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Guide

Developing digital literacies

Provides ideas and resources to inspire the strategic development of digital literacies - those capabilities which support living, learning and working in a digital society

Archived
This content was archived in September 2018

About this guide

  • Published: 6 March 2014
  • Updated: 16 December 2014
View this guide in its original infoKit format on Jisc infoNet (via Wayback Machine)

Digital literacies are those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society.

Digital literacy looks beyond functional IT skills to describe a richer set of digital behaviours, practices and identities. What it means to be digitally literate changes over time and across contexts, so digital literacies are essentially a set of academic and professional situated practices supported by diverse and changing technologies. This definition quoted above can be used as a starting point to explore what key digital literacies are in a particular context eg university, college, service, department, subject area or professional environment.

Digital literacies encompasses a range of other capabilities represented here in a seven elements model:

Seven element of digital literacies
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Seven element of digital literacies
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Digital literacy as a developmental process

Beetham and Sharpe ‘pyramid model’ of digital literacy development model (2010)
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Beetham and Sharpe ‘pyramid model’ of digital literacy development model (2010)
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All rights reserved
Beetham and Sharpe ‘pyramid model’ of digital literacy development model (2010)

Literacy is about development so understanding digital literacy in this way is important; we acquire language and become increasingly proficient over time and eventually reach a level of fluency. Beetham and Sharpe’s framework (2010) describes digital literacy as a development process from access and functional skills to higher level capabilities and identity. However, this will change depending on the context so it also reflects how individuals can be motivated to develop new skills and practices in different situations. A number of institutions have adapted and used the framework in their digital literacy projects (view via UK Web Archive).

Defining digital literacy in your context

This and other models are useful tools for raising awareness and engaging stakeholders in discussions around digital literacies to develop a shared understanding and goals. They also have a practical application to help map how these might be developed, supported and evaluated.

Background

Digital literacy is critical to the development of UK further and higher education as digital technologies provide new opportunities to enhance teaching, learning, research and the management of organisations. Investing in the digital capabilities of students and staff brings individual and organisational benefits such as:

  • providing quality education in flexible and innovative ways
  • meeting the expectations and needs of a diversity of students through an enhanced learning experience
  • improving employability and higher skills in a digital economy
  • attracting more students in a global education market
  • improving processes, systems and building organisational capacity
  • maximising the value of investments in learning technologies, content and services

About this resource

The Jisc Developing Digital Literacies programme (2011-2013) set out to explore institutional approaches to digital literacy development in universities and colleges. The 12 institutional projects and 10 professional associations involved worked across a range of stakeholder groups: students, academic staff, teachers, researchers, librarians, administrators, technical staff, support staff and senior managers. The knowledge and resources from the programme have been shared progressively through the Jisc Design Studio (view via UK Web Archive).

This detailed guide draws on this to provide a set of practical guidance, tools and approaches. It examines the ‘top down’ strategic considerations involved in developing digital literacies across an institution as well as an ‘on the ground’ view of what this means in practice.

Strategic perspectives on digital literacies

A digitally literate organisation is better equipped to address a range of challenges so building capacity for strategic thinking and leadership around digital literacy at all levels is critical for organisational change in this area.

There are a number of approaches institutions can take to help drive forward digital literacies across the organisation in a consistent, holistic and sustainable way.

This section will focus on:

  • Developing a strategic vision underpinned by institutional values and effective leadership
  • Translating the vision into different strategies, policies and processes and taking a joined up approach
  • Providing support services and opportunities which enable students and staff to develop their digital capabilities
  • Enabling a supportive IT infrastructure which supports diverse digital practices and flexibility
  • Promoting a culture of innovation and change where staff and students at all levels are involved in strategic conversations around digital literacies and a range of engagement models are supported
  • Reviewing current policies, processes and practices to better understand existing support for digital literacy and help prioritise areas for development

Vision and leadership

Developing a vision for what a digitally literate university or college looks like will underpin the institutional strategies, policies and processes which enable digital literacy to flourish.

Some of the questions for institutions in helping articulate a vision for digital literacy include:

  • How does our institutional mission recognise the importance of digital capability?
  • What learner or graduate attributes do we make it our mission to develop, promote and support in our learners?
  • What part do digital technologies play in the learning experience at our institution?
  • How are learners involved in decisions about ICT?
  • How are we helping learners to thrive in a networked social context, where boundaries of many kinds are crossed?
  • Do we actively address learners’ expectations about the digital environment and forms of digital learning in which they will be engaged?

Case study: Greenwich Connect

Greenwich Connect is ‘a vision for learning innovation’ at the University of Greenwich to help address some of the challenges it faces in a digital age. A series of vision statements around the learning experience embeds digital literacy as an intrinsic part of the organisation’s values through a set of ‘dimensions’ – personalisation, learning spaces, engagement, curriculum and research, professional practice and connectivity.

Underpinning Greenwich Connect is the belief that learning is enhanced through active engagement, social interaction, collaboration and building relationships. By engaging with stakeholders across the University, Greenwich Connect will enable us to share and build on best practice.
David McGuire, vice-chancellor, University of Greenwich

Developing an institutional vision cannot be done in isolation and will need to involve a range of different stakeholders.

Consultation events, focus groups, workshops or think tanks can help to engage staff and a range of tools and techniques can help such as scenario planning or using participatory approaches like rich pictures.

Further resources

  • Defining and articulating your vision, mission and values
  • Scenario planning
  • Planning a participatory workshop

 

Strategy and policy

Influencing strategy is impossible unless senior managers can be convinced that your vision has merit.
University of Plymouth Seedpod project

Strategic aspirations about digital literacy, if they exist, are usually expressed in different written statements and strategies such as digital, e-learning or learning and teaching strategies. For some institutions, these strategies focus on specific ‘digital’ objectives while for others these are normalised across a range of statements. Either way, digital literacy aspirations need to be clearly articulated and words turned to actions through strategic planning.

