Digital literacies and work placementsPELeCON 2013 | Nadja Guggi, University of Reading, 11 April 2013

Digitally Ready

• AJISC-fundedprojectattheUniversityofReadingtohelp staffandstudentstodeveloptheirdigitalliteracies – live, learn and work in a digital world

• Individualandinstitutionaldevelopment

• Focusonstudentemployability www.reading.ac.uk/digitallyready

Digital literacies and work placements

• Work-relatedandplacementlearning(WRPL)– ‘digital’ opportunities

• Structuredandsemi-structuredexploratoryinterviews –staff,studentandemployerneeds,expectations andexperiences

• Informstrategicdiscussionsaroundplanning,monitoring, assessmentandevaluationofworkplacementschemes

• Focusonformalworkplacementopportunities –embeddedandextra-curricularschemes

WorkplacementschemesatReading

• Extra-curricularschemes(admisteredcentrally):

–UndergraduateResearchOpportunitiesProgramme(UROP)–SummerEmploymentExperienceandDiscovery(SEED)

• Embeddedplacements(admisteredlocally):

–Embeddedinallundergraduateprogrammeswith 2011/2012 entry

–‘Skirts’model:maxi,mini,micro

Framework:Thedevelopmentpyramid

Access

Skills

Practices informed by knowledge of the most out of digital technologies

Skills to use relevant digital technologies

Access to relevant digital technologies

A critical, informed expert user of digital technologies who has an awareness of the issues surrounding the use of those technologies, and a commitment to life-long learning.

Practices

Developing Effective e-Learning: the development pyramid (BeethamandSharpe,2008)

Framework:Thedevelopmentpyramid

Access

Skills

Adaptedfrom’DevelopingEffectiveE-Learning:TheDevelopment Pyramid(BeethamandSharpe,2008)

Opportunities to practice digital skills in a ‘real world’ context

Opportunities to develop expertise in using relevant digital technologies

Opportunities to experience and explore relevant digital technologies

Opportunities to develop digital literacies

PracticesBridging the gap

Reflection

Findings

• Awareness

• Reflectionandarticulation

• Monitoringandassessment

• Tangibleoutputs

• Positiveonlinepresence

• Socialmediaskills

• Timetodevelop

• Contactwithsupervisorsandco-workers

• Promotingthe‘digital’placementexperience

Awareness

• Lackofproperunderstandingofdigitalliteraciesand theirimportanceforstudentemployability

• Lackofinsightintothetransferableandsubject-specific digitalskillsthataresought-afterbyemployers

Reflectionandarticulation

• Theroleofplacementsinbridgingthegapbetween students’ learning and applying digital skills in a professional context

• Reflection&articulation:makingthelinkinthestudent’smind

Monitoringandassessment

• Needtodevelopeffectivemethodsofmonitoringstudents’ digital skills development

• Needtodevelopeffectivemethodsassessingplacements

Tangibleoutputs

• ‘Somethingtoshowforit’

• Ownershipandresponsiblity

• Strongerapplications,betterinterviewperformance

• Roleofdigitaltechnologiesinproducingvisible/public outputsfinishedtoahighstandard

Positive online presence

• Lackofawarenessoftheimportanceofapositive online presence – employers do care

• Lackofawarenesshowtoraiseyourprofessionalprofileonline

Socialmediaskills

• Employersareactivelylookingforskillsinstrategicuse of social media

Timetodevelop

• Studentsneedtimetodevelopandpractisethedigitalskills neededtomakeapositivecontributionintheworkplace

• Employerspreferlongerplacements

• Benefitsofrelativelyshortplacements

Contactwithsupervisorsandco-workers

• Studentsvalueregularcontact

• Integrationandsupport

• Immersionintheprofessionalenvironment

Promotingthe‘digital’placementexperience

• Disappointingnumbersandqualityofapplications

• Advertisingonaskillsbasisvs.subjectbasis

• Expectations,outcomes,benefits

• Lackofconfidence

Maximising‘digital’benefitsofWRPL

• Promotiononaskillsbasis–skillsrequiredandskillsdeveloped

• Opportunitiestoexploreavarietyofdigitaltechnologies

• Ownershipandresponsibility–tangibleoutputs

• Regularcontactwithsupervisorsandcolleagues

• Longerplacementsand/orflexiblemodels

• Monitoringstudents’digitalskillsdevelopment

• Supportingreflectionandarticulation

• Assessmentlinkedtoreflectionandarticulation