Improving Digital Capability through Digital Literacies

Improving Digital Capability through Digital Literacies PELeCON 2012 Dr. Doug Belshaw Researcher/Analyst, JISC infoNet23/04/2012 slide 1

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 experience23/04/2012 slide 2

Session overviewThis session will introduce tools for auditing anddeveloping digital capability at an institutional anddepartmental level, including student-facing surveys,competence frameworks mapped to professional bodystandards, and models of organisational change.Participants will also explore a number of different modelsfor becoming a successful digital institution, based on theoutcomes of previous JISC work. Image CC BY-NC-SA Simon Greig23/04/2012 slide 3

Part I Background23/04/2012 slide 4

ContextMany learners enterfurther and highereducation lacking theskills needed to applydigital technologies toeducation.As 90% of new jobswill require excellentdigital skills,improving digitalliteracy is anessential componentof developingemployablegraduates.23/04/2012 slide 5

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.23/04/2012 slide 6

What have we learned to date? 2006-08 – Learners experiences of e-learning programme Students success depends on strategies for integrating ICT into academic practice; students strategies and preferences differ widely 2009 – Learning Literacies for a Digital Age study Digital literacy needs to be integrated across the curriculum: learners develop through authentic tasks in meaningful situations 2010 – Supporting Learners in a Digital Age Nine institutional case studies in developing learners digital capabilities: listening to and responding to learners as a theme 2011 – Digital literacy workshop series Cascading outcomes of LliDA and SLIDA: tools for organisational and curriculum development; sharing best practice 2011-13 – Developing Digital Literacies programme Funded institutional projects, integrating digital literacy development across the board; community consultation23/04/2012 slide 7

Enhancing the student experience Getting access to Integrating diverse learning opportunities living/learning experiences Being able to learn fluently across technologies and contexts Knowing what I need to know, and how to express it Being a participant in the digital learning community Having critical judgement in relation to digital means and media Building academic/professional23/04/2012 digital identity8 slide

Improving graduate attributes Sense making Computational thinking Social intelligence New media literacy Adaptive thinking Cognitive load Cross-cultural management competency Transdisciplinarity Virtual collaboration 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.23/04/2012 slide 9

Why digital literacy? Fair access and opportunity (digital technology reduces some barriers/inequalities,can introduce others) Impacts of digital technology on practice (research, teaching, learning, professionalism, knowledge transfer, development) New demands on the sector (graduate attributes and outcomes, the learning experience, lifelong learning)23/04/2012 slide 10

Part II JISC Developing Digital Literacies Programme23/04/2012 slide 11

Developing Digital Literacies ProgrammeA sector-wide programmepromoting the developmentof coherent, inclusive andholistic institutional strategiesand organisationalapproaches for developingdigital literacies for staff andstudents in UK further andhigher education.23/04/2012 slide 12

Developing Digital Literacies Programme  University of Greenwich  University of Bath  University of the Arts London  University College London  University of Exeter  Oxford Brookes University  Coleg Llandrillo Cymru  Cardiff University  University of Plymouth  Worcester College of Technology  University of Reading  Institute of Education, London23/04/2012 http://www.jisc.ac.uk/developingdigitalliteracies slide 13

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 stakeholders23/04/2012 slide 14

Engagement with Sector Bodies The sector bodies and professional  Organisational Development in associations JISC is working with Higher Education Group initially include: (ODHE)  Standing Conference on  Association for Learning Academic Practice (SCAP) Development in Higher Education  Staff Development Forum (ALDinHE) (SDF)  Association for Learning  Staff and Educational Technology (ALT) Development Association  Association of University (SEDA) Administrators (AUA)  Society of College, National  Heads of Educational and University Libraries Development Group (HEDG) (SCONUL)  Vitae23/04/2012 slide 15

Design StudioThe JISC DesignStudio is a developingset of resources forinstitutions to use andshare, including: Tools Resources Research papers References Project resources Project outputs23/04/2012 http://jiscdesignstudio.pbworks.com slide 16

