Workshop to the APT conference exploring outcomes of Jisc Digital student work, especially the Jisc/NUS benchmarking tool and the proposed Tracker service from Jisc.

1. Benchmarking the Digital Student
experience: an update from Jisc
Helen Beetham
Sarah Knight
Tabetha Newman

2. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
Background
22/06 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016 23

3. http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org
» ‘Digital Student’ project
› Four studies: HE, FE, Adult and Skills, and Online learners
(also a review of practice in schools)
› Involved: Lit reviews, reviews of institutional data,
student interviews/focus groups, consultation events
(1000+), exemplars
Stop press! #OLsuccess is next
› Identified: 7 Challenge areas, 12 Themes
› Produced: a range of resources

4. What do we mean by ‘digital students’??
» Learning in digital organisations
› Student identity mediated via digital systems: registration,
records, library, timetable, VLE, assessment...
› Learning journey - first contact
to alumnus - mediated online
› Online sources of learning and
know-how - integrated/competing
› Digital technologies, media, skills
central to most subjects studied
› Organisational ‘performance’
digitally monitored and measured

5. What do we mean by ‘digital students’??
» Learning with their own digital devices,
services, practices and expectations (e.g.)
› always connected
› information <-> communication
› continuous recording and sharing
› seamless inter-connectivity
› ‘content is free’
› rapid feedback
› ease of adoption
› ...

6. What do we mean by ‘digital students’??
› less secure
› more entrepreneurial
› fragmented
› uncertainly located
› reputation-based
› monitored, quantified
› distributed human/machine
» Preparing for digital work/places

7. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
Outcomes and deliverables
22/06 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016 23

8. Digital students are different

9. Jisc Digital Student http://digitalstudent.jiscinvolve.org.uk
unconnected
and
vulnerable
Access-led
Access conceived
of broadly
9
mainstream
pragmatist
Tutor-led
Pedagogy –led
Institution-led
Staff offer range
of activities and
tools
intensive and
specialist
enthusiast
Learner-led
Social digital
practices are
valued
Learners
who are:
Experience
the digital
environment
as:
Learn best
when:
Digital students are different

10. Outcomes: 7 challenge areas
» Joined-up approach
» Prepare and progress students
» Develop staff skills
» Relevant digital curriculum
» Digital environment and BYO
» Inclusion
» Student empowerment and
partnership

11. Deliverables
» 60+ institutional exemplars (HE and FE)
» ‘Digital Students are Different’ posters
» ‘Enhancing the Digital Experience for Students’ cards
» ‘The Student Digital Experience in 2020’
» ‘Enhancing the student digital experience: a strategic
approach’ guide: jisc.ac.uk/guides/enhancing-the-
student-digital-experience
» Benchmarking tool developed in collaboration w. NUS
» Digital Student Experience Tracker (pilot)

12. Digital students are different posters
12

13. Discussion cards for staff/students
13

14. Benchmarking tool
14
» How might you use this at your institution?

15. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
At your tables
22/06 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
»How might the Benchmarking tool be useful at
your institution?
»What issues would you want to focus on?
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16. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
Development of the Tracker
»Consultations 2014-2015: demand for
a better understanding of learners'
digital experiences and expectations
»No standard reliable instrument
»Tracker questions based on research by
the Jisc Digital student project, inc.
studies of learners in HE, FE and skills
»Consultation workshop with staff and
students refined the proposed question
set to 12 key questions
»Cognitive interviewing with FE and HE
students, and early beta testing further
refined the questions for piloting
22/06 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016 8

17. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
The Tracker questions
1.Access to digital devices, personal and institutional
2.Access to digital services
3.Digital activities in courses of study
4.Guidance and support
5.Overall digital experience
6.STOP
7.START
8.KEEP
9. (11) Value of VLE/LMS
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18. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
Aims of the Tracker
»gather evidence from learners about
their digital experience, and track
changes over time
»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
22/06 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016 8
Reasons for engaging
with the Tracker

19. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
Aims of the Tracker
Early findings:
»Big appetite for sector benchmarking
»Infrastructure, curriculum and
strategy development - plus
‘understand’ student experience
»Desire for a student-facing ‘digital
capabilities’ tool to use alongside the
Tracker
22/06 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016 8
Reasons for engaging
with the Tracker

20. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
Piloting the Tracker
»Survey implemented in BOS,
a system developed for UK HE/FE
and already used by many
»50+ education providers applied:
24 chosen based on a spread of
institutional sizes, types and
locations
»Pilot sites required to involve
stakeholders, consider how they
would engage learners, and explore
hoped-for benefits
»Teams at each pilot site responsible for: customising the survey,
releasing it to learners, maximising completion rates and
analysing their own data
22/06 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016 9

21. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
Support for the pilot
»Six separate guides produced to
support the pilot process and to
ensure parity of data collected
»Sites had only the guides and
collective email/blog postings to
reproduce service delivery
»Project negotiated for sector
benchmarking data to be made
available within BOS
»Pilot sites took different approaches
to engaging stakeholders and eliciting
learner responses
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22. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
Where we are today
»10,753 unique data sets
»Initial data report released,
press released
»Each site achieved a good
response rate: analysing,
understanding and
responding to their data
»Feedback about the pilot
process (18 out of 24 sites)
»The experience of six
contrasting sites is being
explored in more detail,
including feedback from learners and other stakeholders
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23. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
More information
22/06 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
»Full report is available from:
http://bit.ly/student-tracker-report
»Further information about the pilot
and the process:
http://bit.ly/jiscdigidataservice
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24. 22/0 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
At your tables
22/06 Student digital experience tracker pilot results 2016
»How might the Tracker be useful at your
institution?
»What would you most want to find out from your
learners?
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