This is different to developing a digital literacy framework or model (view via UK Web Archive) which has a different purpose although it can be useful in guiding plans and activities. Activities that are currently happening need to clearly align with existing strategies for them to be supported and prioritised.

From vision to strategy

A ‘cake’ analogy from the Digidol project at Cardiff University on the importance of aligning digital literacy activities with institutional strategies.

Engaging senior managers

Balancing resources and prioritising activities is a key concern for decision makers.

Decisions will be influenced by a number of factors such as how closely strategic objectives are connected, costing and resourcing and evidence gathered through a review and audit process. Short briefings and hard evidence around efficiencies, cost savings and enhanced student satisfaction are a useful way of convincing senior managers.

Case study: Plymouth University

Like many higher education institutions, Plymouth has been through a rapid process of change. This has resulted in a number of key opportunities that allowed the SEEDPoD project to make a significant impact on embedding digital literacy in many key areas of the institution through new institutional strategies.

These strategies contribute to faculty/school plans which, through a Performance Development Framework, create a focus for staff digital literacy development needs. These are then fed through to appropriate support services, a significant part of which is offered through a new department – Academic Support, Technology and Innovation (ASTI). The aim is to better coordinate support for digital literacy through a ‘hub’ model. ASTI is made up of 35 staff including e-learning specialists, learning technologists, information specialists and digital skills developers.

ASTI supports students and staff in the use of digital technologies and resources. By influencing strategic change, support for digital literacy development has become a core part of the institution’s infrastructure.

Communication and engagement

Underpinning all successful strategic activity around digital literacy is effective communication and engagement to ensure staff, students and other stakeholders are informed and actively involved in ongoing dialogue around change. The term ‘strategic conversation’ is sometimes used to describe this process and although there are tools and approaches which can help make these more effective, the organisational culture and environment will ultimately influence the nature of these (see section on culture and change).

Further resources

  • Managing strategic activity
  • Strategic management theme (view via UK Web Archive)
  • 20 tips for senior managers

Support and development

Support services

Support for digital literacy is delivered by a wide range of services and through various support models which are distributed, connected or integrated in different ways. Making support activities more coherent is important.

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Plymouth University ASTI model
©Plymouth University
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Plymouth University ASTI model

Joining up activities through a ‘hub and spoke’ model where a central team coordinates and oversees these, such as the ASTI model at Plymouth University, is a good approach. Others include:

  • Developing collaborative digital projects between support services to build better links
  • Recognising the value of informal support networks between peers
  • Engaging students alongside staff in co-mentoring roles
  • Improving signposting for staff and students to appropriate support
  • Ensuring mechanisms are in place to appropriately assess and progress the digital capabilities of students and staff
  • Recognising that support services staff need to upskill their own digital literacy
  • Recognition and reward are key motivators for staff and students to engage in development activities

Case study: Cardiff University - bridging the gap between practice and services

The Digidol project at Cardiff University took a ‘digital enablement’ approach to bridging the gap between the practices of academic staff and students on the one hand and staff development, libraries and information services on the other.

Academic staff and students are best placed to know what they require in terms of their practices and what they are trying to achieve, but they know less about what is available to support them in terms of technologies and services. Professional services on the other hand are responsible for supporting these technologies, so know what is available and what is required to use them effectively but know much less about what academic staff and students actually want and what they are trying to achieve. So there is a knowledge gap between these two groups.

Through their model, learning literacies are the building blocks to bridging this gap with ‘enablement as conversation’ the process for framing conversations around requirements and solutions to help facilitate this.

Staff development

Investment in the professional development of staff across the institution is an important factor in the strategic development of digital literacy. Routes to this range from accredited programmes to in-house workshops and training to developing communities of practice. The section on supporting staff digital literacies explores tools and approaches but a key message for institutions is that policies and processes need to support development across different academic and support roles in a range of ways.

A number of professional associations (view via UK Web Archive) have staff development programmes and resources which support digital literacy development including competence frameworks, online courses, development conferences and networking opportunities for their members. These are useful sources of support for developing staff in a range of different roles. A number of these associations, working with projects, have reviewed, adapted or mapped their professional standards and frameworks (view via UK Web Archive) to help embed digital capabilities. The Association for Learning Technology (ALT) provide CPD courses for staff such as ocTEL (Open Course in Technology Enhanced Learning).

Further resources

  • 20 tips for support services
  • Jisc briefing paper: supporting staff through technological change (view via UK Web Archive)
  • Implementing the UKPSF in the digital university (view via UK Web Archive)
  • Summary of baseline research - professional associations (view via UK Web Archive)
  • Professional digital literacy frameworks

Digital environment

Developing a digital infrastructure which creates a supportive, adaptable and secure digital environment is critical for digital literacy development to flourish. As the use of personal mobile devices increases so does the need to provide more flexible and personalised access to institutional services and technologies through fast, reliable and secure networks and services across multiple locations.

IT strategies, policies and processes will set the direction for the development of the digital environment so develop these continuously and engage users throughout the process.

Student engagement with technology

The Jisc digital student project is working with a number of partners to investigate the expectations incoming students have of technology provision in further and higher education.

The findings and recommendations from an initial scoping study on students’ expectations and experiences of the digital environment (view via UK Web Archive) (2013) already highlights some key considerations for institutions around connectivity and access to IT as well as staff capability and support services.

The Institute of Education’s digital literacies as a postgraduate attribute project (view via UK Web Archive) also has some key findings around the digital environment and student engagement with technology.

e-safety

The increasing use of personal devices and social media tools in learning and teaching brings with it responsibilities to keep vulnerable learners safe online and manage and monitor access to content appropriately. The e-safety detailed guide provides guidance and resources in this area, especially for the further education and skills sector.

User engagement

A key message from institutions is – involve students! This will help focus on developing institutional technology that really meet students’ needs and help make core institutional systems more usable and personal through student testing of new services and applications.

