Addressing the Digital Literacy Deficit

Jim Pettiward (CELT eLearning) & Chris O’Reilly (ISS)

Creating an online

resource for students

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RationaleJISC, 2012• ‘a recent review of

what employers want from graduates is diverse and includes numerous attributes and skills of which a core part is digital literacy’

• ‘there is a gap in our understanding around how transition and attainment of graduate attributes is linked to digital literacies’

(JISC, 2013)

Digital Literacies 'Digital literacy includes the ability

to find and use information (…) but goes beyond this to encompass communication, collaboration and teamwork, social awareness in the digital environment, understanding of e-safety and creation of new information. Both digital and information literacy are underpinned by critical thinking and evaluation'.

Open University Digital Literacies Framework

(2012)

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Digital Literacy strands

•Curating your digital profile•Staying safe online•Your digital footprint

•Smarter Searching•Building your learning network•Smarter referencing•Managing Information

View on Youtube

• 64% of students reported that they had used Google or another service once or twice to search for themselves online.

• Two thirds of students either do not have a profile or have never heard of professional networking site Linked In.

• 89% of respondents considered that it is either ‘Very Important’ or ‘Quite Important’ for students to curate/manage their online presence.

• Just under half the students asked had searched for their tutors or lecturers online

• When asked where they would go for advice about creating a professional online presence, around 75% of students said they would look online

Some key findings – My Digital Self

• Asked whether they’d had any guidance from the university, their lecturers or other staff on using technology for their studies, 52% said ‘No’.

• The majority of students qualified themselves as ‘Very Confident’ (23%) or ‘Quite Confident’ (55%) at using Google to search for reliable and relevant information online.

• Only 18% of those students surveyed said that they used an online reference manager to help manage their sources.

• Only 1 student reported using Twitter to follow academics/professionals in their subject area, despite the fact that just under half the respondents have a Twitter account.

• 18% of students were able to name a well-known academic or professional blogger in their subject area.

Some key findings – Being an Online Learner

• Co-creation• Open Educational Resource • Digital literacies in the disciplines• Staff involvement – joining the

dots

Key features of project

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• Resources grouped into collections around specific themes

• Mostly using OERs with explanations / scaffolding• Student videos to situate in London Met context• Integrate social media to encourage discussion of issues

/ feedback

The Resource

• Launch at beginning of new academic year & encourage use at induction.

• ‘Digital Ambassadors’ – look at best way to integrate this and encourage student involvement/engagement.

• Continue to develop resource with help of students and work closely with other departments/staff interested in same area.

• Risks!

Future plans

Questions?

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