Workshop session with Sarah Knigh at the Greenwich Academic Practice with Technology conference.

1. Today's students, tomorrow's challenges:
digital experiences that connect
#digitalstudent http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org
Helen Beetham Sarah Knight

2. Welcome and introductions
Dave White,
Head of eLearning
UAL
@daveowhite
Helen Beetham,
Consultant in
Higher Education
@helenbeetham
Sarah Knight,
Senior Co-Design
Manager, Jisc
@sarahknight

3. Digital Student Project
» Phase 1 study reviewed students’ expectations and
experiences of the digital environment at university
» Desk study | review of institutional data | survey of
institutional stakeholders | student focus groups
» Present consultation phase to inform final guidance to
institutions and further actions by funders
» Parallel study in FE and Skills plus review of practice in
secondary schools
http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org

4. Findings: expectations
› Expectations of access and services high and rising:
●
Free, ubiquitous, robust access to wifi
●
Able to use personal devices and services
●
VLE – organisation, time/task, content, consistency
●
Personal info (student dashboard) on personal device
› Demand for support with personal devices/services
●
… but ongoing demand for institutional provision too
› Demand for ICT skills training as and when required
●
… but most students don't want it timetabled/mandatory
› Wide variety of practices, capabilities, confidence levels

5. Findings: expectations

6. Findings: expectations
Implication: students will
punish universities
that fail to meet their
threshold digital
expectations
(but we don't know
how much)

7. Findings: experiences
› Highly dependent on previous experience, subject of
study, personal preferences and aspirations
› Not what was expected – unexpected is developmental
› Study habits with technology are hybrid – informal, peer
supported + academic, formally acquired
› Critical moments with technology often formally taught:
e-journals, data analysis, design, ref/project mngmt...
› Teaching staff skills are important
› Value perceived in retrospect
› Digital identity a key motivation and outcome

8. Findings: experiences

9. Findings: experiences
Implication: students
whose experiences
don't prepare them
thrive in the digital
society are being
failed (but may not
realise this until later)

10. Transactional vs transformational
Transactional Transformational
Accessing networks
Accessing hardware and
software
Accessing general and course-
related information
Signing on to university systems
Booking appointments
Submitting work, receiving
grades
Sharing ideas, engaging in dialogue
Encountering threshold concepts
Developing independent study habits
Collaborating on projects
Producing digital artefacts
Reflecting, reviewing, revising
Specialist tools and practices:
design, data analysis, e-journals,
ref/project managemt, specialist tools
Expectations largely established
in advance by transactions with
other service providers
Expectations largely established
during studies in dialogue with tutors
and peers

11. Findings from consultation

12. Key issues for students now
Changing nature of affiliation to the institution?
Branding and blending
Spaces and places
Open landscape,
walled garden
'What I need to
succeed' vs
bring/build YO
Frustration – how
can I make things better?

13. What can institutions do (better)?

14. » Access to network and data environment: robust,
ubiquitous, secure but also flexible, open, innovation-friendly
» Readiness to study successfully in digital settings
» Formal/informal ICT support, opportunities to be consulted,
to move out from fully supported → BYO environment
» Staff with digital confidence and expertise in their specialism
» Opportunities to be digitally involved and creative, to solve
problems, to make things better
» Relevant digital experiences in the curriculum
Digital experiences students really need

15. Activity
In groups
» Look at one set of digital experience ideas
» Share what you are doing in this area
» Annotate/add new ideas offline or on the googledoc
bit.ly/digitalexperiences

16. Find out more and get involved
http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org