The document discusses engaging learners in discussions about technology. It describes several studies conducted from 2013-2016 that spoke to thousands of students, staff, and learners. It discusses prototyping a digital student data service and gathering learner expectations and experiences of technology. The document provides examples of activities to engage learners, such as using post-it notes to gather feedback, and recommends developing a digital strategy with learner input and supporting staff to use technology innovatively through learner partnerships.

1. 18th
November
15
How do you engage your learners in
discussions about technology?
#digitalstudent digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org

2. http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org
» Phase 1 study reviewed students’ expectations and experiences of
the digital environment at university and we spoke to 500 staff
and students during our consultation (2013-2014)
» We conducted a review of practice in schools to identify likely
incoming expectations (2014)
» In phase 2 we focused on FE speaking to 220 learners and 300
staff from colleges across the UK (2014-2015)
» Phase 3 Skills study, speaking to adult & community learners,
work based learners including apprentices and offender learners
(2015-2016)
» Prototyping a digital student data service to support providers &
universities to gather their learners experiences of technology
(2015-)
09/09/15 Enhancing your learners’ digital experience

3. Activity
1. How do you gather your learners’
expectations and experiences of
technology? (green post-it)
2. How do you engage your learners in
the development of your digital
strategy, digital environment? (pink
post-it)
Write down your answers on 2 post-it
notes!
13/07/15 Enhancing your learners’ digital experience

4. Enhancing your learners’ digital experience
The digital experience matters
» Learners' first experiences of colleges are often online:
» Learners compare their digital experiences and provision
» Many course experiences are now hybrid/blended
» Learners want to use their own devices and services to access,
organise and record their learning
» Learners expect college/university to prepare them for
employment in digital workplaces and life in a digital society
» Learners' sense of wellbeing and belonging are tied up with the
quality of their digital access

5. Learners want a say
Enhancing your learners’ digital experience
» Learners in our studies saw the digital experience as an
opportunity to contribute and get involved
» Digital engagement methods such as social media, padlets,
twitter walls, vox pops etc are popular...
» … and once established can be used for other issues too
» Digital students are different – it is important that the experience
of different groups is represented
» Learners can get involved in different ways e.g. advocate,
researcher, representative, intern, change agent, project lead,
buddy, mentor, designer...
» This is an issue which can help change relationships between staff
and students

6. Colleges & providers want to do this better
Enhancing your learners’ digital experience
» The digital experience is a complex and emerging issue – it's hard
to ask the right questions
» Information about it is held by different people in different roles
and places – it's hard to get a joined up picture
» Longitudinal, qualitative and comparative data are essential – but
difficult to collect, manage and interpret
» Engagement should be part of a change agenda: students get
cynical if their opinion is sought but not acted on
» Lack of resources to do the research
» Is the digital experience really a separate issue or should it be
investigated alongside other learner data?

7. Card sort activity and learner profile
13/07/15 Enhancing your learners’ digital experience
http://bit.ly/FEdigitalstudentoutputs

8. http://bit.ly/FEdigitalstudentoutputs
»Card sort – for FE and one for Skills
»Learner profile forms – for capturing learners’ technology
use
»Guidance on how to run focus groups with learners
»Digital students are different posters
»Enhancing the digital student experience postcards
»Benchmarking the student digital experience
»Learner voice video clips – FE and Skills learners speaking
about their expectations of technology
13/07/15 Enhancing your learners’ digital experience

9. Digital students are different posters

10. Enhancing the digital student experience
postcards

11. Benchmarking the student digital experience
Jisc, NUS andTSEP
bit.ly/digistudentexp
09/09/15 Enhancing your learners’ digital experience

12. Enhancing the student digital experience
https://www.jisc.ac.uk
/guides/enhancing-
the-digital-student-
experience
Now withfindings
from FE Digital
Studentprojectand 50
snapshotsof current
practicefrom colleges
http://digitalstudent.jis
cinvolve.org/wp/exem
plars/fe-snapshot-
case-studies/
Updated
online
guide
available
from:
09/09/15 Enhancing your learners’ digital experience

