Project DigitISE aimed to explore the links between students' digital literacy skills and employability. A questionnaire found that most students believe they are digitally literate and enjoy technology, but few use their smartphones for study. Focus groups discussed whose responsibility digital skills are, current provision, and skills assessment. The project culminated in a one day student conference called "Get the Digital Edge" to provide digital skills training. Going forward, the project aims to draft a strategy and proposals to embed information skills into the curriculum to improve students' employability.

2. Project DigitISE:
Digital Information Skills
for Employability
Federica Oradini (Senior Lecturer in e-learning) &
Emma Woods (Academic Liaison Librarian)
University of Westminster, London

3. This session will provide:
• An introduction to the project
• A report on questionnaire & focus group
findings
• An overview of our one day student
conference, “Get the Digital Edge”
• Information on our legacy plans

4. University of Westminster
Typing class at the Regent Street Polytechnic:
Photograph taken from an album of 1899 http://flic.kr/p/8Cx18H
• Vision - “building the next generation of highly
employable global citizens to shape the future”
• 19,800 students across 4 sites
• Diverse student body

5. The project
• Jisc Transformations Programme
• One year project (Spring 2012 –
2013) exploring the links between
students’ attitudes towards digital
literacy and employability
• Project Board and delivery group
include staff from across the DigitISE Delivery Group
www.photovisi.com
University

6. Questionnaire - introduction
• Distributed online in Autumn
2012
• Approx 400 respondents in
first round
• Some schools (more science
based ones) under- PG Diploma Office Technology and Business
Administration - using a word processor package
represented so opened Students from the Polytechnic of Central London,
1989
http://flic.kr/p/d1fQ25
again.
• Total responses = 563

7. Questionnaire – key findings
81.5% 87.6%
believe they are love digital
digitally literate technology
56%
agreed that most
students like to
92.3% engage with
consider it learning material
important for while travelling
1.6%
students to use their
develop digital smartphone
skills for study

8. Focus Groups
February 2013 - 3 focus groups were held to follow up on
questionnaire findings:
• DL skills - whose responsibility?
• Awareness of current provision
• DL skills assessment
• Method of delivery

9. Get the Digital Edge – 21 March 2013

11. Beyond May 2013: DigitISE legacy
• Draft strategy
• WIReS (Change Academy proposal for
embedding information skills into the curriculum)
• Learning futures @ Westminster

12. Questions?
School of commerce
Students from the Regent Street Polytechnic
http://flic.kr/p/cRDf2q .
Emma Woods (Academic Liaison Librarian)
e.woods@westminster.ac.uk
Federica Oradini (Senior Lecturer in e-learning)
f.oradini@westminster.ac.uk
DigitISE project site: http://blog.westminster.ac.uk/jisc-employability/blog/
Digital Edge web page: www.westminster.ac.uk/digital-edge
With thanks to the University of Westminster Archive Services for the photos
http://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/facilities-and-services/archive-services