Developing digital literacies in undergraduate students: Experiences of the SADL project

Jane Secker and Geraldine FoleyLSE Learning Technology and Innovation (LTI)

Why digital literacy?

JISC definition:“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.”

Students as ‘Change Agents’

• Key focus of Jisc Change Agents Network

• Building student engagement

• Students as partners • Students as producers

SADL Project aims

• To understand students’ existing digital and information literacy (DIL) skills.

• To explore how best to support students to improve their DIL skills and provide peer support.

• Doubled the cohort of UGs

• Extended to 4 departments

• 4 workshops in 2 terms

• Introduced Seniors

• Introduced group project

SADL Year Two

SADL Senior Ambassadors

• Worked alongside staff• Gave feedback on

workshop content • Guided and worked with

students in workshops • Gave feedback on

sessions• Led student projects

Evaluation and impact study

What worked?

• Recruitment and incentives

• Email and face to face comms

• Most workshop content & format

• Senior ambassadors

What worked less well?

• Request for more structure / clearer role

• Blogging

• Peer support for students beyond SADL

• Group project

“there should be more incentive to write blogs”

“Enjoyed getting hands on and going out to speak to the people. This is where I felt most like an ambassador”.

“Prior to this workshop I had little exposure to using the Library catalogue or google scholar. Very insightful and have since gone on to use both resources”.

“Senior was really good, always at meetings, answered questions, motivated us. Really got the ball rolling and got us working”.

“The role is kinda blurry sometimes. We go to workshops and we tell people about it but no one really listens”.

“I really enjoyed hearing what everyone else had to say, that was where I learnt the most”.

The atmosphere was “like a community not like a classroom, all learning together”.

The role of the student ambassador needs more work “Many students didn't know what it is, need more clarity on what it is, what digital literacy involves”.

The course has taught me to be more structured in the essay writing process “I‘m now much more focused and I know what I'm doing”

Findings from interviews to date

Student partnerships

• Students can be empowered• Sharing experiences beyond

their institution• Working with other students

(not just Students’ Union) • A more ‘real’ student voice • Your champions!• Student partnership toolkit

(from Jisc)• Tensions: freedom vs support,

guidance and structure

Going forward

“For partnership to be embedded and sustained beyond documents, projects and initiatives, it needs to become part of the culture and ethos of the institution”

HEA framework for partnership in learning and teaching in higher education (2014)

Sustaining SADL…..

• Our biggest challenges:– Reaching all undergraduate students at LSE– Developing the peer learning aspects of SADL– Keeping it student-led and student focused

• Over to you……

Further reading• Bell, Maria and Moon, Darren and Secker, Jane (2012) Undergraduate support at LSE:

the ANCIL report. The London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. Available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/48058/

• HEA (2014) Framework for partnership in learning and teaching. York, Higher Education Academy. Available at: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/students-as-partners

• LSE SADL Project website and resources (2014) Available at: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsesadl/resources

• Secker, Jane, Karnad, Arun , Bell, Maria, Wilkinson, Ellen and Provencher, Claudine (2014) Student ambassadors for digital literacy (SADL): project final report. Learning Technology and Innovation , London, UK. Available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/59479/

• SEDA conference (November 2014) Opportunities and challenges for academic development in a post-digital age– Mark J.P.Kerrigan, Director of Teaching, Learning and Assessment, Anglia Ruskin University keynote on behalf of the Change Agents Network.