Current issues and approaches in developing digital literacy

Current issues and approaches in developing digital literaciesHelen Beetham, Developing Digital Literacies programme consultant

with representatives of the SEEDPoD project (Plymouth University), Digitally Ready project (University of Reading), DIAL project (University of the Arts, London) and Digital Literacies in Transition project (University of Greenwich)

Developing Digital Literacies Programme

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.

Developing Digital Literacies Projects

University of Greenwich University of the Arts London University of Exeter Grŵp Llandrillo Menai University of Plymouth University of Reading

University of Bath University College London Oxford Brookes University Cardiff University Worcester College of Technology Institute of Education, London

What do we mean by 'digital literacies'?

The capabilities, aptitudes and attitudes learners need to thrive in a digital economy and society (JISC)

For example (from various institutional strategies):

[Ensure] students are prepared for study and employment in the digital age, with a range of learning literacies embedded into the curriculum.

Consider the potential of technology to promote knowledge building and reflective, student-centred, creative and collaborative learning.

[develop] self-regulating citizens in a globally connected society, able to handle multiple, diverse information sources and media.

JISC/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, manage and share 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 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

Alternative models

Greenwich Five Resources model

How are you involved in digital literacy?

Choose the one most relevant to your responsibilities and interests. Give more details in the chat box.

A) Supporting student learning in the curriculumB) Supporting student learning alongside the curriculum e.g. library, careers, learning skillsC) Developing professional practices of staffD) Building C21st learning environmentE) Developing institutional strategy

access and awareness

functional skills

situated practices

attributes and identities

extensive, complex, ill-defined

intensive, simplified, well-defined

What experiences do learners needto develop DLs?

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Developing institutions to develop people

Features audited at baseline:

institutional infrastructure and learning environment relevant strategies and policies Academic/learning cultures and attitudes roles/responsibilities of professional services practices in the curriculum the learning experience

What is being done?

Professional development for teaching staffPartnerships with professional staff

Mini-projects / case studies in departmentsDevelop DL materials with/for students

Students as pioneers/researchers/agents of changeChange management approaches

Develop learning environment and ICT policies (BYOD)Institutional restructuring and major policy initiatives

Qualitative and quantitative research

Four different institutional approaches

1. Plymouth University (SEEDPoD): 'restructuring professional services'

2. University of Reading (Digitally Ready): 'readiness across the board'

3. University of the Arts, London (DIAL): 'transforming subject areas'

4. University of Greenwich (DL in transition): 'engaging staff and students'

12www.technologyenhancedlearning.net

Embedding Digital Literacy

Prof Neil Witt Dr Anne McDermott

Rob Stillwell

What Is SEEDPoD?

• Builds on 2011 BCUP project• Audit of systems, policies,

infrastructure and data• Views from academic and

support staff on use of, and practice with, existing software and hardware systems.

• Recommending Institutional change on DL issues around:

• Infrastructure• Support• Curriculum Design



The Digital Strategy

Opportunity 1 – inputting into Strategy

•Key theme 1 - Digital People•Key theme 2 - Digital teaching, learning and research•Key theme 3 - Digital services•Key theme 4 - Digital Infrastructure and Capability


Performance Development Review

Opportunity 2 – using new processes

Embed in PDREmbed in PDR

Embracing Change

Opportunity 3 – use Restructuring


An opportunity to recommend Institutional change:

• Infrastructure• Support


Being part of the solution

• Technology and Information Services – Strategy & Architecture– Solution Development– Service Management– Library and Digital Services– Academic Support, Technology & Innovation

• the annoying academic on the shoulder of the CIO

Being part of the solution

• Subject Librarians, IT Trainers and Learning Technologists working in 3 teamsDigital Skills Development Engagement and SupportTEL & Assessment

• Strong focus around Digital Literacy

• Faculty support via LTs in the Faculties

• Part of TIS, so embedding and sustainability of innovation easier

• Single point of entry for training & teaching and learning resources

• Focus on community development



Joining it all up

Embed in the curriculumEmbed in the curriculum


A caveat

• "This range of approaches has also had a significant impact on the kind of evidence presented at the end of the projects with research-based projects offering some compelling evidence, but with impact on much smaller numbers of students, whilst impact on the whole institution is harder to measure and present as evidence, but has much more significance in terms of sustainability and embedding. Funders should continue to value this „softer‟ evidence. "

Lou McGillCurriculum Delivery Programme Synthesis


Any Questions?