13. Student-staff partnership working
#JiscCAN http://can.jiscinvolve.org

14. Working in partnership
» “Partnership is fundamentally about a relationship in which all involved – students,
academics, professional services staff, senior managers, students’ unions and so on – are
actively engaged in and stand to gain from the process of learning and working together.
Partnership is essentially a process of engagement, not a product. It is a way of doing
things, rather than an outcome in itself.”
» Healey, M., Flint,A. and Harrington, K. (2014) Engagement through partnership: students as partners in learning and teaching in higher
education.York, Higher EducationAcademy.Available at: http://bit.ly/1gztC3u

15. Current drivers for partnership working
» “FELTAG’s research and
conversations consistently referred
to the under-exploitationof learners’
skills,devices and technical
knowledge when it came to theuse
oflearningtechnology
» The greatest resource available to FE
and Skills providers in this domain is
their learners
» Moreeffortneeds tobe made to
engage and empower learners’ use
of digital technology - and theuseof
theirowndevices – in the learning
process.”
» The digital literacy agenda inWales
is a key driver for change
29/06/2015 Driving institutional change through staff-student partnership
Image used under cc license bryanmmathers

16. Where are you now?
29/06/2015 Driving institutional change through staff-student partnership
Consultation
» Opportunities are provided for students to express individual opinions,
perspectives, experiences, ideas and concerns
Involvement
» Opportunities are provided for students as individuals to take a more
active role
Participation
» Decisions are taken by students to take part or to take a more active role in a
defined activity
Partnership
» There is a collaboration between an institution or department or faculty and
student, involving joint ownership and decision making over both the process
and the outcome
NUS Student Engagement toolkit – bit.ly/NUStoolkit

17. Ways of engaging students in the digital environment
» Gathering information
› Surveys,interviews,focus groups to find
out about student expectations
› Participative / observational methods
to explore practices and attitudes
› Social media – with students' consent
– to collect information
› Analyse existing data e.g. NSS/Learner
voice/local surveys/SPOCs
» Stimulating, gathering and
responding to ideas
› Interactive and fun e.g.
crowdsourcing, hashtags, ideas tree,
padlet…
› Makesurestudentscan shareideasand
seehowtheyareacted on
29/06/2015 Driving institutional change through staff-student partnership
» Partnership projects
› Champions, change agents, digital
leaders, digital ambassadors, student
fellows, student ambassadors, student
partners, student researchers, co-
designers, co-creators, co-developers

18. Benefits of working in partnership
» Gain an experience of leadership and influencing change
» Gain experience of using research to shape change
» Students can gain recognition through awards such as leadership awards,
academic credit, extra-curricular awards and awards accredited through external
bodies
» Increases confidence and skills (e.g. communication, team-working,
management, research skills)
» Enhances networking with e.g. employers, community
» Improved employability and job prospects
Benefits for students:
29/06/2015 Driving institutional change through staff-student partnership

19. http://can.jiscinvolve.org @CANagogy
» The Change agents’ network supports students working as change agents, digital
pioneers, student fellows and students working in partnership with staff on technology
related change projects
» Over 350 members subscribed to the CAN community mailing list
» Facilitates the sharing of best practice through
› Support for face to face networking events
› CAN webinars
› CAN case studies – 10 institutional case studies now available
» Developing successful student staff partnerships online guide
» Journal of Educational Innovation, Partnership and Change
» SEDA accredited Jisc Institutional Change Leader online course running in October 15
What is the Change agents’ network (CAN)?
10/09/2015 From pilot to embedded practice: Scaling up and embedding learner as change agent initiatives