More generally continuous dialogue between ICT teams and users is important to find out how the environment is inhibiting or supporting innovation and how policies need to be adapted to better reflect digital practices across the organisation.

The visitors and residents approach provides a model for engaging users and evaluating digital services to users through an exploration of individual behaviours and preferences.

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Map was created as part of the HE Academy’s Challenges of Residency project by a master’s level Biomedical Science student.
©HE Academy
All rights reserved

Case study: bring your own device (BYOD) initiative at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai

The PADDLE project uncovered a number of barriers across a group of colleges related to the digital environment such as wifi access, support for BYOD and attitudes to supporting social media.

The project developed a pilot to encourage the use of mobile devices by students in the construction programme area at Coleg Llandrillo. This development has been seen as a model of good practice within the college and the area has now been given a more permanent and robust wifi provision. It is hoped other programme areas will follow suit.

Further resources

  • 20 tips for IT services
  • Jisc digital student project
  • Evaluating digital services: a visitors and residents approach
  • Learning spaces detailed guide
  • Mobile learning detailed guide
  • BYOD resources (view via UK Web Archive)

Culture and change

Digital literacy development requires a range of approaches to change which both respond to and help shape organisational culture.  Culture is complex but is essentially about ‘the way we do things around here’.

Each institution will have its own culture and a web of sub-cultures across subject disciplines, departments, teams, role groups etc. Working with these is important but changing the culture itself is an opportunity which requires skilled leadership.

A key finding from the Institute of Education project  in relation to change management is that:

the classic opposition of “top down” and “bottom up” change failed to explain how the project could achieve institutional change. Instead, opportunistic “middle out” change proved most effective: spotting institutional developments and either weaving them through our analysis work, or supporting particular initiatives by providing them with the evidence base they needed to secure institutional support and resourcing.

The project team presented on their model of organisational change to the Jisc online conference in session called projects, policy and digital literacies: from student experience to organisational change.

The change management detailed guide looks at culture and approaches to change in detail but here are some key messages from the existing digital literacy initiatives:

  • Invest in partnership approaches which engage staff, students and other stakeholders across the institution – students as change agents are particularly effective
  • Create opportunities for conversation and development through workshops, events and other development opportunities
  • Work digital literacies into other change agendas is more effective than pursuing a consensus through more isolated initiatives
  • Understand what influences and motivates different groups ie forms of communication, reward and recognition etc
  • Know your audience and always talk about digital literacy in context ie what it means to different subject disciplines, professional roles etc
  • Enable communities of practice or peer networks to develop and encourage links across departments and roles while maintaining a strategic overview
  • Provide seed funding for mini projects

Students as change agents

Institutions are engaging students in digital literacy projects through a range of roles such as co-researchers, mentors, and technical support. The advantages are that students are generally more digitally confident and fluent than staff in the use of personal and social media. Although students need support in applying this digital know-how successfully to academic study, they are often more willing to explore the possibilities that technology can bring to their learning.

These practices can be developed effectively by working in partnership with staff and other students. Students can also feel empowered by their involvement in change, benefiting from new personal and work-related skills as initiatives at Oxford Brookes University and the University of Greenwich show.

Student e-pioneer partnerships at Oxford Brookes University

Through a range of research and engagement activities, the InStePP project has developed a prototype model for staff-student partnerships which help to develop digital literacies across the university and embed digital literacies as one of five graduate attributes.

The ePioneers scheme is a three-way partnership between students, the institution and professional associations representing prospective employers. Three professional partners supported the scheme – the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), ALT and ELESIG. The project has a number of resources which can be used by others in the post-16 education sector which are all available from the InStePP website.

Change Agents Network

This national network has developed out of Jisc-funded work on digital literacies and assessment and feedback. The aim is to increase the engagement of students in higher and further education development activities, particularly when catalysed by technology and focused on the student experience. It is a network for students and staff, offering peer support, a forum for sharing ideas and experiences and advice and guidance for individuals and institutions. There are a range of effective practice resources to support staff and students in developing student partnerships.

Measuring change

Evaluating the impact of digital literacy initiatives will provide evidence of change, identify successful and unsuccessful approaches and build a case for continuing development activities. The review section will look at tools and approaches to help understand the current ‘as is’ situation and evaluate progress against objectives.

Further resources

  • Change management detailed guide
  • Organisational development resources (view via Wayback Machine)
  • Change Agents Network effective practice resources (view via Wayback Machine)
  • Students as digital pioneers - outcomes and lessons from the developing digital literacies programme (view via Wayback Machine)
  • Students as change agents - resources from across Jisc programmes (view via Wayback Machine)
  • Planning a participatory workshop

Review

Investigating how digital literacies are currently supported and reviewing skills levels across the organisation can help prioritise areas for development and baseline the institutional starting point for change.

Although potentially time-consuming, undertaking this kind of research is essential to providing an evidence base for change and a business case for investing in digital literacy development. It also provides a starting point against which you can evaluate progress, inform planning and generally contribute to the business intelligence of the organisation.

There will be different approaches required to investigating these different areas. While some of these could be informed from existing institutional documentation or light touch interviews with key players, other areas will be more complex. The main areas to consider include (a more detailed set of possible questions is available - view via UK Web Archive):

  • Strategies and policies eg external and institutional strategies and statements
  • Infrastructure eg IT hardware, software, mobile access, learning spaces
  • Support eg support services, online resources, tutor/peer support
  • Practice eg technologies in use, learning experience, co-curricular activities
  • Expertise and attitudes eg staff and student capabilities and perceptions
  • Needs and expectations eg stakeholder expectations, needs analysis

Institutional audit and review tool

Templates

View or download our templates:

  • Institutional audit and review tool (pdf) and guidance notes (pdf)

This audit tool developed by Jisc supports evidence gathering around digital literacy support across the organisation. It provides questions and points for reflection around key areas: strategies and policies, support from professional services, support in programmes of study, IT infrastructure and support, developing expertise, special projects or initiatives and conclusions/recommendations.  

