Earlier work
Back in September 2021 not long after I started my previous Digital Curriculum Support and Developer role. I had a conversation with an outgoing nursing Senior Lecturer who was seeking my expertise on their early digital literacy-type framework document to populate with known resources. Having worked on a number of university-wide digital literacy projects in my previous role and team as a Digital Practice Adviser, which that lecturer was aware of. As well as my institutional contribution to digital literacies and digital curriculum in course design sprints. It led to a further discussion with another nursing Senior Lecturer on how I/we can improve and embed digital literacies across the Institute of Health and Allied Professions (IHAP). In early 2022, it eventually led me to bringing the topic up in a wider nursing course meeting, as this would be a better forum to raise such thing, as it was increasingly becoming a strategic piece. As well as seek collective input from wider team, so that it is not just done in isolation by me and another lecturer. Plus many new members of staff are joining us who may want to contribute. I was looking to kick something off to establish goals, review what we have got, update it, how will it be embedded and what’s needed etc. But it quickly proved there needs to be some considerable time spent on the goal of what we are trying to achieve: a framework to underpin all nursing courses (with view of sharing widely an adaptable template across IHAP); identifying digital literacies and skills required for specific career pathways; enabling fair and equal opportunities for students to practice and develop those knowledge and skills and access associated resources. Utilising some of my material from the 'Pre-session thoughts' section from my blog post 'Exploring purposeful technology as a philosophy to approach the effective use of Technology Enhanced Learning' and material from my book 'Digital Learning, Teaching and Assessment for HE and FE Practitioners'.
I got really busy with the VR wall and time had past. To keep myself accountable and on track with this, I set myself the following appraisal objectives for academic year 22/23:
"Scope the needs and feasibility of an IHAP-specific digital literacy framework, to enable students and academic colleagues to reflect on and reach their highest digital capability potential.
a. Identify and work with stakeholders, to produce and implement a draft IHAP-specific digital literacies framework that develops students and academic colleague digital capabilities, and supports parity across course content. Identifying underpinning resources and support e.g. online resources, bespoke sessions, Library offer, and consideration for PebblePad digital capabilities single-page template or workbook (B.8 operations plan)."
In November 2022, a new nursing colleague, Hannah Glenn Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing, who joined our department, attended the Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) Academy Member Symposium on 21 November 2022. In relation to digital innovation she reported back that "The common theme at this round table was that digital innovation cannot happen where people do not have a good level of digital literacy, therefore this increase in knowledge and confidence needs to start from the ‘ground-up’ in undergraduate nursing education." She was aware of my role and presence, and this led to her speaking to me about it, to which we were very enthusiastic about and was interested in joining our ambitions together to formulate a group of staff to meet and discuss this for ideas of how we could start to progress work in this area. With the view of linking this to my wider objective of scoping out an IHAP-specific digital literacy framework. Hannah and I met in December 2022 to have an initial chat to streamline our thoughts. In advance of this conversation I listed some points to consider in relation to digital literacy and digital innovation:
- Do we as academic staff feel confident in our own digital literacy?
- How could you and students self-assess?
- Should we be teaching this in a standardised way to undergraduate student nurses?
- How might this be embedded across our curriculum offer?
- Do we assume this will be assessed by practice and if so, how confident are we of practice assessors’ digital literacy?
- Do we cater for the diversity of our students from a digital literacy perspective?
- How can you and your students digital literacies be developed and supported in order to educate and support your students?
In sketchy note form we considered the following:
- Provide staff with the framework to embed into nursing etc, then provide resources for them to deliver/support their own students. Support from me.
- Base on nursing first, start small.
- Undergraduate and post-graduate separate 'digital skills profile' - what do they need to know
- Aim: for students to be better trained in a digital world - mandatory student led, tasks for them to do. Basic level for year 1's. Include inspiring stories, signposting resources. Three part information giving programme, on the above. Reflection using the Visitors and Residents mapping tool. Give them a set of tools to self-reflect and practise.
- Later - a set of resources for staff to deliver, the importance of digital literacies not the how as they get that in workplace.
- I suggested to Hannah to outline of what we are doing and build a group and then take to stakeholders, dept meeting etc. Scoping this year to build later on.
The digital capabilities working group
A group had formed led by Hannah Glenn, with 4 others, working on a small-scale pilot of developing digital literacies support for undergraduate nursing students. We had our first meeting on 1 February 2023 to discuss our ideas and have time to mull them over. My contribution ultimately surrounded; two potential 'learning pathways': occupation and effectively engaging with our own educational platforms. Then we had our second meeting on 1 March 2023 to revisit these ideas and agree actions. I injected the following, in sketchy note form:
- Why of digital literacies and digital capabilities - importance of literacies and knowledge to form confidence and competence. As they just seem to think oh yes I can do that, e.g. share screen - miss the why on digital tools.
- Group discussion.
- Individual self-assessments - outline support afterwards - use of bespoke digital literacy framework.
- Digital mapping/visibility exercise to find out what kind of digital person you are. As that can inform your confidence, competence and approach to digital innovation.
- By end of session provide their own individual self-assessments.
- Lecturers need to be confident in supporting such digital literacies.
- Some students are saying 'I've shared my screen, I've created a presentation - ticked off done now.' Good - but there's the why. Justification and across other tools - each are different, but may have similar functionality.
