Curriculum/programme design
Designing modules and courses of study to support students' digital literacy development – alongside other subject-specific outcomes
Principle: Digital activities should be relevant to the practices of the subject and should contribute to the overall learning goals of the course.
Practices:
ñ Consider how digital technologies are changing the practices of the subject (e.g. data capture and analysis, data visualisation, research communication; networking and building a reputation, collaboration, publication, professional use of tools) and how this should be reflected in any new/revised course of study
ñ Consider how digitally-mediated activities can contribute to other outcomes for the course e.g. employability, sustainability, inclusivity.
ñ Refer to professional body or subject benchmark statements to ensure course design is meeting or exceeding standard practice in terms of digital capability.
ñ Involve a digital specialist (subject-related, library-based or from the e-learning team) at some point in the course design/review process.
ñ Ensure course activities and outcomes include creative production and critical exploration of digital media, as well as effective use of information.
ñ Consider how digital communications networks and media can extend the 'boundaries' of the course e.g. bringing in external experts, including non-campus-located students, working collaboratively with groups in other institutions, carrying out some course activities in a public digital space.
Principle: Students should understand how digital technologies are relevant to their learning and career goals
Practices:
ñ Make clear in the course handbook what digital capabilities will be developed and assessed
ñ Include digital capabilities in sessions on employment/employability e.g. when considering work-related skills or discussing professional practice
ñ Suggest how digital tools can support learning and study practice e.g. reference management software, collaborative writing tools. You may need to bring other experts in to help e.g. graduate teaching assistants, library staff, learning support staff.
ñ Give examples of work in digital media that has been or could be used to evidence learning e.g. web pages, wiki edits, blog posts, animations, videos, digital presentations.
ñ Know what support is available to students (e.g. IT training, drop-in sessions, online videos): signpost it individually in feedback and collectively in teaching sessions.
ñ Where possible, regular teaching staff should be fully engaged with skills-based sessions to demonstrate to students that they are important and intrinsic.
ñ Involve student reps in considering digital aspects of course design.
Principle: The digital environment should support students' use of digital technologies for study, including personal devices and services.
Practices:
ñ When designing course activities, consider what devices, applications and services students will need and/or what they will have available to use
ñ Work with IT services to ensure there are sufficient devices/tools (hardware) and site licenses (software) for the number of students involved
ñ Work with IT services to ensure the network can support the uses you have in mind including access and authentication issues as well as bandwidth and robustness
ñ Work with IT services to ensure local policies will be followed, and that these policies (or what staff imagine the policies to be) are not unreasonably constraining innovation. Issues to consider include access and authentication, fair use, online safety and privacy, IPR.
ñ Ensure the spaces in which you will be teaching and/or students will be learning are appropriate e.g. sufficient secure storage, wifi, electric sockets, flexible desk space.
ñ Ensure students are confident in the use of institutional systems such as library catalogue and portals, virtual learning environment, online submission systems etc before they have to use them for high-stakes work.
ñ Involve students in 'designing' the digital environment for the course, reviewing the devices, services and expertise they could bring to support their own and others' learning.
ñ Make explicit to students what standards you expect in terms of language, evidence/referencing, criteria of judgement, positive critique of each other's work etc. when they are working in a digital environment.
Principle: The use of digital technologies should not exclude anyone or create new kinds of disadvantage: digital approaches should be used to enhance inclusivity wherever possible.
Practices:
ñ Review students' IT access and skills at the outset (e.g. using a self-assessment or reflective instrument) and ensure students who need support are guided to it.
ñ Work with IT services to ensure provision of hardware/software for students who do not bring their own – and ensure students who are dependent on institutional access are not penalised through e.g. limited availability of hardware/licences, timing of assessments.
ñ Involve the inclusivity team in course design to ensure the use of digital technologies is supporting students with different access needs.
ñ Design for inclusive assessment with a choice of assessment modes and media to suit students with different preferences and needs.
ñ Consider digital alternatives to course activities that might otherwise exclude some students e.g. fieldwork.
ñ Consider how digital forms of communication can bring students into the course experience who might have been excluded e.g. on placement.
ñ Consider how learning materials meet the needs of students with different sensory and learning requirements.
Principle: Students need opportunities to experiment with digital technologies in a safe, peer-supported setting
Practices:
ñ Include at least one non-assessed task in which students can experiment with unfamiliar technologies, or with using familiar technologies in academic settings.
ñ Include at least one group activity with digital outcomes to allow informal sharing of expertise (this can be easier for students than sharing more obviously academic knowledge)
ñ Encourage creativity by providing several examples of 'good' work, including in digital media, but ensure students understand that they will be rewarded for innovation.
ñ Add in time for students to try different technologies, media and services to achieve a task – this might be timetabled or included in the self-study allocation.
ñ Provide positive examples of how students can use personal and social technologies to support study. Balance these with clear messages about what is not allowed e.g. plagiarism.
Principle: Digital learning outcomes should be assessed
Practices:
ñ Be explicit about expectations and criteria of assessment so that students feel free to experiment around those fixed points.
ñ Exploit the value of digital media in the ways you assess and give feedback e.g. using online reviews and group crits, collaborative written work, 'comment' functions, audio feedback.
ñ Decide whether any digital capabilities need to be assessed explicitly – these are likely to be practices central to the subject area such as design, data analysis and management, use of GPS, use of professional systems etc. Assess them at the point they become valuable and relevant.
ñ With other digital capabilities, consider which assessed tasks could be completed using digital media or tools, at students' discretion. Be explicit about how the showcasing of digital skills will and will not contribute to students' grades.
ñ Be clear about any constraints (which may be institutionally determined) e.g. relating to how assessments can be submitted, to data security, copyright and acceptable use.