Measuring change

Understanding the baseline will enable evidence-based decision-making and inform future strategies. It also provides a starting point against which initiatives can be evaluated to provide evidence of impact and support a case for further investment of resources. There are a number of tools and approaches including evaluation resources used in digital literacy projects (view via UK Web Archive).

Plymouth year one impact video.

Further resources

  • Tools and resources for baselining digital literay (view via UK Web Archive)
  • Digital literacies evaluation resources (view via UK Web Archive)

Developing digital literacies in practice

Strategies and policies will guide direction but change happens ‘on the ground’ through ‘change agents’ working to support staff and students in developing their skills and practice.  This section will focus on approaches and resources which can help those involved in staff and student support.

The curriculum provides the framework for developing student digital literacies and engaging staff in dialogue around what it means to be a digitally literate student, teacher, professional etc in a particular discipline. The curriculum design process is key to ensuring that digital literacies are embedded in learning and teaching. Supporting student digital literacies tends to be the focus of support activities but teaching staff need support to help address confidence and capability issues and support staff need to continually develop skills and knowledge. Although researchers self-direct their digital practice, they still need opportunities to build confidence and develop their capabilities.

There are a range of approaches to support including:

  • Implementing different support models such as students as digital pioneers/change agents
  • Developing digital literacy frameworks with staff and students to encourage engagement and ownership and using these as tools for dialogue and evaluating skills and competence
  • Assessing student and staff skills through surveys and engagement activities to ensure these are understood and appropriate support developed
  • Developing digital literacies for employability and exploring recognition and reward schemes
  • Developing different levels of support from short online guidance and briefings to more hands-on workshop activities
  • Embedding digital literacies in continuing professional development (CPD) and staff development programmes
  • Focusing on digital identity and reputation as a powerful motivator to engage with digital issues

Curriculum change

The curriculum provides a framework for engaging with technologies that are educationally relevant.

For students, digital practices in the learning environment are shaped within their programme of study where they tend to look to teaching staff for guidance on recommended technologies or adopt those required by the curriculum. Embedding digital capability into the curriculum aligns with their educational aspirations and helps make sense of the tasks and technologies in use.

However, there is generally a lack of consistency within institutions in how students are introduced to technology in their studies, how technology is used in curriculum activities and how digital skills are assessed if at all. Engaging staff and students in development activities and systematically designing digital literacy into the curriculum will help address some of these issues.

Oxford Brookes University

Oxford Brookes University has taken a wholesale and strategic approach to developing digital literacies across the curriculum.
The Brookes Strategy for Enhancing the Student Experience 2010-2015 requires all programmes to include the development of five graduate attributes, one of which is digital and information literacy. Every programme now produces a new programme specification and a narrative explaining the digital and information literacies their graduates will develop and the learning activities and assessments that will support this development.
The strategy is taken forward by faculty associate deans (student experience) and digital media and e-learning developers (learning technologists), supported by a central course design initiative and wiki-based resources.

Taking a discipline focus

Focusing on digital literacies within different subject disciplines is the most meaningful way of engaging staff and students in discussions around the types of technologies and related capabilities that are of most relevance to them.

For staff, the sense of being overwhelmed by the digital can be managed through a focus on what is really relevant in their specialism and on the ways they can add value to students’ digital know-how.

For students, the discipline provides the context for shaping their digital practices to support their studies and, in many cases, professional development.

Developing faculty learning communities at the University of Bath

The University of Bath has been exploring what it means to be ‘digitally literate’ within different subject disciplines. The PriDE project took an action learning approach to defining and developing digital literacies across its four faculties by working through faculty ‘learning communities’ made up of staff, students and researchers.
These groups came together to develop a rich set of digital literacy statements which describe the attributes of learners, researchers, teachers and professionals within the context of their subject disciplines.  
This disciplinary approach to engaging staff and students in discussion around digital literacy has been a catalyst for significant change at the university and a number of the project’s achievements are showcased in the special edition of Better@Bath.

Curriculum design and development

The curriculum design process is key to ensuring that digital literacies are embedded in learning and teaching. Course validation and review provide opportunities to rethink how digital literacy can be reflected in learning outcomes and the tasks and assessments which support these so working with course teams at these critical points is key. The involvement of specialist professionals in this process (eg library staff, TEL staff, academic advisors) also allows new ideas to spread across subject boundaries.

A resource set on developing digital Literacies in the curriculum provides a range of resources such as case studies, workshop materials, guides and briefings, frameworks and learning design tools which can be used with staff and students.

Further resources

  • Developing digital literacies in the curriculum
  • Learning design resources
  • Students as digital pioneers
  • 20 tips for course teams

Supporting researchers

The use of digital technologies and media by researchers potentially is changing what it means to be an effective researcher or skilled academic/professional in higher education.
Vitae baseline report

Research skills and competences are integral to academic practice at all levels but this section will focus on developing the digital literacies of research students and career researchers.

Researchers are increasingly using digital technologies in a social and professional context to enhance their research activities as these open up new possibilities in terms of networking, communication and collaboration, data capture, analysis and visualisation, project management and open publishing and research.  However, Vitae, an organisation championing the development of researchers in the UK, has recognised that there is a general lack of expertise within the researcher development community when it comes to digital literacy development. 

Through its involvement in the developing digital literacies programme, Vitae is working more proactively with this community to help prioritise activities and support.

The researcher development framework

The researcher development framework developed by Vitae articulates the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of successful researchers, encouraging them to aspire to excellence through achieving higher levels of development. An information literacy ‘lens’ focusing on the capabilities of researchers in this area is being developed in collaboration with Research Information Network (RIN) and SCONUL. Vitae have also recently developed a new and improved Vitae RDF planner with extended functionality to better meet the needs of researchers and institutions. The Vitae RDF planner is now available through both an institutional or personal subscription. For more information visit www.vitae.ac.uk/rdfplanner.