20. DigiPals at Blackburn College
»Blackburn College has 10
DigiPals who champion the
use of e-learning in 3 different
ways:
› Student Scholarship DigiPals
› Learning Futures Students
› Trainee teacher DigiPals
› Case study -
http://bit.ly/1MUFmen
29/06/2015 Driving institutional change through staff-student partnership
“It has been really useful to have DigiPals in class.
If you run into any technical issues they are always
there to help and they are all very good.”
Student, BlackburnCollege

21. Apple ambassadors at Portsmouth College
»All new students receive an iPad
mini
»70 student Apple ambassadors
»Most curriculumareas covered
»Training provided by Apple
»Advise and help staff (and
students) to make the most of
the iPad minis
»Learners = more independent?
Better engaged?
»Case study -
http://bit.ly/1M7U4cW
29/06/2015 Driving institutional change through staff-student partnership
Kayleigh andGeorge, Apple ambassadors

22. DigiDesk and Barnet and Southgate College
» The DigiDesk initiative at Barnet and
Southgate College was established in
2013
» The DigiDesk provides first-line support
for both students and staff with their
digital literacy or ‘e-basics’ needs and
technical queries.
» It is staffed by volunteer DigiDesk
advisors, typically level 3 students with
good interpersonal and IT skills and an
interest in careers in computing, IT,
animation and training.
» http://bit.ly/1KqfqBc
13/07/15 Enhancing your learners’ digital experience

23. Prospects College for AdvancedTechnology
» Digital learning fellow leads the
development & implementation of a
digital learning strategy that focuses
on vocational training and work-
based learning
» Students are actively involved in
producing materials as part of their
learning and assessment and for the
VLE
» Appointment of student digital
learning ambassadors to support
staff & learners develop new skills,
gain confidence, trial new
approaches to using technology
» Those selected will receive
scholarship funding of £1,200
»Case study:
http://bit.ly/1H01TW5
13/07/15 Enhancing your learners’ digital experience

24. Student Digital Leaders at Sussex Downs College
»Students will be given access
to research and debate
› AboutTL&A
› About LearningTechnology
»Participate in whole staff
development days
»Run student focus groups
»Advise on LearningTechnology
strategy and implementation
»Contribute to induction of both
new students and new staff
»and more that they will tell us!
For further information:
john.webber@sussexdowns.ac.uk
@jwwweb
29/06/2015 Driving institutional change through staff-student partnership

25. Developing successful student staff partnerships
» New online guide available from:
http://bit.ly/jisc-partnership » Benefits of student-staff partnerships
» Quick start
» Viewpoints implementation framework,
resources and guidance
› Partnership setup
› Partnership implementation
› Capabilities, development and
accreditation
› Sustaining and embedding
partnerships based on evaluation of
impact
» Case studies
» Webinars
» Other agency initiatives

26. Making it happen – key recommendations
» Develop a digital strategy with key
stakeholders and engage learners
in its development
» Support staff to use digital
technology in a more innovative
way by developing partnerships
with students
» Develop a continual process of
evaluation - understand how current
services meet the needs of learners
and encourage staff to evaluate
technology use in the classroom with
an ongoing dialogue with learners
» Ensure there are rewards and
recognition for both staff and
learners
Enhancing your learners’ digital experience
Learners’ digital experiences are
strongly dependent on the
confidence and capabilities of
their teachers, but currently
staff workload and career
pathways are hindering staff
development

27. What one thing?
»Send a text to 0207 183
8329 starting with digi
NOTE - if you don’t start
the text with digi, it won’t
go to our inbox
»What one thing will you
do to engage your
learners in active
dialogue around their
digital expectations and
experiences
09/09/15 Enhancing your learners’ digital experience

28. jisc.ac.uk
Except where otherwise noted, this work
is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND
Get in involved
09/09/15 Enhancing your learners’ digital experience
Sarah.knight@jisc.ac.uk
digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org
#digitalstudent
can.jiscinvolve.org
Join CAN mailing list:
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/CAN
Follow us @CANagogy #jiscCAN