This document summarizes a workshop about gathering student expectations and experiences of digital technology. It discusses the Digital Experience Insights tracker, which is a student survey on digital experience administered across UK institutions. Representatives from Ulster University and Northern Regional College shared key findings from administering the tracker at their institutions. They found that reliable WiFi and interactive learning were priorities for students. The workshop concluded with a discussion about how institutions could better involve students in shaping digital developments.

1. Northern Ireland
Tuesday 19 June

2. How are students’ expectations
and experiences of their digital
environment changing?
Ruth Drysdale, Jisc
Fiona McCloy, Andy Jaffrey and
Andrew McAnallen, Ulster University
Helen Dixon, Northern Regional College

3. »How do you gather your students’
expectations and experiences of
technology within your institution or
on your course?
»Share your ideas with us:
› Visit menti.com
› Enter code 21 23 16
Your students’ voice about their digital experience?

4. Workshop overview
»Background to the digital experience tracker
»Ulster University
»Northern Regional College
»Questions
»Group discussion
»What can you take away and use in your context?

5. ‘Not just another survey…’

6. Sector
analysis
Enhance service
Collect
Improve
Jisc
consultancy
Tracker
launch
Sector
analysis
Organisational
analysis
Experts panel
Insight drives
organisational
improvement
Change
initiated
Review of
service
scope &
question
set
Enhance
service
Analyse
Data
collection
Digital experience insights service, launches Sept 2018
Digital Experience Insights
» Student tracker
» Staff tracker
» Research tracker in
development

7. Digital experience insights (Tracker) is:
» A student engagement process, governed by
national guidance
» A tried and tested student survey, made up of:
› Closed questions that can be benchmarked
› Open questions for local analysis
› Add or customise further questions
» Compare student feedback with teaching staff
views and organisational factors
» A Community of practice around the tracker
process and findings (including student
representatives)

8. » Initial questions based on ‘digital student’
research and sector consultations (2016)
» Closed pilot with 24 selected institutions (2016)
» Open pilot with 85 self-selecting institutions and
29k respondents (2016-17)
» 2018 pilot with 90 institutions and 39k
respondents with 20 international universities
» Reports available from
http://bit.ly/jisctracker17
http://bit.ly/tracker17brief
Extensively trialled and evaluated
Student questions available from
http://bit.ly/trackerguide

9. Key findings from 2017…

10. National insights about attitudes to digital
technologies - 2017
Technology makes me more
independent and makes it easier to fit
learning into life
Submitting assignments
electronically is more convenient

11. National insights Virtual learning environment - 2017
Rely on their institution’s
VLE to do their coursework
Regularly access their institution’s
VLE via a mobile device

12. National insights from learning and teaching Qs- 2017
»In qualitative data, students
overwhelmingly ask that
digital technology does
not replace face-to-face
teaching
»They do want more reliable
and more joined-up
access to services…
»… and more interaction, f2f
and with digital systems

13. National insights from learning and teaching Qs- 2017
»The digital confidence and
capability of teaching staff
is significant to students’
overall digital experience …
»Students want consistency
in the use of core
technologies…
»… but for teaching staff to
be diverse, creative,
discriminating and selective
in their use of technology

14. Understanding our
digital students
Fiona McCloy, Andy Jaffrey and
Andrew McAnallen, Ulster University

15. »Well-established digital presence
»Fragmented digital data sources
»Jisc tracker (2016/17 and 2017/18)
»Student digital experience and benchmarking
Student digital experience at Ulster

16. »Personal  institutional (digital learning spaces)
»Quality of digital provision
»Increase digital capabilities
»Open access
»Reliable WiFi
»Video learning content
»Interactive learning
»Mobile learning
»Apps
What we found out…

17. 80% are more independent in their learning,
77% can fit learning into their life more easily,
and 72% enjoy learning more
when digital technologies are used on their course.

18. 96% use personal laptops and
88% use personal smartphones
to support their learning.

19. Digital tools or apps really useful for learning
»Student preferences
»Supported/non-supported
»Range of activities
»Opportunity to integrate
into the learning design

20. »Student voice
»Evidence-informed improvements
»Student partnerships
»Institutional stakeholder framework
»Benchmarking
Institutional influence

21. Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND.
Instructional design consultant
Thank you
Fiona McCloy, Ulster University
fp.mccloy@ulster.ac.uk

22. Tracking our digital progress
– what our students think
Helen Dixon, Northern Regional College

23. » Gather evidence from learners about their
digital experience early in the implementation
of our strategy
» Opportunity to benchmark performance across
FE sector
» Inform decision making around
digital learning
» Demonstrate quality enhancement and student
engagement
» Most of the hard work is done for us!
Why do we take part in the Tracker?

24. »Increase in % of students who use educational games
or simulations
»Increase in % of students who use polling devices or
online quizzes
»Decrease in % of students who would like the Digital Learning
Environment to be used more by their tutors
»Decrease in % of students who believe online assessments
are delivered and managed well
Mostly similar but some fluctuations
Key findings compared to last year

25. How do we compare to the rest of the FE sector?
»Access to desktop
computers
»Access to e-books and
e-journals
»Access to health and
wellbeing services online
»Overall College digital
provision
»Digital teaching and learning
More positive on
»Access to laptops, tablets
and smartphones
»Ability to participate in
student union activities
online
»Use of educational games or
simulations and online
polling devices or quizzes
»Reliable WiFi
Less positive on

26. When digital technologies are used
66% of students feel more independent in their learning
64% understand things better
62% enjoy learning more
"Have a comprehensive
induction to explain all digital
services that are available at
the beginning of the course."
Care and Access student

27. How can we improve their experience?
Improve the WiFi
Make more resources available online
Make more use of BigBlueButton and video tutorials
Make lessons more interactive
"As so many of the
students use portable devices
the need for a reliable WiFi
signal is evident."
Engineering and Built Environment student

28. Our responses to students' feedback
»Creation of Student zone on
the DLE for student services
»Improving our
induction resources
»Developing digital
learning hub for student
information and guides
»Continued training for staff
on online assessment and
activities

29. Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND.
Dr Helen Dixon
Head of digital learning
Helen.dixon@nrc.ac.uk
Thank you!
Northern Regional College
@NRCDLT

30. Group discussions – on your tables
» Consider your current context and
practice, and the examples that you
have heard about today…
› Identify at least one takeaway /
action on how you might better
engage your students’ in digital
developments
» Share your feedback
› http://bit.ly/NITracker
» How could the digital experience
insights make
a difference…?
» At your university/college:
› To students?
› To teaching staff?
› To organisational strategies and
investments?
› What are the risks
and barriers?

31. What one thing can you do to better
gather your students’ digital expectations
and experiences of technology and
involve them in digital developments?

32. Follow our developments
» Report of 2017 Tracker findings:
http://bit.ly/jisctracker17
» Summary of 2017 Tracker findings:
http://bit.ly/tracker17brief
» Tracker blog:
https://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org
» Follow #digitalstudent and @jisc
» Change agents’ network supporting
student staff partnerships
http://can.jiscinvolve.org
» Change agents’ network mailing list
jiscmail.ac.uk/CAN
» As of September 2018, this project will
transition to a full service. If you would
like to enquire about how to purchase
this optional service, or to be kept up
to date on progress, please register
your interest by filling out our form:
» http://bit.ly/2sDloA9

33. Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND.
Ruth Drysdale
Senior co-design manager
Ruth.drysdale@jisc.ac.uk
Thankyou