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Becka One of the things that did NOT come out of the Jisc Developing Digital Literacies programme was a consensual self-assessment/self-diagnostic tool for students. Or, for that matter, for staff. There were some interesting reasons for this, but perhaps the two most important are that: 1. different subject areas require very different kinds of digital capability and 2. digital literacy - like all kinds of literacy - very quickly becomes a matter of personal identity and style. Even the more generic aspects of what you call 'using IT for academic purposes' are non-standard. I have worked with highly digitally capable students who choose to use paper for specific academic purposes, from mind-mapping to taking interview notes, and I regard it as part of their capability that they recognise this. One of the things my experience has taught me is that the wider a repertoire of digital practices an individual has available to them, the more critical (in true HE fashion) they are likely to be of specific technologies and uses. So what is it actually useful to assess at induction? As I know you would agree, assessment only makes sense as part of a conversation with students, which helps them to understand what is going to be expected of them just as it enquires in a genuine way what they need to be successful. I think that conversation has increasingly to be taken on by course leaders, with advice from central service staff about how to address issues such as digital capability and confidence. But it is probably useful for students to undertake a general assessment of their digital confidence, and to be directed to support if they lack functional access to technologies and practices that will be essential to their studies. This isn't rocket science, though I think it's important questions ask about specific practices (how often do you, have you ever, how confident are you that you can etc) and for these practices to be relevant to academic study. General confidence is always over-rated in self-assessment, because informal IT use does not put people into situations in which their existing expertise fails them. A general self-assessment will find that for most students, learning to use institutional IT systems is merely 'transactional' and self-paced induction materials are appropriate. It's about identifying those students for whom it will be transformational, and making sure they feel personally supported whether this is online or (post-arrival) f2f. Student mentors and IT helpers seems a good way to go, along with policies that support students at a digital disadvantage e.g. loan schemes and on-demand surgeries. Again I know you have done more work in this area than almost anyone, but it's still worth mentioning the need for care as to the hidden messages that students may take, both about the HE experience they can expect and about their own 'fitness to study' (as instruments developed in the US tend to call it). Despite *some* generational effects, digital disadvantage generally lines up quite well with other kinds of disadvantage so there's a risk that students who may already feel at a loss in an HE environment encounter another assessment that leaves them 'wanting'. As it happens, I'm working on a couple of instruments that might be useful, based on the questionnaires developed by some of the projects. Watch this space! http://jiscdesignstudio.pbworks.com/w/page/48402890/DL%20Questionnaires Helen On 9 Dec 2013, at 13:15, Becka Colley <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > For me, induction needs to be based on a needs audit, and in the absence of that having happened, and/or there being a minimum statement of what student (and staff!) IT skills/digital literacy should be, it’s hard to pitch an induction. We don’t have a formal University wide IT induction here. We used to, but it’s not done as a separate thing anymore across the whole campus, although some courses/areas do still do something and some module leaders include aspects too. Generally specialist IT skills are supported within the curriculum and applied during the course. > > What I would really like to see is an understanding of what IT skills a student needs, and support to develop these if someone doesn’t have them or lacks confidence in an area. I think we (society) are guilty of assuming far too much about what a new student can do, and those that can’t soon feel overwhelmed/disengaged because they can’t use the systems effectively. I also think HE needs to reflect on how systems are engaged with *prior* to arrival (most registration is done online nowadays) and what support is available to help students with poorer IT skills or lack of access to a computer and the internet before they even start their course. Using IT for academic purposes is another whole issue in itself too! > > Becka > > Becka Colley > Dean of Students (NTF 2010) > Student Experience and Success Team > Academic Development Unit > University of Bradford > Chesham Building B0.21, BD7 1DP > > Tel: 01274 236821 > Mob: 07917 241214 or 1739 from an internal phone > Twitter: @beckacolley > PA: [log in to unmask] > Web: http://www.bradford.ac.uk/academic-development/student-experience/ > > From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Petrakieva, Lina > Sent: 09 December 2013 12:36 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: IT Induction - is it still necessary and how it should be done > > Hi all, > > I have been involved in running IT Induction for 10 years in our University and we have done it in a number of different ways over the years. During IT Induction we cover things like passwords, specific University systems, VLE, student email system, labs, printing facilities, etc. > I have been tasked to find out alternative ways to deliver IT Induction. It seems that the senior management feels that the students are IT savvy enough to figure it out themselves. However, it seems that everyone from the programmes themselves disagrees and they book their students in IT Induction sessions. > I have looked around other Universities and they all seem to offer staff IT Induction but with student IT Induction there seems to be a mixed picture. > It will be a tremendous help if you can share how it is done in your University and why and also if you have any feedback from staff and students about the way you deliver IT Induction. > > Thanks in advance! > > Lina > > Dr Lina Petrakieva, MSc IT, PgDEd, PhD > ICT Skills Tutor | Learning Development Centre / School of Health and Life Sciences > > T: +44 (0)141 273 1264 | E: [log in to unmask] > Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow, G4 0BA > W: www.gcu.ac.uk > <image001.jpg> > <image002.jpg> > <image003.gif> <image004.jpg> <image005.jpg> <image006.gif> <image007.gif> <image008.gif> <image009.gif> <image010.gif> > > > > Glasgow Caledonian University is a registered Scottish charity, number SC021474 > > Winner: Times Higher Education’s Widening Participation Initiative of the Year 2009 and Herald Society’s Education Initiative of the Year 2009. > http://www.gcu.ac.uk/newsevents/news/bycategory/theuniversity/1/name,6219,en.html > > Winner: Times Higher Education’s Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers of the Year 2010, GCU as a lead with Universities Scotland partners. > http://www.gcu.ac.uk/newsevents/news/bycategory/theuniversity/1/name,15691,en.html