Presentation for the QAA Quality Enhancement Network - Embedding Digital Literacies...

1. Is there an app for embedding
Digital Literacies into the curriculum?
Chris O’Reilly
I will outline a brief history of our project –
where it is now –
and from this experience suggest what needs to be done...
Quality Enhancement Network event Embedding digital literacies in higher education 1

2. This project was initiated as a collaborative project within
London Met to foster increased awareness and understanding
of ‘digital literacies’ among both staff and students in the university.
Phase 1
Record students understanding of digital technologies and to
establish a team of student Digital Ambassadors to help
co-create an online resource
Phase 2
Pilot a process of engaging staff in partnership with the
Digital Ambassadors to create bespoke digital literacy resources
that could be embedded into their subject specific areas.
Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
2

3. This project was started by myself (Chris O’Reilly – ISS)
and Jim Pettiward (CELT) at the start of 2013*
Year 1: With some minor income generated
finance I commissioned Jim to
write the Content and main idea
of the resource.
After interviewing students
(videos and questionnaires)
we created an informative
online resource – Clued Up!
Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/digital-literacies/
3

4. Year 2: With income from my UTF award I funded the cost of recruiting the Student
Digital Ambassadors (SDA’s).
Jim was now being funded for 3 hours a week by his department own CELT.
Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
4

5. Year 2: Once recruited we facilitated workshops for our SDA’s.
Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
5

6. Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
6
Year 2: We invited the Digital Ambassadors to design the Posters
and banners. We also created flip cards with the aim to get
other students engaged.

7. Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
7
Year 2: We targeted fresher's fair and other student functions to enable us to enrol
students onto various Digital Literacy workshops.

8. Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
8
Year 2: We ran a number of workshops for students across all faculties.
The SDA’s were a key factor to the success of the workshops. However we had a mixed
response from the student body regarding attendance.

9. Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
9
Year 2: Along side this we also created and developed new online resources presented
by our SDA’s that were embedded into the online resource.
Helen talking about Google Drive Marina talking about Mendeley
Jim talking about RefME

10. Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
10
Year 2: We also created a number of other promotional videos with the aim to gain
interest from other academic staff…
Short History and aims of the project Maybe this wasn’t a good idea?

11. Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
11
Year 2: Earlier this year Jim and one of our SDA’s Helen participated in the Change
Agents’ Network Webinar series. We also attended the event in Birmingham in March.

12. Year 3: At this stage we needed more funding and more support from the university.
There was funding available from our 2020 funding scheme. We applied…
Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
12
Investment at this stage of the project would provide the impetus to take the project
on to the next stage which would involve creating small-scale student-staff
partnerships to investigate changing digital practices in specific subject areas and to
look at how digital literacy development for students could be embedded into
curriculum and combined with developing staff capacity to use technology more
effectively in their teaching practice.
Initially we applied for 30k over next two years.
Our proposal was not accepted. However we were asked to send in another bid as it
was suggested the second one would accepted…
Met2020 Investment Application

13. Year 3: Sadly again our bid was not accepted.
My colleague and good friend Jim then decided to have a break from day-today life
and volunteered to teach local people about sustainable fishing in Madagascar!
Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
13

14. Year 3: With our SDA’s leaving and the momentum of the project fading – I stood
alone waving the DL banner….
I managed another Fresher's fair and tried to engage with new students, and made
some more videos for the website…
Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
14

15. Year 3: So what is happening now….
Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
15
1. I am doing this presentation
2. I am going to the London Digital Student Meet-up ‘Making Change
Happen’ – 25th November initiated by UCL and LSE
3. I have been asked to run Digital literacy workshops for the Careers
department regarding the London Met Employability Award Scheme.
4. I have been asked to participate in a working group for delivering
information to new students prior to enrolment.
PISO (Programme for Improved Student Outcomes)
5. ?

16. 16
So is there an App?
Well a few….
Directorate
support
Money
Stakeholders
(SU SS Lib IT…)
Key
academic staff
SDA’s Curriculum
framework
What is it we
want to embed?

17. 17
Caution
There was a recent article form the BBC by Sean Coughlan (Education correspondent
30th Sept 2015) regarding the rising numbers of stressed students seeking help.
Meredith Leston, a student at St Anne's College, Oxford, suffered from anorexia and
depression in her first year.
"People talk about 'snapping' and that is what happened to me. I just couldn't take
the pressure and the whole new realm of expectations."
She says part of the problem is the ever-present role of social media, fuelling a culture
of constant comparison and a sense of inadequacy.
"As well as being a first class student, you have to be a first class person, you have to
be performing socially, academically. It's a nightmare. You're constantly on."
The other constant thorn is the expectation to be seen to be having a good time,
with social media turning social lives into a place of competition rather than
relaxation.

18. 18
Lastly:
Clued Up!
Digital skills for the 21st Century Student
1. I feel we must let the students engage with the technology and not
just produce show and tell workshops for them.
2. Students should be given specific tasks creating an active learning
environment for all digital literacy products and processes. (Blogs,
group discussions…)
3. We must empower the students with the knowledge and control of
Digital literacies.

19. Questions
Quality Enhancement Network event Embedding digital literacies in higher education 19
Chris O’Reilly