Presentation to the Student Experience Conference, November 2011

1. #JISCDIGLIT
http://bit.ly/jiscdiglit
Digital Literacies and the Student Experience
Helen Beetham and Sarah Knight
15th November 2011

2. Digital Literacy
What is digital literacy?
“digital literacy expresses the sum of
capabilities an individual needs to live,
learn and work in a digital society”

3. Digital Literacy How does digital literacy
impact on the student experience?
2008 Learners' experiences of e-learning programme
Students inhabit digitally-saturated personal/social worlds
Technology choices are critical to identity and experience
They expect 24/7 access to course information
BUT
Students struggle to transpose digital skills to study tasks
Academic staff skills/confidence critical to +ve experiences
Study preferences and needs are very different
2008/10 Student expectations studies
Prospective students unclear about the role technology could
play in learning at University
Students feel positive about using technology when educational
benefits are clear
ICT access and facilities becoming a factor in student choice
www.academy.gcal.ac.uk/llida

4. Digital Literacy How can digital literacy
enhance 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/professional
www.academy.gcal.ac.uk/llida digital identity

5. Digital Literacy Is digital literacy
essential to the student experience?
And, if so, what are
our responsibilities?
www.academy.gcal.ac.uk/llida

6. What challenges do your students face
in becoming digitally literate learners?

7. Digital Literacy How does digital literacy
develop through University study?
2009/10 Learning literacies in a digital age study
Learners need high-value, meaningful experiences in which
technology is intrinsic
Different subject areas demand different kinds of digital capability
Support is fragmented; staff often lack confidence in this area
www.academy.gcal.ac.uk/llida

8. Digital Literacy
How does digital literacy
develop through University study?
Identity
development

9. Digital Literacy
How does digital literacy
develop through University study?
How will we
manage multiple
identities in a
world where
public and
private are being
redefined?
How will we act
safely and
responsibility in
hybrid spaces?

10. Digital Literacy
How does this relate to
graduate attributes?
Sense making Computational thinking
Social intelligence New media literacy
Adaptive thinking Cognitive load
management
Cross-cultural
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.

11. Digital Literacy
How does this relate to
graduate attributes?
Digital literacy one of five graduate attributes at
Oxford Brookes University, defined as…

The functional access, skills and practices
necessary to become . . .

a confident, agile adopter of a range of
technologies for personal, academic and
professional use
https://wiki.brookes.ac.uk/display/slidacases/Oxford+Brookes

12. What kinds of experience
do your students need to have...
(a) in the curriculum?
(b) in the co-curriculum?
… to develop authentic digital capabilities
and relevant graduate attributes?

13. How do institutions need to change?
2010 Supporting Learners in a
Digital Age (SLIDA)
9 institutions studied in depth
9 critical questions, including:
Q4. How can the development of digital
learners be supported in individual,
personalised ways?
Q5. In what ways can digital policies
and practices be student driven?
Q8. How are institutions making use of
effective digital learners to benefit other
learners?
wiki.brookes.ac.uk/display/slida

14. How do institutions need to change?

15. Involve learners in shaping their own
experience with technology
2009/12 Curriculum Design & Delivery
Students as active curriculum partners
Harnessing student skills
Creating collaborative cultures
'Engaged students – the leaders of
tomorrow – are encouraged to see how
their own ideas can lead to collaborative
change … If institutions can embrace
passionate student advocates, they will be
in a good position to drive forward
innovation and to make a real and
genuine difference to the services they
provide.'
Dale Potter, Students’ Project Coordinator,
University of Exeter
www.jisc.ac.uk/digiemerge

16. Integrate technologies
into learning places and spaces
University of Edinburgh SLIDA case study (2010)
New teaching studio: collaboration and personal devices 'designed in'
Informal group study spaces with wifi, sockets, projectors:
library pods, bookable rooms, common areas
Main library refurbishment: flexible spaces for different kinds of study

17. Integrate technologies
into learning places and spaces
We really, really struggled to be in the Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
computing lab, and there'd be ...six of I don't know how you did
you trying to sit around one monitor... without them, honestly,
We ended up doing it in separate because just every single
sections and putting it all together... It group would book those
really wasn't suited at all to group work. rooms.
Kate Slaughter, student Marsali Wallace, student

18. Prepare learners for learning
with technology
Abingdon and Witney College University of Bradford
SLIDA case study Online pre-induction support
● Extensive student consultation ● Expectations survey and first
● Lack of digital and learning skills year experience qu'aire
● Developed online package: ● Students struggle with transition
Digital and Learning Literacies to university study
Induction (DALLI) ● Use familiar social software
● Reusable, updated regularly environment
● All students undergo formative ● Pre-induction students ask
assessment for IT skills questions of student mentors
● One hour digital literacy ● Meet other students pre-arrival
induction sessions using DALLI ● Links to 'Develop Me!' skills and
● Revision/review any time induction material
Student consultation: positively evaluated: continuously updated
https://wiki.brookes.ac.uk/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=36208955

19. Integrate Digital Literacies
#jiscdiglit
Developing Digital Literacies 2011/13

A sector-wide programme promoting the development of
coherent, inclusive and holistic institutional strategies and
organisational approaches for developing digital literacies for
staff and students in UK further and higher education

University of Greenwich University of the Arts London

University of Exeter Coleg Llandrillo

University of Plymouth University of Reading

University of Bath University College London

Oxford Brookes University Cardiff University

Worcester College Institute of Education
www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/
developingdigitalliteracies/

20. What could your institution be doing?
- to enhance the experience of
learning with technology?
- to offer digitally rich experiences in
and beyond the curriculum?
- to ensure all students have access
to digital devices, networks, skills?
- to recognise and respond to
students' digital preferences?
- to develop as a learning
organisation in the digital age?

21. G
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Materials from the Developing Digital
o Literacies Programme #jiscdiglit
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22. Working across the sector
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 stakeholders
Organisations we are working with initially include:
ALDinHE | ALT | AUA | HEDG | LSIS | NUS
ODHE | SCAP | SDF | SEDA | SCONUL | Vitae
Opportunities to involve and engage others will follow.