Our presentation on a curricular model, embedding digital and information literacies. Credit: Simon Snowden, Emma Thompson and Tunde Varga-Atkins @ University of Liverpool

1. Developing students’ digital literacies through
Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL): a matter of student ownership
Tünde Varga-Atkins (learning technologist)
Emma Thompson (librarian)
Simon Snowden (academic)
ALTC-2013, 11 Sep 2013

2. Session outline
1. Action Research – Appreciative inquiry
a) Why -> EBL model
b) What we did -> Module and Data
c) What we found out -> Themes
d) Peer discussion (Your input)
-> Activity: Think-Pair-Share)
e) Future -> Development / Publication
2. Questions and discussion

3. Action Research: a) why?
• Subject matter: Sustainability – emerging field
• Active learning
• School’s graduate attributes: ‘lifelong learner’
Solution: Enquiry-Based Learning =
+ subject matter
+ scholarship
+ teamwork
+ digital/information literacies

4. b) What we did

5. What we didEnquiry-Based
Learning model

6. Searching for resources

7. Gaining confidence with frequent
flipchart presentations

8. Exeter Learner Quiz
How does Wikipedia work? (Behind the scenes)
Choosing a Wikipedia article to edit
Skype interview with a journalist
Researching social media presence of scholars and
the area of sustainability
Explicit reflection on DL development
Focus on:
digital literacies

9. Digital tasks with digital learning tools

10. Working towards editing a Wikipedia article

11. c) Research Data : to what extent does this EBL model
promote development of digital literacies?
• Focus group
• Reflective journal entries
• Reflective assignment
• Module marks
• Observation
Feedback used for future development

12. student reflective logs and assignments:
catalyst

13. Digital Den?

14. d) Themes
1. Challenging
preconceptions
of own DLs
2. The wizard (scholar) and
the apprentice (student)
3. Re-exploring the
(digital) landscape

15. Think-Pair-Share Activity
11 excerpts from student journals and reflective
assignments
• Think: read one or more excerpts on your own.
Which of the 3 themes does it/they exemplify?
Can you think of any other themes?
• Pair: discuss the above with your pair (or in 3s)
Share: write any new theme on post-it; be
ready to report back to the whole group

16. Theme 1. Challenging preconceptions of
their own digital literacies
• Students reflect and re-assess their own
digital capability

17. Theme 2. The Wizard and the Apprentice
Students develop (digital scholarship) capability
because they are asked to look behind the curtain!

18. Theme 3. Re-exploring a familiar landscape
• Technology for exploration:
– Consuming -> Seeking -> Producing
– Social -> Learning
– Personal -> Institutional

19. Think-Pair-Share Activity
11 excerpts from student journals and reflective
assignments
• Think: read one or more excerpts on your own.
Which of the 3 themes does it/they exemplify?
Can you think of any other themes?
• Pair: discuss the above with your pair (or in 3s),
write any new theme on sheet of paper
• Share: be ready to report back to whole group

20. Think-Pair-Share : Discussion
• Other themes?
• Theme 1: Challenging preconceptions (1-5)
• Theme 2: Wizard and Apprentice (11)
• Theme 3: Re-exploring landscape (6-10)

21. Conclusion
• Strong evidence of student [digital] learning
• Future: scaling up; digital champions
• Shared an EBL model (explicit IL/DL)
• Value = Academic + Library + eLearning Unit
libraryacademic
eLearning
Unit

22. Tünde Varga-Atkins tva@liv.ac.uk @tundeva
Emma.Thompson@liv.ac.uk @LibraryEmma
Simon.Snowden@liv.ac.uk @CreaticDestruct
Developing Digital
Literacies Programme
http://digilearn.liv.ac.uk

23. Photo credits
Student/Session photos Tünde Varga-Atkins/Emma Thompson
Student in landscape http://grandmaraisschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/DSCF9526.jpg
Wizard behind curtain http://tonymccollum.com/2013/01/behind-the-magic/
Distorting mirror http://poojycat.wordpress.com/2012/10/02/with-friends-in-a-distorting-mirror/