I believe that developing digital literacies within your organization is key to providing a dynamic and engaging experience for every learner, but we all know that co-ordinating this across the whole college can sometimes be a challenge, so what’s the answer?
Part of my role at JISC’s Regional Support Centre in Yorkshire & Humber has been to work in partnership with RSC colleagues and learning providers nationally, and together we have developed the Digital Literacies Organisational Review tool. This empowers you to take an approach which encompasses every department and allows you to review how digital literacies are embedded across the organisation, from strategy to practice.
Although this may sound like another job for the to-do list, the benefits of placing digital literacies at the heart of your organisation, in my opinion, far outweigh the effort. Benefits include:
- Preparing students for the workplace by developing their digital competencies
- Improving the quality of teaching and learning by offering more flexible and engaging models of delivery
- Informing staff’s continual professional development needs to ensure that they are empowered to help learners make best use of technology
- Contributing towards a safe and responsible learning environment, minimising the risks of cyberbullying and inappropriate online behaviours
- Supporting senior managers to develop strategies focusing on digital literacies that join-up good practice across the organization, these could include and online curriculum.
At the moment we are piloting this tool. We recently visited Solihull College and Sue McGregor, their Director of Curriculum said: “The Digital Literacy Organisational Review was thought provoking and produced some clear and immediate actions to help us move forward.”
If you would like to take part in testing the Digital Literacies Organisational Review at your organization, please don’t hesitate to contact your local RSC to discuss this further. Alternatively, you can also find out more about how our network of Regional Support Centres can support your organisation with digital literacy by following @JISCRSCDigLit on Twitter or by visiting our website.
