Jisc Inform looks at the next generation of learners
The point of view of the learner comes into focus in the new issue of Jisc Inform, published this week, with a look at the latest, highly-acclaimed Jisc e-learning publication, In Their Own Words. According to the publication, engaging the opinions of undergraduate, postgraduate, and adult learners on their learning experiences in higher education – particularly in relation to their use of technology – is becoming ever more significant to universities and colleges as they strive to move with the times and prepare for a generation that has grown up in a digital age.
The publication explores how the same technologies are being used for both socializing and study, with learners using their own personal laptops, mobile phones and social software not only to network with peers, but also to enhance their learning. Whilst the benefits, particularly to distant and part-time learners, are clear, the study suggests that institutions need to respond to these developments to ensure learners are aware of potential drawbacks, as well as the benefits, of the digital environment.
This increasing significance of the student perspective is echoed by another study, also featured in this issue of Jisc Inform, which explores the attitudes of 16-18 year-old on the verge of attending university. The research was commissioned by Jisc and carried out by IPSOS-MORI, and investigates what the next generation of students – those who’ve grown up with technology at their fingertips – want and expect from university ICT provision.
The findings of the study into student expectations will be taken forward by Jisc and the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /?>HigherEducationAcademy, where further research will be carried out into the learner experience in order to advise universities and colleges on what they need to do to keep up with the next generation of HE student.
The new issue also features an article on visualisation which looks at how the use of intuitive 3D representations of ideas is growing in popularity, no longer exclusive to researchers and developers. The article reports on the progress of vizNET – a Jisc-funded collaboration headed up by Roy Kalawsky, director of the Research School of Systems Engineering at LoughboroughUniversity – in its efforts to reach out to users in the science and engineering industry.
Other articles include a special feature by IT journalist Mark Samuels, which reports on the increased consideration by universities and colleges of procuring open source software; the latest on the Jisc e-books observatory project; the short-listed entries for the Jisc-sponsored THES Outstanding Initiative of the Year award; a report on the progress of the UK Access Management Federation following the announcement that membership has now reached 100; and the newly-published study of the role of ICT in supporting links between business and the education sector.
Inform plus+ - the web-based supplement to the printed issue – contains full-length articles by Mark Samuels and Rachel Pitman and podcasts on visualisation, open source software, the newly-enhanced Go-Geo! resource and the national e-books project.