Digital capability is critical to learning, living and working in the C21st. The specific role of higher education, as laid out by successive UK Governments, is to equip a generation of learners with high level skills for the global knowledge economy and – more recently – lead a national recovery based around digital industries (Livingstone and Hope 2011). Students too expect that higher education will equip them for employment in a digital economy, and for participation in a digitally-mediated society. NSS returns show that ICT facilities and support services are being more harshly judged, as students who have grown up digital – and experienced e-learning during school – expect higher standards of provision. There is evidence from the introduction of student fees in the UK that ICT provision is a factor affecting where students will choose to study (JISC/IPSOS MORI 2008). The evidence from more than 75 proposals to the JISC Developing Digital Literacies programme is that the digital learning experience is also being used as a marker of institutional distinctiveness. Universities need rethink their offer, from induction to graduation and into research careers, in terms of the digital experiences students have and the digital practices they encounter (Beetham et al, 2009). This session will introduce tools for auditing and developing digital capability at an institutional and departmental level, including student-facing surveys, competence frameworks mapped to professional body standards, and models of organisational change. Participants will also explore a number of different models for becoming a successful digital institution, based on the outcomes of previous JISC work. References: Beetham, H., Littlejohn, A. and McGill, L. (2009) Thriving in the Twenty-First Century: Report of the Learning Literacies in a Digital Age project. JISC. Available online at: http://www.academy.gcal.ac.uk/llida/LLiDAReportJune2009.pdf JISC/IPSOS MORI (2008) Great Expectations of ICT: How Higher Education Institutions are measuring up. Available online at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/jiscgreatexpectationsfinalreportjune08.pdf Livingstone, I. and Hope, A. (2011) Next Gen: transforming the UK into the world’s leading talent hub for the video games and visual effects industries, Nesta. Available online at: http://www.nesta.org.uk/home1/assets/documents/next_gen_video_games_and_vfx_skills_review

1. Improving Digital Capability through Digital
Literacies
PELeCON 2012
Dr. Doug Belshaw
Researcher/Analyst, JISC infoNet
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2. Session objectives
 Access to, and experience of, practical tools to assess
and progress digital capability across different staff roles
and student groups
 Familiarity with how other institutions are developing
unique identities and strategies
 Insight into how institutions are creating unique digital
identities and strategies
 A better understanding of the relationship between digital
literacies and the student experience
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3. Session overview
This session will introduce tools for auditing and
developing digital capability at an institutional and
departmental level, including student-facing surveys,
competence frameworks mapped to professional body
standards, and models of organisational change.
Participants will also explore a number of different models
for becoming a successful digital institution, based on the
outcomes of previous JISC work.
Image CC BY-NC-SA Simon Greig
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4. Part I
Background
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5. Context
Many learners enter
further and higher
education lacking the
skills needed to apply
digital technologies to
education.
As 90% of new jobs
will require excellent
digital skills,
improving digital
literacy is an
essential component
of developing
employable
graduates.
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6. What is our definition of digital literacy?
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.
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7. What have we learned to date?
 2006-08 – Learners' experiences of e-learning programme
Students' success depends on strategies for integrating ICT into academic
practice; students' strategies and preferences differ widely
 2009 – Learning Literacies for a Digital Age study
Digital literacy needs to be integrated across the curriculum: learners
develop through authentic tasks in meaningful situations
 2010 – Supporting Learners in a Digital Age
Nine institutional case studies in developing learners' digital capabilities:
listening to and responding to learners as a theme
 2011 – Digital literacy workshop series
Cascading outcomes of LliDA and SLIDA: tools for organisational and
curriculum development; sharing best practice
 2011-13 – Developing Digital Literacies programme
Funded institutional projects, integrating digital literacy development
across the board; community consultation
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8. Enhancing the student experience
Getting access to Integrating diverse
learning opportunities living/learning experiences
Being able to learn fluently across technologies and contexts
Knowing what I need to know,
and how to express it
Being a participant in the
digital learning community
Having critical judgement
in relation to digital means
and media
Building
academic/professional
23/04/2012 digital identity8
slide

