Speakers: Sarah Knight, head of change - student experience, Jisc Malcolm Murray, e-learning manager - computing and information services, Durham University Candace Nolan-Grant, learning technology specialist, Durham University Corinne Walker, learning resources manager, Oldham Sixth Form College

1. How are students’ expectations
and experiences of their digital
environment changing?
Sarah Knight, Jisc
Corinne Walker, Oldham Sixth Form College
Malcolm Murray & Candace Nolan-Grant,
Durham University

2. »How do you gather your students’
expectations and experiences of
technology within your institution or on
your course?
»Share your ideas with us:
Visit www.menti.com enter code
»30 98 10
Your students’ voice about their digital experience?

3. »Background to the digital experience
tracker
»Hearing from Oldham Sixth Form
College
»Hearing from Durham University
»Questions
»Group discussion
»What can you take away and use in
your context?
Workshop overview

4. ‘Not just another survey…’

5. Sector
analysis
Data
collection
Digital experience insights service, launches Sept 2018
Data
collection
test Questions
gather significant
response rates
Sector
analysis
Enhance service
Collect
Improve
Jisc
consultancy
Tracker
launch
Sector
analysis
Organisational
analysis
Experts panel
Insight drives
organisational
improvement
Change
initiated
Review of
service
scope &
question
set
Enhance
service
Analyse
Data
collection
Digital Experience Insights
» Student tracker
» Staff tracker
» Research tracker in
development

6. Digital experience insights (Tracker) is:
» A student engagement process,
governed by national guidance
» A tried and tested student survey,
made up of:
› Closed questions that can be
benchmarked
› Open questions for local analysis
› Add or customise further questions
» Compare student feedback with
teaching staff
views and organisational factors
» A Community of Practice around the
tracker process and findings
(including student representatives)

7. Extensively trialled and evaluated
» Initial questions based on ‘digital student’
research and sector consultations (2016)
» Closed pilot with 24 selected institutions
(2016)
» Open pilot with 85 self-selecting institutions &
29k respondents (2016-17)
» 2018 pilot with 90 institutions & 39k
respondents with 20 international universities
» Reports available from
http://bit.ly/jisctracker17
http://bit.ly/tracker17brief
» 2018 report will be launched at ALT-C
on 11th September
Student questions available from
http://bit.ly/trackerguide

8. Key findings from 2017…

9. »Submitting assignments
electronically is more
convenient
National insights - attitudes to digital technologies - 2017
»Technology makes me more
independent and makes it
easier to fit learning into life

10. National insights - Virtual learning environment/LMS - 2017
Rely on their institution’s
VLE to do their coursework
Regularly access their institution’s
VLE via a mobile device

11. National insights - How students use their devices - 2017
Discuss learning
informally on
social media
Make note/
recordings, and
look for additional
resources
Access learning
on the move
Organise their
study time

12. Tracker findings: learning and teaching - 2017
»In qualitative data, students
overwhelmingly ask that digital
technology does not replace
face-to-face teaching
»They do want more reliable and
more joined-up access to
services…
»… and more interaction, f2f and
with digital systems

13. Tracker findings: learning and teaching - 2017
»The digital confidence and
capability of teaching staff is
significant to students’ overall
digital experience
»Students want consistency in the
use of core technologies…
»… but for teaching staff to be
diverse, creative, discriminating
and selective in their use of
technology

14. Understanding our digital
students
Corinne Walker, Oldham Sixth Form
College

15. Jisc Connect More 2018
Corinne Walker
Learning Resources Manager
Oldham Sixth Form College
& Co-Chair CoLRiC (Council for Learning Resources in
Colleges)

16. About Us
• 1992, celebrating 25 years
• 2175 students
• Non selective, 16-19 only, no HE or adult provision
• ONS - most deprived town in Britain
• 51% of students in receipt of financial help
• 98% pass rate at A-level
• 80% go to University, 25% Russell Group
• MAT – Pinnacle Learning Trust
• Teaching School Alliance

17. The Know @OSFC
• 6 staff
• Previous team - traditional library skills
• Autumn Term 2016 restructure
• New Digital Learning team
• Line managed by Teaching & Learning -
driven by the curriculum
• Digital Learning Strategy – 3 year plan

18. Digital Learning Strategy
• Wide ranging – IT, Curriculum, ALS,
Infrastructure
• Resources Group
• Jisc Staff Digital Capability Discovery Tool
pilot
• Jisc Student Digital Tracker
• INSET/CPD – offering BLT, Fun Friday,
Lunchbites, 5 x 5