Developing a culture of digital research practice is important in research-intensive institutions and across research networks. There are examples of approaches to this, including the involvement of researchers in change programmes.

Exploring the digital practices of postgraduate researcher at the University of Exeter

The Cascade project at the University of Exeter has worked with a group of postgraduate researchers to develop their skills and interests in the area of digital scholarship and explore different practices in the use of technology in research contexts.
These practices are significant for innovating research culture in departments but are also being used to develop activities in taught programmes, enabling students to experience learning activities that are digitally rich as well as research intensive. Postgraduates are seen as key change agents at the University. They are influencing research teams through their enthusiasm for digital methods, and they are also involved in undergraduate teaching where they are bringing new practices into the classroom.
The interns themselves believe that they have much to learn from the next generation of undergraduates, who they see taking more creative control of digital media and developing their own environments and tools for learning.

Resources

  • Resources for digital scholars and researchers
  • Handbook of social media for researchers and supervisors

Supporting staff

Developing staff digital literacies can often be overlooked but it is key that institutions invest in development opportunities for both academic and support staff so that they can support students more effectively and enhance their own professional competences. While many staff are advocates of the benefits of technology to learning and teaching, there are pockets of resistance due to eg lack of confidence, lack of time to engage with new tools, distrust of the academic benefits or cultural attitudes. 

Universities and colleges provide a range of services from conventional IT training to more tailored e-learning support which help staff explore technology options and how they can enhance the curriculum. Professional development programmes also offer opportunities to raise awareness of how digital tools can support teaching practice and help staff reflect on their own competences.

Often though it is about engaging staff in change so creating opportunities for conversations is key. Here are some approaches which might help:

Focus on the curriculum

Context is key so focusing on the subject specialism is the best way to engage teaching, support staff and students in conversations about what it means to be digitally literate in a particular discipline. Aligned with that is the curriculum design process. Learning design workshops and curriculum approval processes should help ensure that digital literacies are developed through appropriate tasks and articulated in learning outcomes (see section on curriculum change).

Mapping spaces, tasks and tools

This resource, produced in collaboration with the Institute of Education (IoE) and the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA), draws together outputs from the Institute of Education’s developing digital literacies project that educational developers can use with teachers to explore their practice. The resources may also be used by teachers to support discussion of students’ learning practices.

Use frameworks or models as tools for engagement

Focusing on theoretical aspects of digital literacies by developing definitions, frameworks and models of digital literacy can be beneficial as a way of engaging staff. These can provide a reference point going forward or a visualisation of a shared understanding of what digital literacy means but the key benefit is that they provide a focus or tool for engagement and discussion.

Essentially, the process is as important as the end product. See examples from Bath, Cardiff and Greenwich universities.

Provide timely information, guidance and support

Staff are time-poor and need access to on-demand, highly accessible, bite-sized ICT guidance such as online videos or drop-in sessions (may be mixed with students).

Staff appreciate case studies and examples of good practice particularly those relevant to their discipline but probably need some kind of personal mediation to really make good use of these eg through a staff development event. Examples include the Plymouth guide to digital literacies and ‘Digital tools for busy academics’. See a summary of briefings and guides here.

Develop partnerships, networks and communities of practice

Working in partnership with students (see culture and change) and other staff on focused projects can be an excellent way of developing capabilities and confidence. These can lead to the development of new or existing networks, interest groups and communities of practice which help embed digital literacies in the longer term.

The University of Bath worked with faculty learning communities and workshop resources are available to reuse/repurpose.

The University of the Arts London developed a number of communities of practice and cluster groups to focus on different projects and themes.

Embed digital literacies in CPD and staff development programmes

CPD, accredited routes, award schemes and secondments are all means of encouraging staff engagement alongside giving ‘softer’ but essential incentives such as making time available. Worcester College has developed online digital literacy courses for staff which are accredited at Level 2 by the Open College Network.

The PADDLE project also established an online digital practice for teachers course to encourage digital practices in the curriculum. As part of this the project has also defined a digital competence framework for FE.

Developing digital literacies for teaching administrators - UCL

University College London has recognised that teaching administrators are critical to the effective management of learning and teaching processes across the college.
The digital department project looked at the diverse skills and abilities needed by this group of staff, and explored how best to develop, share and recognise their digital practice through a certification framework, namely the CMALT programme.
Due to the success of the project, the plan is to roll out the model to other staff groups across the institution.

 

Digital literacy is increasingly being expressed in different professional frameworks which help map the capabilities, attitudes and values of various professional roles.

In higher education, for example, the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) for teaching and supporting learning is for institutions to apply to their professional development programmes. A guide to Implementing the UKPSF in the digital university developed by a range of professional associations involved in the Jisc programme provides examples and case studies mapped to the UKPSF dimensions.

Focus on digital identity and reputation

Developing a professional/academic digital identity is a powerful motivator for staff to engage with digital issues so using online reputation as a ‘hook’ for staff engagement and development is a useful approach generating open discussion about digital competences and issues.

Digital choices are aspects of personal identity so, as the University of the Arts London has found, staff need time, space and support to assess their individual capabilities, anxieties and needs, and decide which tools are right for them. 

Self-assessment and diagnostic tools can also help staff define their own development goals and training needs.

Further resources

  • Staff development resources
  • Embedding work-with-IT project
  • CAMEL model to build a community of practice
  • Guide to Implementing the UKPSF in the digital university

Supporting students

Students enter further or higher education with a broad spectrum of digital capabilities, experience of and confidence in using technology. However, even students who are confident and proficient users of social and digital media in their personal and social lives need support using digital technologies effectively for learning and in employment-related contexts.

The Institute of Education explored the digital literacies of their students (postgraduate) and their research findings have identified practical challenges and conceptual issues around the use of technology in their studies such as their developing sense of professional and scholarly identity.

