experts meeting july 2012
DESCRIPTION
Presentation to the JISC Learning and Teaching Experts' meeting, JulTRANSCRIPT
Developing Digital Literacies programmewhat have we done and what have we learned ?
Helen BeethamProgramme synthesis consultant
Developing Digital Literacies #jiscdiglit
A two-year programme promoting the development of coherent, inclusive and holistic institutional strategies and approaches for developing digital literacies 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
Plus ten sector bodies: ALDinHE, ALT, AUA, HEDG, ODHE, SCAP, SCONUL, SDF, SEDA, Vitae
www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/developingdigitalliteracies/
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Defining digital literacies...
What capabilities, aptitudes and attitudes do learners need to thrive in a digital economy and society?
What kind of experiences do learners need in formal education to develop these?
What does a 'digital literacies' agenda look like at the level of the curriculum, institutional infrastructure, policies, academic cultures, professional services?
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academic and learning practices
information and media practices
socio-technical practices
slower changingcultural and institutional inertiaformal learninglifelong development
rapidly changingcommercial and social drivers
informal learningrapid obsolescence
What kind of capabilities?
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What kind of capabilities (SCONUL)?
ICT/Computer Literacy the ability to adopt, adapt and use digital devices, applications and services in pursuit of scholarly and educational goals.
Information Literacy: the ability to find, interpret, evaluate, manipulate, share and record information, especially scholarly and educational information
Media Literacy: the ability to critically read and creatively produce academic and professional communications in a range of media.
Communication and Collaboration: the ability to participate in digital networks and working groups of scholarship, research and learning
Digital scholarship: the ability to participate in emerging academic, professional and research practices that depend on digital systems
Learning Skills: the ability to study and learn effectively in technology-rich environments, formal and informal
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access
skills
practices
attributes
extensive, complex, ill-defined
intensive, simplified, well-defined
What kind of experiences?
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access
skills
practices
attributes
Exeter CascadeNew dimensions to the model
Cardiff DigidolUsing the model to survey students and staff across roles
Inst of EducationUsing the model to code student interviews
What kind of experiences?
awareness
leadership
Emerging themes
Digital literacies for further and higher education are: Multiple and complex Hybrid – academic practice + digital know-how Based in subject areas: disciplines, vocations,
professions Both generic and role-specific Aspects of personal style – ownership, choice,
performance of identity Acquired and developed as needed – best practiced in
authentic contexts Often acquired from close peers, but likely to require formal support if specialised
Motives for engaging in the DL agenda
Efficiency in core processesCapacity buildingGlobal marketsBorderless institutionsNew modes of participationPerceived vfm
EmployabilityGraduate attributesDigital reputationDigital capital/digital divide
New social practicesDigital media
Ubiquitous ICTStudent expectations
Digital scholarshipOpen publishing/open data
Digital academic mediaUbiquitous knowledge/data
Organisational priorities Educational digital practices
Personal digital practicesIndividual aspirations
Baselining digital literacies
1. Policy and strategy (public messages)2. Infrastructure (networks, buildings, spaces, hardware, software, data services, IT support)3. Support (professional services)
4. Practices (e.g. curriculum design, teaching, learning, research, KT, admin.)5. Expertise (courses, frameworks, IAG, sharing, development opps, recognition and reward)6. Culture (expectations, understanding, values, needs, attitudes, beliefs)
Baselining digital literacies
Baselining digital literacies
Look at the 'forward thinking Universities' posters on your table1.Choose one category2.Consider: How many of these things is my institution doing (a) with full commitment (b) somewhat/in places (c) not at all?3.Discuss: Are these useful indicators? How would I know that the digital literacy agenda was being taken forward at my institution (alternative indicators)?
Strategies
Average = 6-10 strategies
The diversity of documents covering... digital matters for staff and students means there are few members of the University aware of it all – and policies may be devised and revised without much engagement across departments...
