DIAL Student researchers, ambassadors, developers & designers

Project fundholder / Project leader

UAL Centre for Learning and teaching art and design CLTAD / Chris Follows

Institution

University of the Arts London UAL

Project title

DIAL UAL Student digital researchers/ambassadors

Project description

To enhance and build on student engagement and communication UAL aim to enhance existing and create new student led community of practice (CoPs) which aim to celebrate, embed, share, critique and raise awareness of the JISC DIAL digital literacies project work carried out at UAL over the past two years. Please see project blog and http://dial.myblog.arts.ac.uk/ and DIAL projects and activities. Please also see GLOSSARY OF TERMS & ACRONYMS for digital literacies at UAL.

Up to four DIAL researchers/ambassadors will work closely with the DAIL project team to gain skills and knowledge to support and encourage other students to explore, participate and make use of the wealth of online DIAL project resources, research and groups created over the time of the project. ­The DIAL digital researchers/ambassadors will disseminate and build on the DIAL resources and research across the six colleges of the university with an aim of developing student (CoPs) online and on-site to grow and enhance current groups and create new student led CoPs.

The DIAL researchers/ambassadors could focus on any the following project areas and create other areas of research:

The Professional Online Identities project. The POI project will identify and develop specific digital literacies/hard and soft skills (Presentation and Relational skills) in maintaining professional online identities with the aim of enhancing student/graduate employability and industry readiness. And related projects:
 

o   Professional Online Identities programme: Up to date training programme, will upate and evolve as the project progresses.

o   Video presentation skills: This group aims to gather and share resources from all those interested in presentation skills.

o   Open and Flexible Learning group: This group aims to highlight the open practice of individuals and groups who share personal and professional practice online.

o   Copyright Issues: This group aims to bring together debate and support around all the copyright developments and issues relevant to ‘IPR digital literacies’ UAL practice.

o   Drupal UAL: The project aims to encourage and develop a new open support network for UAL staff and students to explore, experiment and share ideas and knowledge of using and developing Drupal ‘open source’ web environments and projects.

o   Digital Literacies in the arts: There are many different levels and types of DLs, these can be interest, discipline, subject, social, cultural, process and practice etc. specific.

o   Social media UAL: A social media group to try and bring all the different UAL social media groups together to share good practice and UAL social media vision.

o   Other areas of research – e-learning and art and design – MOOCS

Project aims and objectives

Digital researchers/ambassadors students to disseminate their work/research and progress openly online on UAL sites and through social media channels and to raise the debate across UAL and sector. Work to include:

·       Encourage student engagement in DIAL UAL digital research and projects to help influence and change local and developmental UAL digital strategies and student experience in this area.

·       Raise awareness and gauge the potential impacts of ‘digital’ on UAL and the sector.

·       Students to encourage their peers to explore develop and ‘try out’ DIAL online resources and training programmes by forming related CoPs around the DL resources and themes. Evaluate the use of UAL/DIAL open educational resources (OERs) on offer to staff and students.

·       Students to create new research stands and resource in these areas of practice.

Intended outputs (resources e.g. documents, videos, learning objects etc.)

Vox-pox videos of students interviewing students and staff

Surveys

Student OERs

New student led CoPs

New social media interest and groups

Intended Outcomes for staff

Insights from students and clear student voice on the needs and aspirations of the impacts of digital on HE on the student community

Survey Data

Introduction to DIAL OERs and research through students involvement

Intended Outcomes for Students

Students engaged in the DIAL CoPs will be able to contribute to UALs project work and the progression of digital innovation and experimentation in arts education and practice.

All students engaged will benefit from being introduced to the wealth of open online resources of expertise listed in the ‘Project description’ section above including, open source web development, presenting and participating professional practice online/open digital citizenship, exploring issues of identity online, online presentation skills including presenting to video, IPR and copyright training videos and awareness and how to make the most of online learning communities and participatory networks.

Student researchers/Ambassadors will gain new skills and confidence in project related activities and digital literacies project research.

Funding outline (how money is to be spent; list items or costs)

4 x Student commissions @£500 per student

We would advertise the positions through our in-house Student enterprise and employability networks and also approach students who were involved in previous DIAL workshops. UAL also have an in-house student temp agency ‘Arts Temps’ we can use to help employ and transfer the money to the students on the following rates:

£11.22ph 

Over 2 to 3 months estimated 29 hours work per student 10 - 15 hours per month.

All equipment and other cost including project management will be met by the project.

Activities (brief outline of work)

To create awareness of the DIAL project and research and to promote the online DIAL resources among fellow students.

Develop a student-focused project Facebook page and Twitter profile in order to keep students informed about DIAL activities/ progress/ updates.

Attend events during Freshers Week in order to distribute flyers/ leaflets and encourage students to register with process.arts and engage with the DIAL resources.

Survey and data analysis.

Organise a 'Student Voice/feedback' day across all 6 Colleges.

To liaise with UAL Societies and UAL Student Reps

Support and participate in DIAL related project workshops

Dissemination routes (e.g. events, posters, webinars…)

The students will be invited to present with the DIAL PM at:

The 2014 Learning and Teaching Day - Crossing Borders: Enhancing Teaching and Learning at UAL 15 Jan 2014.

The DIAL project celebration/benchmarking event Feb/March 2014.

Vox-Pox videos and survey information

Online resources, feedback and progress updates on process.arts

Strong social media presence