Student partnerships and peer support

The range of services which can support digital capabilities are discussed in Support and Development but it is worth highlighting again the effectiveness of involving students as partners or mentors to develop their own skills and provide peer support. See examples under culture and change.

Learning Zone

The Learning Zone at the University of the Arts, London is a peer support and co-mentoring initiative which employs students alongside professional staff and has been considered among the most forward-thinking aspects of institutional provision.

It is a dynamic social learning space that supports the development of study and transferable professional skills. It combines traditional and modern tools alongside state of the art technology in a flexible, informal and fully accessible space which supports group and individual study. Student assistants and professional staff are available to advise and guide students as they explore innovative ways of doing their coursework.

Focusing on online identity

A key hook to engage students is focusing on online identity and reputation which can be well supported through separate modules or workshops as well as online resources.

  • The University of Bath is developing workshops on creating and managing professional online identities to be offered via faculties as part of student induction and by the Students’ Union as a component of their skills training workshops
  • The University of the Arts London developed a pilot programme around professional online identities and a supporting workshop
  • Reading’s ‘This is Me’ website collates a range of learning materials around digital identity including workbooks and worksheets, identity stories and workshop materials
  • Grŵp Llandrillo Menai has developed a set of module-linked resources for college tutors to use with students around digital culture and identity

Assessing and progressing students’ digital literacies

Understanding the digital capabilities of students helps inform how they are best supported both within and alongside the curriculum. Survey tools such as the student survey tool developed by Jisc's learners’ experiences of e-learning programme can support larger scale audits of learners’ access and preferences.

Digital literacy frameworks such as the European digital competence framework and other institutional or professional frameworks can provide a basis for evaluating and progressing digital capabilities. The visitors and residents approach provides a more exploratory means of understanding digital practices and identity.

Digital choices are aspects of personal identity so students need time, space and support to assess their own individual capabilities and development needs in different contexts. Ideally this opportunity should be offered at the start of their course and regularly as they progress. There are a range of self-assessment tools which students could be introduced to although supporting reflection and action planning around this is important.

Digital literacies and the learning journey

Support should be progressive throughout the learning experience but providing this as early as possible (ie from pre-entry to induction) is critical for managing expectations and initiating the processes of self-assessment and personal development planning. Digital literacies need addressing throughout the learner journey at the transition points between different levels of study.

Digital literacies in transition at Greenwich

The digital literacies in transition project at the University of Greenwich project has focused on the student journey and understanding students needs at critical points in their progression through higher education.

The principles of aligning digital literacy with transition is based upon research performed by the University of Greenwich as well as drawing from best practice from the sector. It is designed to support practitioners in supporting their students and thus enhance the transitional experience of higher education (HE). Combined with the 5 resource model of critical literacy it provides a supporting mode for developing graduate attributes aligned to transition.

See transition in HE for more information and resources.

Employability, recognition and reward

The curriculum provides the core learning context for digital literacy development and extra- or co-curricular activities which can also help develop wider skills including employability. Partnerships with professional bodies to accredit digital literacy skills such as the Oxford Brookes/Institute for Leadership and Management (ILM) initiative to develop a course for future consultants can raise the profile of digital literacy for employability.

Schemes which recognise student digital skills such as the Bath Award or accreditation in the form of badges or academic credit can be effective ways to incentivise student engagement with digital literacy initiatives and develop skills in professional contexts. Institutions such as Cardiff provide a range of online resources to support employability skills.

 

Digital literacies and work placements at Reading

Digitally Ready project at the University of Reading focused on digital literacies for student employability in the context of work placements. The team investigated how work-related and placement learning (WRPL) opportunities help students develop their digital literacies and needs, expectations and experiences in this area.
The project used a framework to evaluate students’ digital experiences and developed a series of workshops for students and staff focusing on employability and digital identity including one for learners on digital literacies and reflective practice.

Resources

  • 20 tips for support services
  • 20 tips for students
  • Students as change agents
  • Resources for working with students
  • Assessing and progressing digital literacy
  • Developing digital literacy for employability
  • Cardiff case employability case study

Top tips

Some of our suggestions may seem to state the obvious but they reflect outcomes from the Jisc programme and are a useful reminder for when you are developing digital literacies in your institution.

20 tips for course teams

  1. Develop your own digital literacy and that of your team. Identify skills gaps and consider if support staff, staff from other curriculum areas, consultants, professional mentors could help fill them.
  2. Take up relevant CPD and training opportunities, then ask for recognition for the digital expertise you bring to your role. Look for support from staff/educational development, the appraisal process, peers, students. Short-term secondments are a great way to update your own skills and extend your horizons.
  3. Relax. You don’t have to be an expert in all things digital so long as you keep up to date with developments in your subject community (one size does not fit all).
  4. Know who, how and when to ask for help, including from students. Students value your subject knowledge, not your technical know-how.
  5. Identify what digital literacy means in your subject area or professional context. Think practices, not tools. What do students need to be able to do? What role can digital technology play in allowing them to do that?
  6. Find out about your students – what access needs, skills, preferences do they have?
  7. Carry out a programme/module level audit of digital capability and/or a needs analysis. Start with the skills students have already, and the technologies they are comfortable using. Introduce new technologies to them with a clear rationale, and be prepared for them to take a while to be comfortable learning with them.
  8. Make sure course and module level outcomes express digital literacy requirements, or adapt them to do so.
  9. Assessment gives powerful messages to students about what you expect. Consider assessments based around use of digital technologies and media, or requiring digital collaboration.
  10. Model how you want learners to behave in blended and online environments, and also make your expectations of them explicit.
  11. Build collaborative activities into the curriculum, allow space to experiment with different environments, and have students discover what works for them.
  12. Don’t limit your thinking to information handling. Students can become more digitally literate through communication tasks, creative production, capturing and reflecting on their learning, using professional tools, developing their online profile, collaborating with others.
  13. Why should learners be using particular technologies? Ensure there is a clear rationale that makes sense in terms of their learning outcomes and long-term study goals. Harness their motivations.
  14. Embed opportunities to assess and progress digital capability.
  15. Engage with employers and alumni through representation in course design meetings, involvement in placement activities or as online mentors. What uses of technology are going to help students succeed in the workplace?
  16. Consult with students, including prospective students (expectations) and recent alumni (experiences).
  17. Involve other professionals early in the course design process, eg careers, e-learning, library, learning development, IT teams.
  18. Learn from what’s happening in other course teams, and in other institutions, but make it relevant to your subject and your students. Be ready to revisit your assumptions. Rethink both what students need to learn, and how they need to learn it (eg blended learning).
  19. Share what you are doing. Ask for feedback from other staff and share resources with other curriculum teams where possible.
  20. Be adventurous and have fun!