With regard to the rapidly changing world of information technology, it may be argued that the traditional mechanisms for developing and agreeing strategies lack sufficient agility.
Neither the programme specification, guidance notes or checklist mention or give examples of digital literacies; the same applies to the definitive documentation for 2010-2011
Strategies
Fragmentation or diverse manifestations of a digital agenda?
As well as internal strategies, need to assess the public mission/offer, especially to prospective students
Need for digitally literate senior managers... … but also people with vision at all levels
Corporate PlanLearning and Teaching | e-learning | IS/ICT
Library and Information Management Research and Knowledge Transfer | EstatesStudent Experience | Student Charter | HR
Infrastructure issues
BYODevice/BYOService/BYOSkills – what are the assumptions? Who is at a digital disadvantage?
Data/information environment that is platform, device, and application agnostic
Providing an equivalent infrastructure across distributed sites of learning – even in workplaces/other countries??
Breaking down boundaries within institutions e.g. library/study/social spaces
Borderless institutions - what are the infrastructure issues?
Professional services in support of DDL
Enhancing digital capability of professional staff Building links across professional and support services Involving students as change agents, in supporting other
students' and reverse-mentoring staff Providing students with clear signposts to existing
support and guidance
Educational development/enhancementCareers/employability | e-learning | IT support
Learner Development | Researcher Development Library | Student Union
Support for DDL in FE
Support more focused on the individual learner Personal tutors, subject-related 'study areas' integrate
provision More likely to explicitly assess and progress digital
capabilities Teaching staff undertake ILT training Much greater focus on e-safety Lower level of personal device use in college
What can HE learn from FE and vice versa?
Emerging practices
Hybrid practices: informal/formal contexts, institutional/personal/public technologies, academic/digital know-howwork/home life
Hidden practices: personal study habits, outsourced curriculum, third party software/services, 'workarounds'
Practice innovators may be ignored/undervalued e.g. teaching administrators, PGRs
Developing expertise
Self-reliance for adoption and basic use Structured development for complex systems that
support complex practices – e.g. data analysis, reference management, business
systems, editing software, design systems
Local peer or mentor support for advanced and contextualised usestudents’ digital literacy practices are predominantly contextualised within their programmes of study
Perceived lack of relevant, timely, local training/support
Academic 'generation gap' makes reverse mentoring attractive
Attitudes and cultures
Students' digital capability still regarded with more fear than excitement by many staff
Culture clash seems more evident at 'traditional' universities and where the 'academic generation gap' is widest
Experience with technology leads to a more critical and discriminating attitude
We need a shift of focus from teaching staff using technologies to use by students: 'feel the fear'
Feedforward
What kind of outcomes/resources would you find most helpful from the programme?
- resources for direct access by students
- resources to repurpose/embed into the curriculum
- guidance for curriculum teams
- guidance for professional services
- guidance for strategic managers
- other
There are some examples coming up!
Further information on baselining
Summary of the project baseline reports: http://bit.ly/JiUV0m
Summary of the professional association baseline reports: http://bit.ly/KWFJUo
Institutional videos from the Developing Digital Literacies projects visit http://bit.ly/jiscdlprogvideos to hear about how they are implementing digital literacies at a strategic level
Baselining resources from the JISC Design Studio including institutional audit tools: http://bit.ly/Nz1g8t
Discussion time
What are the key messages for your institution?
Digital capability is...
The claims of top departments to be pushing the boundaries of research require a sustained
engagement with digital scholarship. The claims of top teaching universities to offer a personal, relevant and engaging learning experience
demand sustained innovation in methods. Neither is possible unless universities rethink their offer... in terms of the digital experiences students have
and the digital practices they encounter (Beetham et al, 2009).
Further resources
JISC Developing Digital Literacies programme:
Developing Digital Literacies on the Design Studio
SEDA page on the Design Studio
Baselining Digital Literacies page
Learning Literacies in a Digital Age (original audit study)
Beyond SLIDA?