Preparing for a digital future : JISC

UK Further and Higher Education are facing the toughest financial constraints for a generation. At the same time, digital literacy is an agenda which aligns well with economic recovery, as it concerns the employability of UK graduates, the health of UK research and innovation, and the capacity of individuals and organisations to make use of digital opportunities. Digital literacy defines those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society. Through the findings of the Supporting Learners in a Digital Age (SLIDA) JISC-funded study and by hearing from the exemplar institutional case studies, the session will provide recommendations on how institutions can better develop the digital literacies of their students, teaching staff and researchers, to meet the demands of 21st century employment.

JISC Conference 2011
1. Programme

Preparing for a digital future

Digital literacy for students, researchers and teaching staff

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Session presentation Preparing for a digital future: digital literacies for learners, researchers and teaching staff Helen Beetham, Rhona Sharpe, Frances Bell and Simranjeet Singh Roud, Col Hawksworth

Developing students’ digital literacy to give them the best chance of success Cribsheet We’re working with colleges and universities to embed core digital skills into the curriculum. By digital literacy we mean those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society: for example, the skills to use digital tools to undertake academic research, writing and critical thinking; as part of personal development planning; and as a way of showcasing achievements.

Supporting learners in a digital age This project investigated how institutions are creating and enabling opportunities that promote the development of effective learning in a digital age. The ultimate aim was to promote strategies that support learners to develop the access, skills, strategies and attributes they need to learn effectively with technology. The main deliverables of the study were a set of 9 institutional web-based case studies How can digital literacy help provide the building blocks for lifelong learning University of Salford How do research-informed approaches to learning and teaching support and develop learners in technology-rich environments Oxford Brookes University Pioneering the use of learner owned devices to support technology-enhanced learning Birkenhead Sixth Form College Final project report (PDF) with recommendations for further and higher education on how to develop effective institution-wide strategies and practices which better support effective learners in a digital age. You can also see a report of the methodologyused to create the case studies.

Digital literacies pilot materials Materials for curriculum and institutional development in response to a digital literacies agenda

Responding to learners pack of resources This resource pack synthesises the outcomes from the Learner Experiences of e-Learning theme of the JISC e-Learning Programme which funded a total of ten projects from 2005 to 2009, and had the sustained involvement of over 200 learners and more than 3000 survey respondents to explore learners’ perceptions of and participation in technology-enhanced learning in a digital age.

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	Session information
Who should attend	This session will be of interest to those with responsibility for the delivery, support and management of teaching, learning and research in their college or university. This session will also be of interest to heads of student services and student support and learning resources/libraries.
Abstract	UK Further and Higher Education are facing the toughest financial constraints for a generation. At the same time, digital literacy is an agenda which aligns well with economic recovery, as it concerns the employability of UK graduates, the health of UK research and innovation, and the capacity of individuals and organisations to make use of digital opportunities. Digital literacy defines those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society. Through the findings of the Supporting Learners in a Digital Age (SLIDA) JISC-funded study and by hearing from the exemplar institutional case studies, the session will provide recommendations on how institutions can better develop the digital literacies of their students, teaching staff and researchers, to meet the demands of 21^st century employment.
Speakers	Chair Helen Beetham, Consultant Speakers Dr Rhona Sharpe, Educational Developer, Oxford Brookes University Colin Hawksworth, Computing Services Manager, Birkenhead Sixth Form Colleage Mal Blackburne, College Learning Manager, Birkenhead Sixth Form College Frances Bell, Senior Lecturer in Information Systems, Salford Business School, University of Salford Simranjeet Singh Roud, Student, University of Salford
Take away	Through the outcomes of Supporting Learners in a Digital Age (SLIDA) JISC funded study and by hearing from the exemplar institutional case studies, the session will provide recommendations on how institutions can better develop the digital literacies of staff and students to meet the demands of 21^st century employment. The session will offer practical guidance on how to develop learning literacies more effectively together with links to online sources of advice and guidance