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Welcome

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Developing digital literaciesreview, reportback
and prospects

• Helen Beetham, Consultant
• JISC Developing Digital Literacies programme
• 30 August 2013

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Questions for today

• What has digital literacy come to mean?
• How is the digital literacy agenda changing
  cultures and practices (in UK universities and
  colleges)?
• What can we still do with digital literacy as
  an idea and as a long-term project?

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Developing Digital Literacies programme
A two-year programme (2011-13) promoting and
exploring 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 EducationPlus ten sector bodies
ALDinHE, ALT, AUA, HEDG, ODHE, SCAP, SCONUL, SDF,
SEDA, Vitae bit.ly/pHxQnS jiscdiglit
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What has digital literacy come to mean?
Learning Literacies for aDigital Age
Communications Act (OfCom) media literacy
Developing Digital Literacy
SCONUL 7 pillars info literacy
ECDL
Networked Nation
Netiquette
DigEULit
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
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What has digital literacy come to mean?

• focus on practices and identities
• devices, apps and services in the hands of
  learners
• students developing hybrid practices of their own
• data, communications, techno-social practices
  (device-neutral)
• often informally acquired, emergent,
  differentiated, personal, piecemeal, reactive,
  adaptive...

• focus on access and skills
• institutional / business systems
• passed on from specialists to students
• computers as distinct objects of knowledge
• formally acquired, testable, standardised

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What has digital literacy come to mean?

• what parallel (educational, digital) agendashave
  emerged over the same time frame?

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What has digital literacy come to mean?
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What has digital literacy come to mean?

• understanding of computer characteristics,
  capabilities and applications, as well as an
  ability to implement this knowledge in the
  skillful and productive use of computer
  applications 1987
• functional access to hardware and software,
  networks and data
• acquired through training and practice
• requires regular extending and updating
• can be standardised and tested
• an entitlement 'one size (is available to) all'

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What has digital literacy come to mean?
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What has digital literacy come to mean?

• the practices that underpin effectivelearning
  and scholarship in a digital age 2009
• in the context of academic disciplines
  (differentiated)
• an aspect of emerging identity
• require a confident but also a critical attitude
  to ICT
• creative/productive as well as
  critical/assimilative
• both formal and informal (and blur these
  boundaries)
• emerge in meaningful activities

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Developing digital literacies a model
'I am...' 'I do...' 'I can...' 'I have...'
specialised enhancement general entitle
ment
Beetham and Sharpe 2010
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Digital literacy the elements
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Digital literacy the turbulence

• academic and professional learning
• digital know-how

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What has digital literacy come to mean?

• in what ways is digital literacy a mainstream
  agenda for your institution?
• in what ways is it a turbulent agenda?

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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
Ensured digital issues are on the agendain many
locations and in new partnerships
studentunion
learning development
careers
SMT
accessibility
library
RKT
e-learning
estates
staff / ed development
marketing
IT dept
curriculum teams
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Where is digital literacy located in your
institution?

• vote
• library
• ICT/e-learning team
• distributed across several areas, well connected
• specialist digital literacy project or initiative
• nobody knows

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What is your institution doing...
... to ensure digital literacy is on the
agendain many locations? ... to develop
partnerships and join up thinking?
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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
New graduate attributes / aspirations
a digitally literate learner is flexibleand
reflective, confident andcapable of selecting
appropriate tools and software for
effectivescholarship and research (Lpool) a
confident, agile adopter of a range of
technologies for personal,academic and
professional use (Oxford Brookes
University) confident users of advanced
technologies... exploiting the rich sources of
connectivity digital working allows(Wolverhampton
University) to be effective global citizens and
interact in a networked society (Leeds
Metropolitan University)
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What is your institution doing?
New graduate attributes / aspirations
Does your university/college make any statements
about how students will develop their digital
capabilities, confidence, identity?
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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
Focus on technologies in the hands of learners

• We have shown that personal devices/services can
  be used effectively for educational ends
  (including in FE settings)
• ... but this requires infrastructure, know-how,
  clear policies, structured activities, model
  behaviours and more.

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Bring your own device??

• .Our evidence is there is some way to go in terms
  of infrastructure (e.g. device-neutral data
  environment, robust networks)
• And even further to go in terms of culture
• communicating with staff/students about
  effective digital practice
• measures to minimise disadvantage
• curriculum change
• valuing and rewarding digital know-howin
  courses, departments, services
• Where is your institution up to?