20 tips for IT services

  1. Develop clear policies, in collaboration with students, that support and do not unreasonably penalise digital practices.
  2. Consult about fair access, appropriate use policies and ensure they remain up to date and fit for purpose – do not unnecessarily restrict innovation, help to build trust.
  3. Consult about the appropriate balance between security and innovation – include innovators in these consultations – remembering that open technologies are often educationally powerful.
  4. Make sure the systems and networks (inc. wireless) support highly connected forms of learning.
  5. Involve students in the development and testing of new services and apps based on the institution’s data infrastructure.
  6. Communicate essential course information via means chosen by students eg to mobile devices or via web services.
  7. Bring forward BYOD policies which are fully consulted upon. Assume students will continue to require desktop computers and printers even when they bring their own devices and services.
  8. Loan devices – 500+ were distributed by the Digital Literacies in Transition project.
  9. Continue to focus on usability, integration and well designed interfaces (ICT services in collaboration with students) but …
  10. Inform students that game-changing technologies (‘threshold practices’) require investment of time and effort (learning and teaching staff).
  11. Support learners’ own devices and access to their own external services – as far as practical.
  12. Build ICT requirements into all new builds and renovations. Storage facilities, plug sockets, cable safety, furniture all need to be considered.
  13. Support use of personal services etc in institutional settings – but consult with students before full integration.
  14. Ask students to help make core institutional systems more usable and personal.
  15. Focus on institutional technology that really meet students’ needs: access to quality resources, collaborative tools, technologies in workplace settings.
  16. Provide guidance on open source alternatives to expensive professional/academic systems.
  17. Ensure key technologies are integrated and assessed in the curriculum.
  18. Work with teaching staff to understand their needs, and make sure the technology works for them, especially in teaching rooms.
  19. Be responsive to learners: consider the needs of pioneering technology users and those who have poor access or skills.
  20. Involve learners in providing ICT support.

20 tips for senior managers

  1. Become digitally literate yourself – not to be able to do everything but to be able to provide leadership of an institution in the digital age.
  2. Develop a vision for digital literacy in your institution or area of strategy – be creative and innovative – use digital literacy to help define institutional reputation.
  3. Put in place mechanisms for continuously involving students and teaching staff in the vision for digital literacy – iterative engagement not one-off consultation.
  4. Think long term. Digital literacy isn’t something you can do once and have sorted. An incremental approach, linking multiple projects, riding on other agendas – the effect is cumulative.
  5. Develop the vision into a strategic overview that helps to join up what is happening across the institution. Recognise that achieving a digital literacy vision will require breaking down barriers.
  6. Consider both the value of digital literacy to individuals (digital capital) and the benefits to the wider community the institution serves.
  7. Give digital literacy a context – how does it relate to other agendas? Align agendas to give a coherent message. Embed digital literacy into learning and teaching strategies, and graduate attributes.
  8. Make the strategy flexible – this is an area that changes rapidly.
  9. Carry out an audit of current provision, practice and policy. How does the institution shape up? Use the available tools to do research – large and small scale.
  10. There will be costs. These can be mapped to benefits – look to other institutions for evidence. Gather evidence of your own by reviewing the impact on staff and student experience.
  11. Balance capital with revenue spend – in this area expertise will do far more for you than kit – but good ICT infrastructure and support is critical.
  12. Prioritise the support for innovation, and take some calculated risks.
  13. Make it easier to innovate the curriculum.
  14. Ensure there is credible reward and recognition for innovation and for developing digital expertise – for staff (appraisal, progression) as well as for students (assessment, extra-curricular awards, payment).
  15. Invest in staff training and CPD. Support secondments, champions and mentors. Consult widely within the institution, recognise expertise.
  16. ‘Learning raids’ on other institutions are a good way of becoming aware of what’s possible and sharing best practice.
  17. Encourage student-led initiatives and work directly with student representatives, not only to find out ‘what they want’ but actually to bring about change eg students recording lectures and uploading to VLE.
  18. Develop robust mechanisms for identifying external opportunities including funding and sharing of expertise. If externally-funded projects work, find ways to sustain them.
  19. Digital literacy means rethinking practice: there needs to be time, space and resource to do this, especially for teaching staff and for learners.
  20. Give freedom to experiment.

