Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

The NMC has released the 2017 Digital Literacy Impact Study: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief to uncover the learner’s perspective of how digital literacy training influences work life after graduation. As a complement to the definitions and frameworks outlined in the NMC’s 2017 strategic brief on digital literacy in higher education, this new study examines digital literacy in action as learners enter the workforce. More than 700 recent graduates from 36 institutions responded to an NMC survey that addressed the experiences they gained at colleges and universities, and how their proficiencies or lack thereof have affected their careers. Funding for this independent research endeavor and publication was provided by Adobe. Below are some key findings from the publication.

Students have stated their frustration at staff’s inconsistent use of technology, with 22,000 voicing their opinions on the use of digital at their institutions in our digital student tracker report (pdf). 

The National Student Survey and the teaching excellence framework are placing growing emphasis on the learning environment and student experience. But discussions have moved on from thinking about physical spaces. Instead, libraries are putting digital innovation at the top of their lists.

Any revamped digital approach to libraries needs to begin by considering how student expectations vary. While hard copies of core texts will likely have a place on the library shelves for years to come, the way students consume and digest information is changing.

Faculty are often confronted by the ghosts of educators past. In the writing intensive courses I teach, those ghosts usually manifest in one phrase: “I’m a bad writer.” This embarrassed confession bespeaks an educational experience fraught with negative beliefs and expectations, not just about their writing but about their ability to succeed in general. The phrase becomes an inescapable prophecy lurking in every writing assignment prompt. “I know I’m not going to do well on this assignment,” they explain to themselves, “I’m just not a good writer.” They do not seek help, ask questions, organize their notes, or create outlines and rough drafts of their essays because the outcome is a foregone conclusion. And of course, because they do not do these vital steps in the writing process, they receive poor grades—and the prophecy is fulfilled.

How should institutions respond to students' changing expectations of their digital environment? What experiences at university prepare students to flourish in a digital world? What are institutions doing to engage students in dialogue about their learning environment and to gather intelligence about their changing needs?

What do your incoming students’ expect from your institution’s digital environment? This panel discussion explored the tensions between institutional and perso…

There’s no question that teachers can do too much for students. The more interesting question is how we know whether we are doing too much or not enough.