This document outlines Tony Ratcliffe's presentation on digital literacy for security practitioners. It will cover: 1) The context of security practitioners in multinational corporations and their need for informal learning opportunities using online technologies. 2) Ratcliffe's role in connecting security practitioners to learning opportunities as well as his background in security fields. 3) The topic of how security practitioners apply digital literacy skills to personal learning environments and the purpose of developing a model to increase informal learning. 4) Important stakeholders include security practitioners, governments, educators, and professional groups.

1. Digital Literacy for Security
Practitioners
APG Transfer Meeting
Tony Ratcliffe
January 16, 2013

2. Outline of Presentation
• Context and my role
• Topic, purpose, and stakeholders
• Conceptual framework
• Research questions
• Methodological setting
• Methodology and study design
• Ethical considerations
• Pilot study
• Timetable

3. Context
• Security Practitioners with management,
advisory, consultant level responsibilities
• Security/risk management
• Global study
• Multi-national corporations
• Local, national, international issues

4. My Role/Knowledge
• Connected but not a Security Practitioner
• Member, ASIS International
• Member, Assoc of Certified Fraud Examiners
• Certified Fraud Examiner
• Operated security/investigation agency
• Past investigator in government
• Taught in security management programmes
• M.Ed in Distance Education (Athabasca, 2002)

5. Topic
• Digital literacy skills presented by security
practitioners in personal learning
environments

6. Purpose
• Develop a model that will connect the
applicability of digital literacy skills to personal
learning environments
• Increase opportunities for informal learning
and professional development with use of
online technologies

7. Stakeholders
• Security practitioners
• Governments
• Academics, educators, trainers
• Managers, executives, human resources
• Professional groups supporting security
practitioners

8. Conceptual Framework

9. The Gap

10. Anatomy of a PLE by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
License. Based on a work at steve-wheeler.blogspot.com

11. Research Questions
Main question:
• How do security practitioners apply digital literacy skills to create
and maintain an effective personal learning environment?
Sub questions:
• How do security practitioners demonstrate digital literacy skills?
• What is the nature of the personal learning environments of
security practitioners?
• What is the perception of personal learning environments and
digital literacy skills held by security practitioners?
• What are the implications if security practitioners do not contribute
within online affinity spaces?

12. Methodological

13. Population
• Generic purposive sampling
• Security practitioners
• English speaking
• Related professionals – HR, managers
• Identify from pilot study, discussion groups,
professional associations, other observations
or referrals

14. Methodology
• Interpretive Description
• “description (with as much depth and richness
as possible)”
• “interpretive (in the sense of an ongoing
reflection about what these data might
mean)”
Thorne, S. (2008). Interpretive description. Walnut Creek, CA, USA: Left Coast Press.

15. • “we might collectively be accused of an obsession about
methodological integrity” (p. 172)
• “differs from eclectic approaches that ‘slur’ methods without regard
for the coherence of their epistemological foundations.” (p. 172)
• “following certain general principles for analytic
frameworks, sample selection, data sources, data analysis, and
rigor” (p. 173)
• Thorne, T., Reimer Kirkham, S, & MacDonald-Emes, J. (2004).

16. • “Simply stated, interpretive description
provides direction in the creation of an
interpretive account that is generated on the
basis of informed questioning, using
techniques of reflective, critical examination,
and which will ultimately guide and inform
disciplinary thought in some manner.”
• Thorne, Reimer-Kirkham, & O’Flynn-Magee (2004, p. 6)

17. Data Collection Methods
• Online research methods
• Individual interviews, semi-structured (20-25)
• Focus groups (2, 6-8 participants)
• Observations (discussion groups, websites,
workshops, webinars, industry publications)

18. Data Analysis
• Emphasis on themes rather than tight coding
• Avoid premature and complex coding
• “Immersion in the data prior to beginning
coding, classifying, or creating linkages (Thorne et
al., 1997, p. 175)
• Assistance of data analysis software, NVivo

19. Ethical Considerations
• University Research Ethics Code of Practice
• Evolving legal and ethical issues in using online
research methods
• Information Sheet and Informed Consent
• Informed Consent may require ongoing
attention
• Mindful of my role as a researcher in online
communities beyond posting for participants

20. Lessons from Pilot Study
• Much more consuming rather than sharing or
peer production
• Lack of comfort with public spaces
• Prominence of email and telephone
• LinkedIn was primary online activity
• Digital literacy skills were not obvious beyond
the basic

21. Timetable