Digital Literacy: Why It Matters

In the past two decades the internet, email, apps, mobile devices and all associated hardware and software have become firmly embedded in everyday life, to the extent that it often feels that we have had no control over this phenomenon. What are the implications for education? Primary and secondary students today have grown up with the always-connected life which the internet has enabled. However, the credence given to the idea that this makes them fully comfortable and aware as digital natives is misguided. The social implications of the internet society – surveillance and the decline of privacy, cyberbullying and so on – are only now becoming evident. Are our students developing skills for living, learning and working in a digital society? For that matter, do those of us who teach and offer guidance ourselves possess those capabilities? How can we tell? This chapter attempts to define digital literacy, outlines some of the ways in which guidance counsellors can help students develop their digital literacy, and looks how guidance counsellors can develop their own digital literacy skills

Post-Brexit: A Continuum For State Sovereignty

Both sides of the Brexit campaign were very nationalist in their outlook suggesting that profitable preservation of a capitalist economy was paramount based on a conservative sense of nationalism and sovereignt

What’s the Use of a VLE?

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) have become an integral part of the technological furniture of higher education over the past two decades. While some VLE adopters have argued that the enhancement of teaching and learning is a key driver underpinning their use, an increasing number have described typical VLE usage as a “notes-bank approach”. However, while it is widely accepted that they are used primarily as content repositories, the actual value that they add to the teaching and learning process, and ultimately to the student experience, has not been widely questioned. So, in an age of increasing budgetary constraints, combined with the prioritisation of investment in appropriate technologies for higher education, it seems appropriate to scrutinise how the VLE is used and what value it has added. In 2013, at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), we initiated a study which sought to find out how our academic staff were using the VLE as part of their teaching practice. Additionally, given the proliferation of emerging eLearning tools outside of the VLE, we wanted to find out if academics were aware of such technologies and if, or how, they were using them. Finally in order to inform future practice and strategic planning, we wanted to gain an insight into factors inhibiting or preventing staff from engaging with eLearning technologies. The results are not altogether surprising, indicating high levels of VLE usage among academics, albeit with limited pedagogical innovation underpinning this usage. Findings also demonstrated high levels of interest in, and awareness of, other technologies for teaching and learning: however only a small minority had actually used many of these as part of their academic practice, with high levels of reservation about time and effort involved in utilising such technologies to the full. This paper presents and discusses the key findings of this research and indicates possible ways forward for higher education in the digital age

The Learn@Work Socrates-Minerva Research Project 2005-2007

This article offers a summary of the goals, activities, products and evaluation of the Socrates-Minerva research project 2005–2007 – Learn@Work. The partners were four higher education providers: Glasgow-Caledonian University (lead), University of Aalborg, University of Innsbruck, and the Dublin Institute of Technology, with one private partner, ATiT, Brussels. The project aim was to develop and test IT-based materials for induction and support for worker-learners using pilot studies in the partner countries, and the development of usable case studies and theoretical models

The Challenge of Open: Empowering Students or Eroding Privacy?

Open education can mean different things to different people. A term which frequently refers to the creation, sharing and usage of open educational resources, open education can also refer to the use of technologies which promote collaborative, flexible learning and sharing of teaching practices, thus providing new opportunities for enhancing teaching and learning and assessment practices (Cape Town Open Education Declaration, 2007). Within this context, open education is often promoted as a means of widening access to education, improving equity and enhancing the student learning experience (Creelman, Cronin and Weller 2018). However in an increasingly privacy-conscious era, where data breaches are commonly reported and surveillance practices are accepted as part of the open web, it could also be argued that open practice feeds “data capitalism” (Myers-West 2017), eroding student and educator privacy in the process. This highly reflective and evaluative panel presentation will explore existing and emerging concerns, challenges and associated privacy and ethical issues surrounding open education in an era of big data. In doing so, this panel presentation aligns with theme 1 of OER19, “Back to Basics”, exploring difficult questions such as open for whom? Whose interests are served by the open agenda and what are the implications for educators, students and for our higher education institutions

Developing all learners through analytics: a collaborative consultative approach to professional development and support

By the end of this session, delegates will be able to: -explore the potential value of learning analytics for creating a supportive educational experience for students and for increasing students’ feelings of ownership, agency and self-regulation. -examine the role of professional development resources and support in increasing staff and student digital proficiencies in using learning data and in facilitating greater evidence-based decision-making in HE. -identify how we can collaborate with our institutional colleagues and our students in the design and provision of professional development resources and support in relation to the analysis and interpretation of learning data to support student success. -consider staff, students and sectoral perspectives on the issues, challenges, potential uses and concerns surrounding the use of learning data to support students in H

