for reciprocal communication or for data capture i.e. in learning and teaching contexts.”
Image CC BY Dominik Syka
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University of Plymouth
At the University of Plymouth, support for the development of digital literacy is provided by:
Computing Services | IT Training and Skills Development | Faculty Support and Strategy | Educational Development | Learning Development | Employability Centre/Careers | Learning and Research Development | Library | Disability ASSIST | Extra-curricular Learning Support | Widening Participation | Work-based learning team | Technology-Enhanced Learning Team | Media Hub
Each service supports a different aspect of digital capability or a different context of digital participation.
Image CC BY-NC-SA foto_mania
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Co-ordination of digital literacies in FE
“In FE, support for students' digital literacy is generally better coordinated, perhaps because of the small size of colleges and small number of professional staff involved in student support, or perhaps because of the focus on individual students' learning needs. Support tends to be provided in a wider range of formats, from training sessions through online support to hand-outs and videos.”
Image CC BY-NC-SA scalefreenetwork
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Part IV
What forward-thinking institutions are doing(taken from report by Helen Beetham, JISC consultant)
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Strategy
The most forward thinking universities and colleges are: Creating opportunities for digital issues to be discussed across
policy arenas. This might mean appointing a 'digital champion' whose remit crosses existing strategic boundaries, or providing forums where senior managers meet to discuss digital challenges and opportunities
Ensuring strategies translate into practical actions and include indicators of success
Drawing on the lessons and legacies of previous change initiatives at the institution
Describing carefully what is meant by 'digital literacy' or 'digital capability' or similar terms where they appear as aspirations
Involving students in strategic thinking
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Developing capability
Forward thinking universities and colleges are: Providing face to face training in the use of academic systems Embedding key technologies, methods and aptitudes into
programmes of study Articulating learning and teaching practices clearly, so that students
can anticipate digital requirements Identifying sources of digital disadvantage and planning to
remediate them Sustaining role-specific support networks, for example around
specialist technologies, practices or roles Offering clear rewards to staff and students for developing and
sharing their digital expertise Creating technology mentor or champion roles where appropriate
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Support and professional services
Forward thinking universities and colleges are: addressing the digital capability of professional staff working across professional and support services to articulate what
digital capabilities students should be developing if they are to be successful in their studies
involving students in supporting other students' development, and even reverse-mentoring staff
providing students with clear signposts to support and guidance
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Cultures and attitudes
Forward thinking universities and colleges are: explicitly rewarding innovation in learning, teaching and scholarship; recognising students' digital cultures and identities while making
explicit the practices of academic spaces (e.g. peer review, positive critique, language, referencing);
enabling departments and professional services to evolve their own definitions of digital capability and their own means of developing it (but also);
providing cross-departmental forums for sharing learning, teaching and research ideas;
involving students as digital ambassadors and change agents.
Image CC BY Aunt Owwee
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Going further
More information and links to JISC resources can be found at the links provided in your handout.
http://embedit.in/zeJc7xeI82
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© HEFCE 2011
The Higher Education Funding Council for England,
on behalf of JISC, permits reuse of this presentation
and its contents under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK
England & Wales Licence.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/uk
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