- Links to digital leadership in them modelling and supporting others.
- The group agreed for me to devise a session to 'test the waters'.
- Teams / sharing screen etc
- NOW & navigating, submission to dropbox, obtaining assessment feedback
- Powerpoint
- Using applications like Cite it!
- Microsoft word
- Using Microsoft 365
- Outlook - send emails can be an issue for some!
- Use of excel
- Using online library services (search tool etc.)
- PebblePad
Thus far, very little in the way of inclusion of digital on courses other than some practical input on indication e.g. how to navigate NOW etc."
On 19th April 2023, I delivered an in-person 1 hour synchronous session (in similar styles to my other guest teaches), following an intended flipped activity, titled ‘Developing Digital Capabilities for Nurses and Healthcare Staff’ to a group of students on a frailty Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course. Microsoft PowerPoint slides below. This is part of the wider department project, mentioned above, to improve and embed digital literacies in our curriculum area. I also adapted this in-person session to an online asynchronous activity for another group of students on the leading and innovation course.
The exit poll assessed students importance of digital capabilities, pre and post session, their value of the in-person session and overall usefulness, along with some questions regarding the wider project. The information will help me to form my evaluation. What the data proved is that digital capabilities are clearly important to students and therefore we must begin to make the journey into taking action to embed this more effectively across our courses. Though the exit poll helped me reflect on the following. I felt the session was well-delivered, there was strong engagement and participation from the group on the topic, which they could relate to in their roles. I felt prepared and confident in my subject. Students did not receive the flipped video activity in time ahead of the in-person session. However, this was planned to discuss as a group at the beginning. When students registered for the self-assessment tool, the delegate registrations didn't come instantly, however it turned out I needed to be patient as they arrived a little bit after. But in my haste I demonstrated the platform live in front of the group and invited them to complete it when they get the follow up information from me.
As with my other work in this institute, we are on a journey an this is another leap forward in this space. I will soon be reporting on my Digital Curriculum Questionnaire, that I conducted between December 2022 and January 2023, which included the question 'Do you have sufficient opportunities to develop digital literacies and skills throughout your studies?', Yes, No or Not sure.
- Consider the use of the HEE self-assessment tool at the beginning, middle and end of the course to measure progress.
- Consider scaffolding of online activities ahead of and aligned with tasks and assignments. So that students build up the necessary skills in preparation rather than students just being left to it. This can link to the support suggestions from the exit poll above, and curated and produced visual resources. I'm still hearing two pathways; profession and learning and teaching systems, which can be addressed in the scaffolded access.
- The session I did above can be standardised and be made more accessible to staff to run, like a digital capability introduction pack.
- My Central IHAP Digital Curriculum Support learning room to be used to host digital student resources. Perhaps organise a structure around a timeline of when students need certain resources or helpful statements, and in line with Jisc digital capabilities framework.
- Student digital champion (suggested by Hannah) to enable the student voice and help support and facilitate. I recommended that the student also works alongside me. However we need to flesh out a profile detailing the responsibilities, expectations and meeting attendance frequency and 'what's in it for them'. Essentially the role will be centered around a student change agent.
- "So what is a student change agent?
Throughout the guide you will find references to students as change agents or students as partners as well as other terms used by specific institutions. Put simply, student change agents are students who work with staff to develop change within an institution. There are many different ways change agents can work from leading their own change to supporting a defined project or taking part in institutional processes such as recruitment and teaching practice observations.
The goal of engaging students working with change is that the process can significantly enhance impact, promote engagement, improve the quality of the learning experience and support sustainability.
Other institutional benefits include the development of unique student-led approaches to obtain a goal, non-compartmentalised results, ‘fresh-eyes’ and importantly the passion to make a difference. It is important to note that change agents are a beneficial arrangement and may include payment, enhanced networking opportunities, formal recognition and the development of employability attributes which can be evidenced on their curriculum vitae."
Source: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/developing-successful-student-staff-partnerships/change-agents-network - Staff's own confidence and competence of knowing functions and features of our VLE to make most of and make it more accessible and interactive.
- Student digital champion role - scanned 3 applications received. Discussed potential of doing a focus group approach rather than a formal interview, depending on final numbers. Interview placeholders have been arranged for Monday 11th September 9am-12pm and 2pm-4pm, Friday 15th September 1pm-4pm, with me, Hannah and Lucian. Hannah to give a final email nudge on the opportunity on Thursday. Dan will send final student names to Hannah when it closes. We also need to think about the questions and further information we want to obtain from students. As well how we induct successful students and monitor/line manage them, and any other logistics. Also discussion about when to promote this opportunity to the incoming first years.
- Dan will book some time to think about where we are and where we are heading with this project, and what we want students to do. Breaking down tasks that can then help divide into roles and share out workload. Consideration for giving students some orientation activities/current examples to excite and engage them, including my digital curriculum report to get a current sense of where the department is. We should also be open with students on where we are with our journey, and how we need their voice and input to shape and direct us.
- Discussed dates for future digital literacy sessions (previously delivered in April) for the new academic year.
On 5 December 2023, we presented our poster on our work to date; 'A journey of developing digital capabilities for student nurses and healthcare staff', at the NETworking & Innovation in Healthcare Education Conference by Advance HE. Our abstract and poster are below.
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| Re-created by Godson Uma, Digital Curriculum Support and Developer. |