20 tips for students

  1. You can’t google your way to a degree – but your ‘google brain’ (and your ‘Facebook brain’) can help you, if you use them intelligently.
  2. Think about how you can use your own technologies and resources to support your learning e.g. Facebook, Twitter. Learn to use your own technologies fully, explore what they can do.
  3. Be open to trying a range of new technologies and resources – experiment but be discriminating about technologies. What works for you? How can you personalise it to work better for you? Find your own environments for learning the way you want.
  4. Be critical of technologies and the information and messages they carry. Why is it designed that way? Does it do what you want it to? Is it distracting or does it help you to organise your life? Understand what technologies do badly and well.
  5. Bring your own technology with you and use it (with permission). If you feel you are being unreasonably excluded from using technology that works for you, raise it as an issue.
  6. Learn how to use the online library catalogue early on. But explore online resources, not limiting yourself to those recommended by tutors. Find academic/learning portals you can trust, learn to identify authoritative resources.
  7. Be critical of what you find: discriminate those resources that can support your studies and those that can be misleading or lacking credibility.
  8. Be aware of what copyright means to you – if you use somebody else’s work without acknowledgement or permission it’s always wrong. Some things on the web can be used without permission, but always acknowledge the source by referencing.
  9. Understand that tutors are constantly learning too – technology changes the subject you are studying, they have to stay up to date as well. That’s what makes it exciting.
  10. Tutors are not the only sources of support. Other students, support staff, online help and forums can be equally valuable when it comes to effective use of technology for learning.
  11. Who you know is as important as what you know. Establish your own networks. Don’t be afraid to talk to people on your course or join online networks in your subject area.
  12. Understand that all your actions online potentially leave a trail. Find out about your digital identity and learn ways to build a positive profile – employers will look at it.
  13. Think about your personal and professional reputation when you participate online – begin taking positive steps eg using LinkedIn, separate Facebook identities for public/private use..
  14. Be safe and respectful online. Consider the safety of others.
  15. Think less about what you can copy and more about what you can create and share. Learn how to comment on other people’s blogs, contribute to wikis, share documents. Build your own blog or website. Use aggregation sites and social bookmarking. Share material on eg Flickr, Youtube, SlideShare, and learn how to create groups.
  16. Support others – comment, review, give feedback, mentor technology use. You learn most when you teach others.
  17. If you don’t understand what is expected of you, what is appropriate, what technologies or resources you should/could be using, ask.
  18. Be prepared to be challenged sometimes – using technology is difficult, learning is hard.
  19. Imagine what you’d like to be doing in the future and what technologies and skills will be needed in that context.
  20. Be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses and where you need to improve your skills

20 tips for support services

General

  1. Develop your own digital literacy, relevant to the role you have, and to the changing demands on the students you support and act as a digital champion in your area of professionalism.
  2. Ensure you support the devices and services learners use.
  3. Understand that learners differ in their experience of technology and the preferences they have – offer alternative means of accessing support where possible.
  4. Help to manage learners’ expectations – of your service, and of the study experience in general.
  5. Support learner voice initiatives and engage students actively in shaping the service you provide, eg through the students’ union, course reps.
  6. Plan service delivery at the point where it is needed – evaluate service delivery at the point of use.
  7. Work in partnership with curriculum teams – get involved early in the process – instil a sense of shared responsibility.
  8. Build relationships with senior managers to raise the profile of what you do and your contribution to digital literacies.
  9. Develop resources that curriculum teams can use to check they are considering digital literacies (from your service perspective) as they plan and review programmes.
  10. Involve students in the development of resources and communications about your service – draw on their digital skills.
  11. Build links with other support services eg through cross-referral, shared projects, involvement in a digital literacies audit or development of a cross-service digital literacies strategy.
  12. Advertise what you do – to staff and students – so they are clear where to come if they need a specific kind of help. (Use links with other support services to ensure communication is coherent and roles/responsibilities clearly defined).
  13. Advertise what you do in a diversity of ways to reach staff and students with different communication/media preferences.
  14. Include digital literacy assessment and self-assessment, introduction to core skills, and access to services, in the induction process.
  15. Use audit tools and diagnostics to identify skills gaps and development needs.

Learning developers

  1. Focus on developing skills for study (and then) graduate skills. How do learners progress (through what kinds of experience)? How does your service support those experiences?

Staff and educational developers

  1. Support staff/educational development as inquiry, scholarship, communities of practice, as well as (rather than) training sessions in new technologies.
  2. Embed digital literacy considerations into CPD and PostGraduate Certificate programmes for lecturing staff.
  3. Collect case studies, exemplars, vox pops – make them short, relevant and accessible.

Librarians

  1. Be involved in curriculum and module design – students are most motivated to engage with a digital literacies agenda in the context of the subject they have chosen to study

Development resources

These materials provide a core set of staff development resources to help you think about digital literacies in your organisation.  They include templates, slides and cards and discussion questions which are free to reuse and repurpose.

Strategy, change and evaluating digital literacies take a whole organisation view of digital literacy development

ResourceHelping staff to...
Developing digital capability: managing change…think about what needs to change to develop digital literacies
Developing digital capability: a paradigm shift for HE?…think about the changing digital environment
Developing digital capability: graduate attributes…think about digital capability and how these relate to graduate attributes

 

Developing digital literacies in the curriculum focus on developing digital literacies for learning and teaching

ResourceHelping staff to...
Developing digital literacies in the curriculum: slide deck…shape a presentation and workshop around digital literacies in the curriculum
Understanding learners’ needs…think holistically about the needs of learners in a digital age
Research into practice…think about how research and theory can be translated into learning and teaching practice
Bloom’s digital taxonomy…map digital literacy to learning tasks and objectives
Learner activity cards…design learning activities which embed digital literacy

Resource kits for specific purposes/users

  • Developing digital literacies in the curriculum for curriculum teams and teaching staff
  • Developing digital literacies for digital scholars and researchers
  • Developing digital literacies for employability for students, employers, and staff concerned with employability issues
  • Developing digital pioneers for managers, staff and students working as change agents across the institution
  • Developing digitally literate institutions for strategic managers and governors
  • Developing your digital literacies for staff and students in all roles

Types of resource

  • General digital literacy resources including resources from outside the programme
  • Staff development materials produced by the programme
  • Materials designed for/with students
  • Organisational development materials and resources on organisational change
  • Case studies from the programme
  • Briefings on a range of specific technologies and approaches
  • Conceptual frameworks for understanding digital literacy and digital competence
  • Professional frameworks for supporting and enhancing digital literacy with specific groups of staff/students
  • Self-assessment and diagnostic tools for digital literacy skills
  • Evaluation resources specific to digital literacies
  • Reports and presentations from the funded projects
  • Final synthesis report

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