The Digital Department

Stefanie Anyadi (Division of Psychology and Language Sciences)

Lorraine Dardis (Institute of Child Health)

Clive Young (Learning Technology Support Service)

Aims

1. develop the professional profile and expertise of UCL teaching administrators (TAs)

2. create a ‘digital literacy’ framework

3. deliver a training programme

4. get external accreditation via

....semi funded by Aug 2011 to July 2013

Why teaching administrators (TAs)?

• 30k? individuals across UK HE (c150 at UCL)• major contribution to the student experience in

increasingly technologically 'blended' learning environments.

• have a range of responsibilities - admissions, quality management, programme and course coordination and planning, VLE course management, student advice, student feedback processes, distance learning etc

• digital literacy underpins all these activities

Digital literacies (according to JISC)

• “those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society”

• All connected– ICT/computer literacy– information literacy– media literacy– communication and

collaboration– digital scholarship– learning skills– life-planning (PDP)

Scope of the funding programme

to support the

integration and normalisation

of digital capability

into the core activities and practices

of educational institutions...

What does JISC hope to achieve?• respond positively to

change• flexible, agile adoption of

new practices • capacity to choose critically

among available technologies.

JISC’s vision for digital literacies

• Graduates - choose, use and personalise technologies and digital content to suit their own needs.

• Researchers, research students and their supervisors explore new ways of understanding their subject opened up by digital tools, large quantities of digitised content and media.

• Learning and teaching professionals design learning opportunities in which the use of digital tools, digital content, such as digitised collections of primary and secondary material, and media are fully integrated, including in assessment criteria.

• Institutions are rethinking the graduate attributes for the 21st century and embedding digital literacies across the curriculum.

....and the consequence is....

... the curriculum becomes more flexible

• administrators - complex enrolments and timetables, new modes of study, courses delivered in different settings.

• teaching staff - support and feedback to students seeking a range of learning outcomes, using digital technology to help maintain contact and support progression.

• students* - must become skilled at identifying and integrating learning opportunities to meet their personal needs.

*enhancing the student experience is very important to JISC.

with more complex / differentiated learning pathways.....so.....

What we hope to achieve

1. Review current processes and practices to establish a baseline of digital literacies required and a framework of good practice.

2. Analyse the likely future requirements - via focus groups and 'mini projects‘.

3. Plan innovations - co-develop a knowledge base.

4. Pilot a practitioner-led workshop programme.

5. Evaluate with a particular focus on enhancing the student experience.

6. Certify the programme (with the AUA) – a portfolio approach.

7. Cascade the literacies to colleagues and students.

8. Adapt the model for other groups of professional services staff.

What we want to produce

1. Evaluated UCL organisational strategy for developing digital literacies of teaching administrators (TAs).

2. Benchmark of digital literacies required by TAs to support the digital department.

3. Knowledge base and development framework.

4. Evaluated development model for engaging staff / students and enhancing and embedding skills.

What we want to produce-cont’d

5. OER materials to support staff and organisational development.

6. Individual case studies (portfolios) in a range of academic units.

7. A reward and recognition/certification model.

8. Adaptation for other professional support groups.

9. Dissemination events.

10. Evaluation report.

The Digital Department

How can you get involved?

How can you get involved?

• Focus group• Framework development (ideas, content,

feedback)• Mini-projects• Case studies• Pilot certification• Disseminate/publish

Ideas space

• Digital literacy skills – what should be included?

• What should we investigate (new ideas, mini-projects, case studies)

• How do you want to get involved, what types of training, how to develop skills?