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 http://elearningprogs.jiscinvolve.org23/04/2012 slide 17

JISC Mail listJISC-DIGLIT-PUBLICis a JISC Mail list forthose interested indigital literacies butnot directly involved inthe JISC DevelopingDigital Literaciesprogramme.Resources,opportunities forfunding, and generalinformation about theprogramme are postedon a regular basis.23/04/2012 http://jiscmail.ac.uk/JISC-DIGLIT-PUBLIC slide 18

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.23/04/2012 http://www.netvibes.com/jiscinfonet slide 19

Part III Initial findings from Baseline Synthesis report (written by Helen Beetham, JISC Digital Literacies consultant)23/04/2012 slide 20

Difficulty of benchmarking complex practices“The practices we are most concerned to develop arecritical to institutions - the core practices of learningand teaching, research and knowledge transfer, andthe necessary administrative and managerial activitiesthat support them. Such complex practices areextremely difficult to benchmark, and there is atemptation to focus on issues that are more amenableto measurement such as access to and use of specifictechnologies.” Image CC BY-SA nerovivo23/04/2012 slide 21

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 study23/04/2012 slide 22

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 Desmond23/04/2012 slide 23

Assumptions around digital literacy development“But while the best tutors clearly do address personalreadiness for study and even provide guidance ondigital study practices, many others expect studentsto progress simply by engaging in their coursework: 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 alandberning23/04/2012 slide 24

BYOD“The philosophy of bring your own device is beingextended to bring your own services and even bringyour own skills, as most staff and students haveachieved basic levels of digital access and arechoosing technologies for themselves. This rationale,however, is not always expressed clearly, and norare policies always in place to identify and supportthose with less digital capital to draw on.” Image CC BY Adam Selwood23/04/2012 slide 25

Marginalisation through technology?“There is nowhere for most students to find out whatdevices are required, expected, or recommended fortheir course, or having invested in a device, how bestto use it to support their studies. Students who lackdigital capital of all kinds – devices, know-how andpositive experiences with technology – risk beingmarginalised.” Image CC BY CarbonNYC23/04/2012 slide 26

Mobile technologies“Students use of mobile technologies is beingacknowledged in the support for mobile networks andthe use of text messaging, for example, to provideupdates on the timetable or reminders of overduelibrary books, but there are very few examples of itbeing used for reciprocal communication or fordata capture i.e. in learning and teaching contexts.” Image CC BY Dominik Syka23/04/2012 slide 27

University of PlymouthAt the University of Plymouth, support for the development ofdigital 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 | DisabilityASSIST | Extra-curricular Learning Support | WideningParticipation | Work-based learning team | Technology-Enhanced Learning Team | Media HubEach service supports a different aspect of digitalcapability or a different context of digital participation. Image CC BY-NC-SA foto_mania23/04/2012 slide 28

Co-ordination of digital literacies in FE“In FE, support for students digital literacy isgenerally better coordinated, perhaps because ofthe small size of colleges and small number ofprofessional staff involved in student support, orperhaps because of the focus on individual studentslearning needs. Support tends to be provided in awider range of formats, from training sessions throughonline support to hand-outs and videos.” Image CC BY-NC-SA scalefreenetwork23/04/2012 slide 29

Part IV What forward-thinking institutions are doing (taken from report by Helen Beetham, JISC consultant)23/04/2012 slide 30

StrategyThe 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 thinking23/04/2012 slide 31

Developing capabilityForward 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 appropriate23/04/2012 slide 32

Support and professional servicesForward 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 guidance23/04/2012 slide 33

Cultures and attitudesForward 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 Owwee23/04/2012 slide 34

Going furtherMore information and links toJISC resources can be foundat the links provided in yourhandout.http://embedit.in/zeJc7xeI8223/04/2012 slide 35

© HEFCE 2011The Higher Education Funding Council for England,on behalf of JISC, permits reuse of this presentationand its contents under the terms of the Creative CommonsAttribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UKEngland & Wales Licence.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/uk23/04/2012 slide 36

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Improving Digital Capability through Digital Literacies

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