9. Improving graduate attributes
Sense making Computational thinking
Social intelligence New media literacy
Adaptive thinking Cognitive load
Cross-cultural management
competency Transdisciplinarity
Virtual collaboration Design mindset
Davies, A., Fidler, D., Gorbis, M. (2011) Future Work Skills 2020. Institute for the
Future, for the University of Phoenix Research Institute. University of Phoenix.
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10. Why digital literacy?
Fair access and opportunity
(digital technology reduces some
barriers/inequalities,can introduce others)
Impacts of digital technology
on practice
(research, teaching, learning,
professionalism, knowledge transfer,
development)
New demands on the sector
(graduate attributes and outcomes,
the learning experience, lifelong
learning)
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11. Part II
JISC Developing Digital Literacies Programme
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12. Developing Digital Literacies Programme
A sector-wide programme
promoting the development
of coherent, inclusive and
holistic institutional strategies
and organisational
approaches for developing
digital literacies for staff and
students in UK further and
higher education.
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13. Developing Digital Literacies Programme
 University of Greenwich  University of Bath
 University of the Arts London  University College London
 University of Exeter  Oxford Brookes University
 Coleg Llandrillo Cymru  Cardiff University
 University of Plymouth  Worcester College of Technology
 University of Reading  Institute of Education, London
23/04/2012 http://www.jisc.ac.uk/developingdigitalliteracies slide 13

14. Engagement with Sector Bodies
JISC is working in collaboration
with sector bodies and
professional associations to:
 Gather information and user
requirements
 Develop professional
frameworks and practices
 Synthesise and validate
outcomes from the programme
 Raise awareness and consult
widely with stakeholders
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15. Engagement with Sector Bodies
The sector bodies and professional  Organisational Development in
associations JISC is working with Higher Education Group
initially include: (ODHE)
 Standing Conference on
 Association for Learning Academic Practice (SCAP)
Development in Higher Education  Staff Development Forum
(ALDinHE) (SDF)
 Association for Learning  Staff and Educational
Technology (ALT) Development Association
 Association of University (SEDA)
Administrators (AUA)  Society of College, National
 Heads of Educational and University Libraries
Development Group (HEDG) (SCONUL)
 Vitae
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16. Design Studio
The JISC Design
Studio is a developing
set of resources for
institutions to use and
share, including:
 Tools
 Resources
 Research papers
 References
 Project resources
 Project outputs
23/04/2012
http://jiscdesignstudio.pbworks.com slide 16

17. JISC e-Learning Programmes blog
The JISC e-Learning
Programmes blog
includes information
from the Developing
Digital Programme,
including:
 Outputs from projects
 Contributions from
experts
 Details of upcoming
and past events
relating to
programmes
http://elearningprogs.jiscinvolve.org
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18. JISC Mail list
JISC-DIGLIT-PUBLIC
is a JISC Mail list for
those interested in
digital literacies but
not directly involved in
the JISC Developing
Digital Literacies
programme.
Resources,
opportunities for
funding, and general
information about the
programme are posted
on a regular basis.
23/04/2012
http://jiscmail.ac.uk/JISC-DIGLIT-PUBLIC slide 18

19. Project blogs
The projects funded
by the JISC
Developing Digital
Literacies programme
all have blogs.
The RSS feeds from
these project blogs are
aggregated at a
Netvibes page.
23/04/2012
http://www.netvibes.com/jiscinfonet slide 19