© University of Reading 2008 www.reading.ac.uk

Digitally Ready

April 11, 2023

Readinessacross the boardNadja Guggi, Digitally Ready Project Officer

Readiness across the board

Organisational challenges & issues• No formal ‘digital’ University strategies, policies or plans

• Risk-averse, collegiate in structure and culture

• Silos– Pockets of good practice– Dependence on individual initiative– Lack of co-ordination between key professional services

• Varying levels of digital literacies

• Little knowledge of student expectations, attitudes and use of technology

• Little knowledge of employer expectations

• Major organisational change

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Readiness across the board 24

Digitally Ready: bottom up

• Digital community-building & upskilling– Digital Heroes– Micro funding to support local initiatives– Work with existing structures: professional services,

communities of practice, projects– Regular formal and informal events and training

opportunities– Blog, newsletter, Yammer

• Research– Digital literacies for student employability – Student technology attitudes and use


Digitally Ready: top down

• Senior management engagement– Steering Group: heads of key professional services

plus chaired by senior manager– University committee structure– Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor

as champions for change (e.g. video, events)

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Key gains & changes• Genuine commitment from senior management to

developing digital literacies at institutional level– Learning & Teaching Strategy 2013–18 – TEL Strategy Group chaired by Pro-Vice-Chancelor

(digital literacies/TEL; infrastructure provision; digital communication & marketing; digital governance; staff & student development)

– Futurelearn membership

• Body of evidence to inform strategic decisions

• Better able to anticipate and meet student and employer expectations

• Emerging digital community

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The DIAL Project

Aims: Cultural Change and Improved graduate employability.

Approach: Support a number of self-identifying and mutually supportive communities of staff and students within the university (based on courses, disciplines or other naturally occurring communities) who identify goals for improving their collective digital literacies.

Project blog: http://dial.myblog.arts.ac.uk/Project resources: http://process.arts.ac.uk/content/dial-projects-and-activities

Embedding Digital Literacies at UAL?• Are we a project or a programme?

Too big to be a project.

A sustainable DL programme.

Senior management support

UAL Digital life programme and DL programme.

Complicated landscape

• Managing expectations, demand, scope and capacity. DIAL will do everything DL.

Difficult to demonstrate benefits.

Difficult to deliver tangible outputsUnderstanding digital literacies at UAL definitions and competencies

• Meeting expectations, demand, scope and capacity. Expressions of interest with DIY built in evaluation

Extra funding

Two new DIAL coordinators (0.5)

Visualise and present projects and activities

Reduce DIAL brand

Improve web environments, outgrown the project blog

Digital Literacies: integration with curriculum and services.

• Project Groups; most groups are autonomous.• Collaborating with UAL services and departments.• Academic and curriculum integration• Project Groups supporting Academic and curriculum integration.• Natural cross sector collaboration/common interests (GSA)• Other general observations

• Project deliverables:StoriesOnline resources - OERsCase studiesNew communities of practice; face to face and virtual Workshops and training coursesCommissioned and in-house researchSector collaboration

University of Greenwich – http://www.DLinHE.com

EMPLOYMENT SECTOR

HIGHER EDUCATION

Challenges• How do we deliver a large-

scale institutional change project?

• How can we foster accelerated buy-in?

• How can we ensure currency?

• How can we develop sustainability?

INSTITUTION

FACULTY


Student change agents• Developed a cross-

university process for recruiting digitally-aligned change agents

• Promoted the use of e-editors within schools

• Student-developed workshop series

• Student-created resources


Gains• Students recognised as

valued contributors of change

• Discussions taking place that would not otherwise happen

• Excellent access to the student cohort and thus: ‘on pulse’

• New ways to meet institutional KPIs

What will we offer?

Self-assessment/self-development materials Briefings and OERs e.g. on social media, digital identity,

digital research Support for curriculum design and examples of digital

literacy development in different subject areas Organisational case studies and lessons learned Role descriptions and work with professional standards/

benchmarks e.g. UK PSF, CMALT, SCONUL Conceptual frameworks Institutional audit materials and checklist for planning/

evaluating digital literacy initiatives

bit.ly/JISCDDL

Documents

Current issues and approaches in developing digital literacy