The openness of new learning spaces in campus-based institutions

In this research presentation we present and explore open educational practices and resources in the context of learning spaces, broadly defined to include lecture theatres, classrooms, social areas, and online environments. Specifically, we examine the ways in which the use of space in campus-based institutions has been opened up through the evolution of learning theories and technologies (Brown & Long, 2006), and how the design and use of physical learning spaces has been remediated through the evolving use of blended and online learning in campus-based programmes. We have undertaken collaborative research comprising a literature review and desk study of existing institutional practices as the basis for planned fieldwork and further collaborative research in our respective institutions, Technological University Dublin (soon to become TU Dublin) in Ireland, and Purdue University in the US. Both institutions are engaged in the redesign of physical spaces, as well as the creation of entirely new buildings such as those on the Grangegorman campus in Dublin. These large scale projects have allowed us the opportunity to reconsider the purposes of physical learning spaces in the 21st century, and whether/how architecture has interacted with the rapid changes in educational technology and pedagogy. In our review of the literature, we have examined relevant research for the key insights and lessons that can inform campus development and reflect the potential and actual use of new technologies. We will draw out elements of this research linking with open practices as an important dimension of new physical and blended learning spaces. Some key themes for discussion are: Evidence that changes towards more open and shared educational spaces afford new opportunities to educators and students. Research has already pointed to the contribution of learning space design towards improving student learning, and enhancing shared practices amongst teachers and informed institutional planning (Alterator & Deed, 2013; Brooks, 2010; Cohen & Harvey, 2008). We consider whether new kinds of physical space in turn contribute to greater openness in teaching practices, and the use and reuse of open educational resources. Evidence for the development of confidence and enhanced practice amongst lecturers/faculty through providing active learning spaces (Fitzsimmons, Neubauer & Haston, 2018). As university educators develop and enhance their teaching practice overall, we can identify new opportunities for the design and redesign of physical spaces towards active learning and connection with students. Theorising on the potential for further change and development: building on the work of Rook, Choi and McDonald (2015) we consider how the evolution of learning theories and specifically open educational practices will influence the design of learning spaces in the future. The potential role of educational development teams in developing open practices in new kinds of learning space: we examine the roles of academic developers and educational technologists in supporting colleagues towards more effective use of new kinds of learning space as well as the adoption of open practices (Fisher & Newton, 2014; Jamieson, 2003). References Alterator, S. & Deed, C. (2013). Teacher adaptation to open learning spaces. Issues in Educational Research, 23(3), 315-330. Brooks, D.C. (2010). Space matters: The impact of formal learning environments on student learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(5), 719-726. Brown, M. & Long, P. (2006). Trends in Learning Space Design. In Oblinger, D. (Ed). Learning Spaces, pp. 9.1-9.11. EDUCAUSE e-book. Retrieved from https://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/PUB7102.pdf Cohen, P. & Harvey, J. (2008). Next-generation learning spaces: built pedagogy in action. In Weaver, M. (Ed). Transformative learning support models in higher education: educating the whole student. London: Facet. Fisher, K. & Newton, C. (2014). Transforming the twenty-first century campus to enhance the net-generation student learning experience: using evidence-based design to determine what works and why in virtual/physical teaching spaces. Higher Education Research & Development, 33(5), 903-920. Fitzsimmons, J., Neubauer, K. & Haston, A. (2018). Space Matters, But It’s No Guarantee: Reconceptualizing Active Learning Classrooms. Conference Presentation, Purdue University. Jamieson, P. (2003). Designing more effective on-campus teaching and learning spaces: a role for academic developers. International Journal for Academic Development, 8(1-2), 119-133. Rook, M.M., Choi, K. & McDonald, S.P. (2015). Learning Theory Expertise in the Design of Learning Spaces: Who Needs a Seat at the Table? Journal of Learning Spaces, 4(1), 1-29

Developing Data Literacy for Data Enabled Student Success

Tapping in to the potential benefits of learning analytics requires staff and students in higher education to be proficient in data literacy. This poster reports on a project to review and identify professional development needs for learning analytics, with an emphasis on the effective use of learning data to promote student success. We report on the development of an evidence based strategy and implementation plan that addresses the skills gaps and professional development requirements of students and higher education staff who teach or lead teaching and learning enhancement. The outputs will enable upskilling of staff and also facilitate students to be more aware, and make greater use of, their own data ‘footprint’. This facilitates the development of important life skills such as self-regulation and self actualisation. In the broader institutional context, this should have the resulting impact of more widespread adoption of evidence based decisions that support student success initiatives