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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
Digital identity work

• Outside of the curriculum employability, digital
  CV/portfolio building, use of social media,
  embedded into co-curricular awards

• In the curriculum progressing towards making
  aspects of learning more public, exploring
  professional identity
• For staff digital and open scholarship, managing
  scholarly reputation
• For institutions staff/student work and course
  materials as branding?
• Digital identity has been the best hook for
  engaging individuals!

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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
Digital identity work
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What is your institution doing..
... to recognise digital identity and reputation
as key assets for students?
... to develop its own digital identity and brand
(in collaboration with staff and students)?
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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
Understanding how students develop digital
know-how
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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
Understanding how students develop digital
know-how

• Students digital practices are contextualised in
  programmes of study tutors and peers are
  important models and guidesThey are hybrid
  institutional/personal, formal/informal,
  public/private
• Induction and structured progression for complex
  systems that support specialised
  (academic/professional) activities e.g. data
  analysis, reference management, institutional
  systems, design, GIS...
• Generic apps, services etc readily adopted but
  students need clear guidance on what is
  available, supported, recommended, allowed
• Opportunities for peer support e.g. groupwork,
  mentoring, student-authored resources (videos,
  animations, apps etc)

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What is your institution doing...
... to support the ways students develop?
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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
Students as change agents
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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
Students as change agents

• From aspiration to core activity, national
  network
• Variety of student roles emerging researchers,
  ambassadors, designers/developers,
  representatives and champions
• Personal development - digital, organisational,
  personal and entrepreneurial skillsBetter
  solutions to problems thanks to direct user
  involvementMore agile, innovative approach
  (university solutions are not cool)
• No stake in status quo able to ask questions and
  push for answersCost effective high commitment
  and output
• Academic/professional expertise plus students
  digital know-how

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What is your institution doing...
... to support students as change agents in
learning/teaching?
www.hei-flyers.org/wordpress/
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What has digital literacy achieved as an agenda?
Curriculum change?
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Curriculum change the aspiration

• 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
• Learning Skills the ability to study and learn
  effectively in technology-rich environments,
  formal and informal
• Digital scholarship the ability to participate
  in emerging academic, professional and research
  practices that depend on digital systems

activities and resources bit.ly/DLstaffdev
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Curriculum change the reality

• Many excellent examples from programmes of study
• Staff-student partnerships often effective
• More extensive use of digital technologies leads
  to more critical, discriminatory approach by
  students and better judgement
• but
• Student digital know-how seen with more concern
  than excitement
• Innovators may be in under-valued positions and
  roles
• Staff have no time to innovate / students can be
  conservative
• Profound changes - borderless or flipped
  classroom, open and public pedagogies, student as
  producer - are highly challenging

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Digital literacy the turbulence...

• academic and professional learning
• digital know-how

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Time for some discussion
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What can we still do with digital literacy as
an idea and as a long-term project?

• As individuals developing in an intensively
  digital environment?
• As individuals and groups of people working in
  education (committed to enabling other people to
  thrive)?
• As organisations in need of (radical) change?

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What can we still do with digital literacy as
an idea and as a long-term project?

• Tunde Varga-Atkins, University of Liverpool
• Marianne Sheppard, JISC Infonet
• Lindsay Jordan, University of the Arts, London
• Julian Prior, Southampton Solent University

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Digital Literacies at ALT-C 2013
Extending CMALT to a range of staff groups 11 Sept 1.45pm Gallery 2 Clive Young and Stefanie Anyadi (UCL)The Digital Department
Engaging with new e-learning change agents Clive Young and Stefanie Anyadi (UCL) The Digital Department
Why it's not all about the learner a sociomaterial account of students' digital literacy practices 11 Sept 11.35am Main Theatre Lesley Gourlay and Martin Oliver (IOE) Digital Literacy as a Postgraduate Attribute
Raising the profile of technology use amongst learners Taking control of digital literacy development 10 Sept 3.00pm CS4 Stuart Redhead (Exeter) COLLABORATE

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Some resources

• ALT newsletters and webinars
• JISC webinars
• Design studio bit.ly/JISCDDL