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?