ñ When providing examples of good work try to include examples that use digital media creatively where appropriate, or emphasise where the use of technology has enhanced a piece of work.
ñ When involving other professionals in delivering aspects of the curriculum e.g. with digital expertise, ensure they are involved in assessment and that their expertise is explicitly valued by other teaching staff.
Principle: Students should be exploring online content beyond the scope of the reading list
Practices:
ñ Clarify how the use of digital content can enhance grades before discussing how it might jeopardise them, with at least as many examples of appropriate as of inappropriate use.
ñ Ensure the course team is up to date with copyright/IPR issues and with open resources in the subject area so that this awareness can be passed on to students.
ñ Consider running a session on the effective, appropriate use of wikipedia, google, and other common search strategies (ask for support from the library or from graduate students).
ñ Particularly in first-year modules, set online research tasks and ensure they are assessed/given feedback.
ñ Particularly in second and third year modules, clarify that the resources provided are a starting point for students' own research, and signpost them towards further opportunities e.g. subject-specific portals, services, social media groups.
ñ Set up a collaborative book-marking page, either within the VLE or using an external service, and encourage students to share quality content relevant to the course.
ñ Include non-text based academic resources in teaching sessions to emphasise their legitimacy (e.g. online lectures, open data sets, infographics, virtual demonstrations, interactive tutorials)
Principle: Digital literacy should be considered an inherent aspect of scholarly and professional identity
ñ Look for ways that students can engage with authentic research projects and data, especially via digital means.
ñ Engage students in research activities with researchers and PGRs in the department, for example helping to collect data, communicate outcomes or capture events.
ñ Introduce technical skills in the context of a project that makes sense as a whole rather than as discrete skills, or use data/media content for practising skills that is inherently interesting and relevant.
ñ Consider how the course could include elements of digital identity work e.g. developing an online profile, blogging, story-telling, CV-building, showcasing achievements.
ñ Promote activities that leave a digital footprint e.g. web pages, contributions to a wiki or blog, release of open learning resources.
ñ Invite external professionals, alumni and other stakeholders to talk about digital practice; use digital technologies to help students keep in touch with their studies while on work placement.
ñ Encourage students to develop their personal style of digital communication and to build a personal point of view through digital participation e.g. reviewing, critiquing, collating, rating.
Principle: Design for progressive development
ñ In whole-course development, map the digital capabilities students will need at different stages e.g. arrival, transition between years, capstone project, on placement/year abroad, on graduating. Consider how students will be supported at each point.
ñ Find out whether the institution uses any self-assessment tools or reflective pro-formas to help students assess their own digital capabilities and needs. If not, look online or consider adapting/developing your own.
ñ Schedule the course to allow for induction in the use of relevant technologies/techniques as they are required. A common error is to introduce technical systems early in the first year and expect students to retain these skills without further practice.
ñ With new systems, provide opportunities for students to gain access and basic skills before they undertake tasks relevant to their learning. With familiar or personal systems, focus on the content of the tasks.
ñ Consider how group work and peer mentoring can be used in the course to bring on students with less digital confidence and expertise.
Principle: digital learners need digitally confident tutors
Practices:
ñ Try out for yourself any new technologies or methods before using them with students, e.g. use collaborative services to support course design, share useful apps with colleagues, enhance your own academic digital profile.
ñ Evaluate your own digital capabilities and preferences.
ñ Share and learn from the practice of others via subject networks, open repositories, discussion lists, groups on linked-in/academia.edu (etc).
ñ Use PGRs as demonstrators and mentors to undergraduates, and exploit their digital awareness.
A checklist for completing course review/validation documentation
Intended learning outcomes
Consider whether the outcomes provide scope for learners to:
ñ demonstrate the outcome using a variety of technologies and media
ñ use their own digital devices or services
ñ develop specific academic, learning or information literacies e.g. online research
ñ collaborate virtually e.g. using social bookmarking, googledocs, cloud services
ñ access educational or academic content online
ñ use personal devices to record aspects of their learning
ñ contribute to a public blog/wiki/web site or otherwise share ideas publicly
ñ use up-to-date professional or scholarly hardware/software e.g. GPS, design software
ñ use digital communications e.g. to keep in touch while in the field/on placement
ñ access authentic research data or professional know-how
Also consider whether you want the development of digital literacies to be an explicit learning outcome or to be embedded into other learning activities and goals.
Students involved
Relevant information might include the number of students likely to enrol, their stage of study and prior experience, their levels of digital confidence and capability (if known), their location(s) and access needs. This kind of information can be gathered from institutional systems but also more informally during teaching sessions.
Learning tasks and experiences
Consider issues such as:
ñ What will students produce, create or generate? How much freedom do they have over the end result?
ñ What is the role of the teacher and any other mentors or experts?
ñ How will students work together?
ñ What choices will students have? Will the use of specific technologies be required and if so do they have the necessary skills?
ñ What information do students need and how will they access, use, manage and/or share it?
ñ How will students be assessed and given feedback? How will you illustrate to students what 'success' looks like, particularly if unfamiliar approaches or media are involved?
Digital literacies addressed
How does this experience contribute to students' overall academic or professional development? Refer to any definitions (e.g. graduate outcomes) given by the institution, school or department and consider what these mean in a digital context.
How does this experience contribute to students' emerging digital capabilities? You could refer to definitions such as this one from the JISC: ICT/Computer skills, information literacy, media literacy, digital collaboration and communication, digital scholarship, digital identity management. Or use (or develop) a more theoretical model.
Resources: Digital devices, services, networks
What access to digital technologies will learners need? (Consider functional rather than just technical access.) What will be provided and how will you rely on students' personal access? How will you address any inequalities of access? How could you make good use of existing resources? What ICT support might be needed?