Developing Digital Literacies in your institution

Facilitators: Carole Baume, JISC Critical Friend, to four projects within the Developing Digital Literacies Programme and staff from the four projects (see below)

This 80 minute workshop for a maximum of 50 participants will give you the opportunity to explore and adapt some powerful ideas being developed by projects within the JISC Developing Digital Literacies Programme. Project leaders will help you use these ideas to develop ways to boost the digital literacies of students and/or staff in your University or College.

Students and staff need to stay agile and adaptable in their use and development of new digital technologies. The four projects from the JISC Digital Literacies Programme whom you will work with have each taken a unique approach to the problem, reflecting current issues in their very different Universities. The projects are:

• DIAL (Digital Integration into Arts Learning), at the University of Arts, a range of mini-projects encouraging development in particular disciplines and staff, student and locational groups;
• Digital Literacies as a Postgraduate Attribute, at the Institute of Education, a focus on research which enables us to learn more about the specific needs of mature part-time learners;
• The Digital Department, at University College London, which highlights the development needs of a particular group of staff who are supported through an accredited programme supported by the AUA;
• Digital Literacies in Transition: A model for transforming graduate attributes, at the University of Greenwich, focuses on curriculum development designed to enhance the life chances of a diverse student population.

You will be given a very brief introduction to three powerful ideas being used by each project. You will then choose one project to work with as you develop ideas to help your institution become more effective in your chosen area of digital literacies, for example:

• The needs of a particular discipline or group of staff;
• A programme of research to underpin the further development of the use of digital literacies in student learning;
• Increasing collaboration between departments and staff groups in the development and introduction of digital processes for education and administration.

You will spend the great majority of this workshop answering and discussing questions – generically, “How can I adapt and use these particular ideas from these particular projects to meet the needs of my institution / my staff / my students?” Project leaders will provide initial stimulus and then consultancy support to the discussion groups.

You will leave the workshop with an outline plan of how to use one of these powerful ideas in your institution.