What students are telling us regarding their expectations and experiences of their learning environment

Birmingham29/03/2017

http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org» Phase 1 study reviewed students’ expectations and experiences of the

digital environment at university and we spoke to 500 staff and students during our consultation (2013-2014) see http://bit.ly/HEdigstudent

» We conducted a review of practice in schools to identify likely incoming expectations (2014) see http://bit.ly/2gYifGH

» In phase 2 we focused on FE speaking to 220 learners and 300 staff from colleges across the UK (2014-2015) see http://bit.ly/FEdigitalstudentoutputs

» Phase 3 Skills study spoke with 123 adult & community learners, work based learners including apprentices and offender learners (2015-2016) see http://bit.ly/digitalstudentskills

» Phase 4 Online learners study, reviewed literature and spoke to students studying on online or partly online courses in HE and FE and Skills (2016) see http://bit.ly/digstudonline

Your students’ digital experience1.Do you gather your students’ expectations and

experiences of technology within your institution? 2.Do your students contribute to the development of

your institutions’ digital strategy or digital environment?

3.Go to www.menti.com enter code 75 26 17

Enhancing the digital student experience postcards

Available to download from:http://bit.ly/FEdigitalstudentoutputs

Benchmarking the student digital experience

»Jisc, NUS and TSEP»http://bit.ly/digstudentbenchmark

Student digital experience tracker

» The Student digital experience tracker enables colleges, skills providers and universities to:› gather evidence from students about their

digital experience, and benchmark their data against other institutions

› make better informed decisions about the digital environment

› target resources for improving digital provision› plan other research, data gathering and

student engagement around digital issues› demonstrate quality enhancement and student

engagement to external bodies and to students themselves

Find out more: http://bit.ly/jiscdigidataservice

Outcomes from closed pilot June 16

»10,753 unique data sets»Case studies from 7 institutions

http://bit.ly/trackercasestudies

»Full report is available from: http://bit.ly/student-tracker-report

Update from open pilot March 2017

Update from open pilot March 2017» New questions with stronger focus on learning

experience» New question sets (HE, FE, Skills and Online

learners) available from http://bit.ly/2mBHA9l» Some optional and one customisable question» New guidance including FAQs, Guides and CoP» 140 providers signed up: over 80 launched and

collecting data: 11 international universities from SA to NZ

» Surveys close on 31st March: access to sector benchmarking data on 4th April: briefings available May

» New opportunities: working with other data sources; more customisation options; snapshot case studies; sector intelligence; BOS

Facts and figures as at 22nd March

» 97 Tracker surveys have been / are in use from approx. 85 institutions; 11 international

» Highest response of 1,490 from Adelaide, using the HE Tracker » Highest UK responses from Bexhill Sixth Form College, using the

FE Tracker with 820 responses, and Chelmsford College using the FE Tracker with 767 responses

» Highest UK HE Tracker response = University of Liverpool (678)» Highest UK ACL and Skills Tracker response = ACL Essex (470)» Highest UK Online Learner Tracker response = Royal Botanic

Garden Edinburgh (81)

Update from open pilot March 2017New open Guide: bit.ly/TrackerResponding

Hearing the learner voice»Digital learner stories and

videos available from http://ji.sc/learner-stories

Telling learners’ stories»The idea» The experience» The journey»The outcomes

Adriana Mj

Angela Mj

Sky Mj

Edafe MjJade Mj Jess Mj Mauro MjMelissa Mj Pepieter Mj

Ray Mj

Victoria Mj

Ben Mj

Sky Mj

What are you hearing?

»What do you hear in these stories? »What do you think other people in your organisation need to hear?

»Send a text to 0207 183 8329 starting with digi.

» NOTE - if you don’t start the text with digi, it won’t go to our inbox

What have we learned?

What have we learned?»Key benefits of digital

learning for these learners were inclusion, independence, and flexibility ( ‘making time‘).

What have we learned?

»Tablets are a game-changer for many learners: convenient, lightweight and connected to all their digital services. These learners loved their tablets.

»These learners also loved somevery traditional features of formaleducation, including libraries, thevirtual learning environment, on-site IT support and fixedcomputing facilities.

What have we learned?»Confident teaching staff were critical to the

positive experiences these learners had, especially when they were introducing professional practices and networks.

»New digital learning habits that learners explore in these stories include digital reading and writing, note-making, curation,learning fromvideo and othermedia, sharing, coding and making.

What have we learned?

» These learners responded to digital learning with feelingsof curiosity, enthusiasm,excitement, freedom and asense of fun. However, theyalso wanted their digitallearning to be safe and forother learners to be respectfulin digital spaces.

» For some of these learners, digital technology represented a ‘second chance’ or even ‘the only chance’ that they had to engage with education.

What have we learned?

»Some of these learners are mixing public and private spaces (such as learning groups and professional networks). Others engage in formal and informal learning in tandem. These are confident digital behaviours that not all learners will feel happy to try.

»Most but not all of these learners saw their digital skills as assets for work.

ConclusionsContinuities: » Valued: access to resources,

opportunities to practice, interactions with tutors & peers

» Learning habits: make notes, organise ideas, prepare assignments, collaborate, express deas, manage time and motivation, revise and review, listen to feedback, showcase

» Course requirements and tutor practices establish the agenda

Discontinuities: » Use of graphical, video and audio

to learn and to express self» Reading and writing digital text» Overcoming of barriers: ’second

chance’ and ‘only chance’» Curation, remixing, repurposing,

sharing of resources» Digital networks to connect across

boundaries: learning & work, public&private, formal&informal etc

» Rapid feedback, rapid rewards

Capturing your learners’ stories» In your groups discuss:

› How do we ask the right questions so we hear what our learners need to say?

› How can learners’ voices and stories be most persuasive in our organisations?

› How do we balance the demand for ‘data’ with the power of narrative?

›Make notes on the flip chart and be ready to share or use the padlet https://padlet.com/sarahknight/jiscexperts17

Find out more» Jisc Student digital experience tracker - http://bit.ly/jiscdigidataservice » Jisc NUS TSEP Benchmarking the student digital experience – http://

bit.ly/digistudentexp » Enhancing the student digital experience - http://bit.ly/digitalstudentguide » Digital learner stories - http://ji.sc/learner-stories» Developing successful student staff partnerships -

http://bit.ly/jisc-partnership » Change agents’ network – http://can.jiscinvolve.org » Case studies of institutional practice -

http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org/wp/exemplars» Using technology to support employability - http://bit.ly/employabilityproject » The Student Engagement Partnership – http://www.tsep.org.uk » REACT project – http://www.studentengagement.ac.uk

Find out more…

Digital Student projectSarah.knight@jisc.ac.ukhttp://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org

#digitalstudent

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