19. Student Digital Tracker
• Digital Learning Strategy
•Benchmarking
•March 2018 - Tutorial
•958 responses – 44%

20. Student Digital Tracker
•76% (74%) rate quality of digital provision as good or above​
•44% (51%) agree we support them to use their own devices​
•20% (19%) can access reliable WiFi when they need it​
•68% (72%) rate quality of digital T & L as good or above​
•36% (41%) agreed that the course prepared them for the digital
workplace​
•50% (50%) agreed course software is industry standard & up to
date​
• (National Benchmark)​

21. Student Digital Tracker – What
now?
• Digital Learning Strategy – review & update
• New VLE – Google Suite/Classroom
• You said, We did
• Resources Group
• Team meetings/CAL’s/SLT
• Review INSET/CPD offering

22. Any Questions?
• Corinne Walker
• 0161 287 8000 ext. 2314
• cwr@osfc.ac.uk
• @knowosfc
• lkk @knowosfc

23. Understanding our digital
students
Malcolm Murray
Candace Nolan-Grant
@malcolmmurray
@crnolangrant

24. Durham’s tracker participation
»2016-17
» On-Campus
» Distance Learners
958 / 12,382
37 / 267
7%
13%
»2017-18
» On-Campus
» Distance Learners
877 / 12,568
44 / 331
6%
13%

25. Digital students still respond to emails…
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Opens:
23 Jan 2018
First email
5 March
Second email
16 March
Closes:
31 March

26. Robust Findings
»2017-18
» On-Campus
877
1st and 2nd year undergraduates
& taught Master’s students[ ]
3.19
Confidence Level
Confidence Interval
95%
Over 2,500 discrete
free-text comments

27. Appetite for (further) change is mixed
» How much would you like digital technologies to be used on your course?
44%
53%
3%
More than they are now
Same as they are now
Less than they are now

28. Particularly for innovative assessment
Custom question

29. Content with familiar approaches to assessments
80%
24%
10% 5% 6%
17%
11%
6%
3%
3%
3% 2%
3%
2%
Essay Presentation Portfolio Audio
recording
Video Quiz or game Other
Yes - and I liked it
Yes – didn’t like it

30. Signature assessments?
4%
20% 18% 13% 15% 14% 10%2%
16%
8% 16% 16% 10%
7%8%
37% 60%
63% 62%
56% 70%
Essay Presentation Portfolio Audio
recording
Video Quiz or game Other
No – not appropriate to my subject
No – and wouldn’t like to
No – but would like to

31. Compare and contrast
» Which of these do you have access to at University whenever you need them?
»Reliable WiFi
82%
83%
86%
90%
Other UK HEIs 2017-18
Other Russell Group 2017-18
Durham 2017-18
Durham 2016-17

32. Complex issues: power of the written word
‘It is not reliable, in my personal case all of my
assignments submitted were lost or not anonymised or
I also had to submit a hard copy therefore to me it is
not fit for purpose’
Master’s student, Faculty of Social Sciences & Health
» Any further comments about online assessment?

33. BOS is just the start…
Neutral
Positive
Negative
7%
42%
51%

34. BOS is just the start…
Neutral
Positive
Negative
7%
40%
52%
» Attitude towards use of digital technologies on my course
»No mention of in-class polling
Neutral
Positive
Negative
1%
62%
37%
»In-class polling mentioned

35. Dissemination
PVC Education
Students Union
Chief Information Officer
Director of Academic Development
The Librarian
Faculty Education Directors
Learning &Teaching Forum
Disability Support
Staff Development
Careers
»2016-17
» Generic Report » Stakeholder Reports
»2017-18
» Generic Report » Stakeholder Reports
after discussing questions with them first!

36. Group discussions – on your tables
» Consider your current context and
practice, and the examples that you
have heard about today…
› Identify at least one takeaway /
action on how you might better
engage your students’ in digital
developments
» Share your feedback
› http://bit.ly/NITracker
» How could the digital experience
insights make
a difference…?
» At your university/college:
› To students?
› To teaching staff?
› To organisational strategies and
investments?
› What are the risks
and barriers?

37. What one thing can you do to better gather your
students’ digital expectations and experiences of
technology and involve them in digital
developments?

38. Follow our developments
» Report of 2017 Tracker findings:
http://bit.ly/jisctracker17
» Summary of 2017 Tracker findings:
http://bit.ly/tracker17brief
» Tracker blog:
https://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org
» Follow #digitalstudent and @jisc
» Change agents’ network supporting
student staff partnerships
http://can.jiscinvolve.org
» Change agents’ network mailing list
jiscmail.ac.uk/CAN
» As of September 2018, this project
will transition to a full service. If you
would like to enquire about how to
purchase this optional service, or to
be kept up to date on progress,
please register your interest by filling
out our form:
» http://bit.ly/2sDloA9

39. Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC-BY-NC-ND.
Sarah Knight
Head of change: student experience
Sarah.knight@jisc.ac.uk
Thank you