20. Part III
Initial findings from Baseline Synthesis report
(written by Helen Beetham, JISC Digital Literacies consultant)
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21. Difficulty of benchmarking complex practices
“The practices we are most concerned to develop are
critical to institutions - the core practices of learning
and teaching, research and knowledge transfer, and
the necessary administrative and managerial activities
that support them. Such complex practices are
extremely difficult to benchmark, and there is a
temptation to focus on issues that are more amenable
to measurement such as access to and use of specific
technologies.”
Image CC BY-SA nerovivo
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22. Major barriers to digital literacies (1)
 Time – both staff and students perceive that they lack time to
practice and become proficient in new technologies, even if
they are generally aware of their potential.
 Transferability – although the majority of students are
comfortable with using digital technology for social and
personal ends, they can struggle to transfer these skills to
academic study.
 Assumption – many staff believe that students are 'digitally
ready', an assumption which is challenged when they set
students specific tasks to do
 Motivation – there is low take-up of learning opportunities
that are obviously skills-based as students can see them as
remedial, irrelevant to their main programme of study
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23. Major barriers to digital literacies (2)
 Conflicting beliefs of academic staff – there are
fundamental debates over how far digital technology is 'spoon
feeding' students and whether 'traditional' academic methods
have value that should be asserted as an alternative to habits
of reliance on digital technology
 Overload – a sense of being overwhelmed by the availability
of information and services, and the pace of technological
change
 Digital divide – a minority of staff and students have real
problems accessing digital technology, either for reasons of
background, culture, previous educational experience, or
simply a lack of means.
Image CC BY-NC-SA Norma Desmond
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24. Assumptions around digital literacy development
“But while the best tutors clearly do address personal
readiness for study and even provide guidance on
digital study practices, many others expect students
to progress simply by engaging in their course
work:
At the beginning of the [dissertation] year [academic
literacy] is pretty dire but by the end when they’ve
completed it they improved a 100% from where they
were. To some extent, part of that is that they are
actually up against it and they’ve got to get it sorted.
Image CC BY-NC-SA alandberning
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25. BYOD
“The philosophy of 'bring your own device' is being
extended to 'bring your own services' and even 'bring
your own skills', as most staff and students have
achieved basic levels of digital access and are
choosing technologies for themselves. This rationale,
however, is not always expressed clearly, and nor
are policies always in place to identify and support
those with less digital capital to draw on.”
Image CC BY Adam Selwood
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26. Marginalisation through technology?
“There is nowhere for most students to find out what
devices are required, expected, or recommended for
their course, or having invested in a device, how best
to use it to support their studies. Students who lack
digital capital of all kinds – devices, know-how and
positive experiences with technology – risk being
marginalised.”
Image CC BY CarbonNYC
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27. Mobile technologies
“Students' use of mobile technologies is being
acknowledged in the support for mobile networks and
the use of text messaging, for example, to provide
updates on the timetable or reminders of overdue
library books, but there are very few examples of it
being used for reciprocal communication or for
data capture i.e. in learning and teaching contexts.”
Image CC BY Dominik Syka
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28. University of Plymouth
At the University of Plymouth, support for the development of
digital literacy is provided by:
Computing Services | IT Training and Skills Development |
Faculty Support and Strategy | Educational Development |
Learning Development | Employability Centre/Careers |
Learning and Research Development | Library | Disability
ASSIST | Extra-curricular Learning Support | Widening
Participation | Work-based learning team | Technology-
Enhanced Learning Team | Media Hub
Each service supports a different aspect of digital
capability or a different context of digital participation.
Image CC BY-NC-SA foto_mania
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29. Co-ordination of digital literacies in FE
“In FE, support for students' digital literacy is
generally better coordinated, perhaps because of
the small size of colleges and small number of
professional staff involved in student support, or
perhaps because of the focus on individual students'
learning needs. Support tends to be provided in a
wider range of formats, from training sessions through
online support to hand-outs and videos.”
Image CC BY-NC-SA scalefreenetwork
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30. Part IV
What forward-thinking institutions are doing
(taken from report by Helen Beetham, JISC consultant)
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31. Strategy
The most forward thinking universities and colleges are:
 Creating opportunities for digital issues to be discussed across
policy arenas. This might mean appointing a 'digital champion'
whose remit crosses existing strategic boundaries, or providing
forums where senior managers meet to discuss digital challenges
and opportunities
 Ensuring strategies translate into practical actions and include
indicators of success
 Drawing on the lessons and legacies of previous change initiatives
at the institution
 Describing carefully what is meant by 'digital literacy' or 'digital
capability' or similar terms where they appear as aspirations
 Involving students in strategic thinking
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32. Developing capability
Forward thinking universities and colleges are:
 Providing face to face training in the use of academic systems
 Embedding key technologies, methods and aptitudes into
programmes of study
 Articulating learning and teaching practices clearly, so that students
can anticipate digital requirements
 Identifying sources of digital disadvantage and planning to
remediate them
 Sustaining role-specific support networks, for example around
specialist technologies, practices or roles
 Offering clear rewards to staff and students for developing and
sharing their digital expertise
 Creating technology mentor or champion roles where appropriate
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33. Support and professional services
Forward thinking universities and colleges are:
 addressing the digital capability of professional staff
 working across professional and support services to articulate what
digital capabilities students should be developing if they are to be
successful in their studies
 involving students in supporting other students' development, and
even reverse-mentoring staff
 providing students with clear signposts to support and guidance
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34. Cultures and attitudes
Forward thinking universities and colleges are:
 explicitly rewarding innovation in learning, teaching and scholarship;
 recognising students' digital cultures and identities while making
explicit the practices of academic spaces (e.g. peer review, positive
critique, language, referencing);
 enabling departments and professional services to evolve their own
definitions of digital capability and their own means of developing it
(but also);
 providing cross-departmental forums for sharing learning, teaching
and research ideas;
 involving students as digital ambassadors and change agents.
Image CC BY Aunt Owwee
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35. Going further
More information and links to
JISC resources can be found
at the links provided in your
handout.
http://embedit.in/zeJc7xeI82
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36. © HEFCE 2011
The Higher Education Funding Council for England,
on behalf of JISC, permits reuse of this presentation
and its contents under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK
England & Wales Licence.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/uk
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