Help to Build and Shape the Digital Future at Queen’s
This blog has been created to capture the release of a new set of services at Queen’s that will enable staff and students to reflect on and build confidence in their digital skills (or capabilities), and that will provide insights into the use of digital tools and technologies across the university helping to bring about positive changes in the digital environment.
These services will provide a holistic picture of how technology is being used at the university and includes:
- Jisc Digital Discovery Tool (https://jisc.potential.ly/signin)
- Digital Experience Insights Survey (a national survey for staff and students, known in its piloting stage as the Student Digital Experience Tracker).
Both tools, currently signed up in partnership with Jisc (leading experts in educational digital services) are already in use across a wide range of UK Higher Education Institutions, in Further Education and even farther afield, i.e., in Australia and New Zealand.
More about these services and benefits are included below:
- Building Digital Capabilities
In 2018, the Jisc Discovery Tool was piloted for use by 100+ HE institutions, FE colleges and other providers in the UK and overseas. It is described as ‘very much a personal tool’ (meaning you use it for your own individual development and private reflection) but, if you wish, it can be shared with others to start conversations about your digital strengths and to identify areas in need of development.
More information about the Discovery Tool can be found in the Jisc Building Digital Capability Blog.
At Queen’s we are currently drawing up a range of promotional materials to inform staff and students about the new services. Watch the short video about The Discovery Tool below.
The Discovery Tool is available right now so please feel free to explore! All you need to do is:
- sign up to the service
- login – type in ‘Queens’ (it only works with no apostrophe).
You have to sign up to the service to be able to take (and re-take) the tool at any time and explore the resources that you need. In the near future, resources that we provide locally (staff training, development weeks) will also help to tailor your experience – so watch this space.
2. Digital Experience Insights
Gaining unique insights into staff and students’ experiences of technology will enable the university to start to have informed discussions about the use of technology for learning and will help to build a better digital environment by driving change where it is needed. Taking stock in early 2019, 79 institutions (equivalent to 16,000 students and 2, 000 staff) have provided insights into their digital experiences in HE and FE colleges throughout the UK. The closing date for these surveys are in April and June 2019 respectively so no doubt these numbers will continue to rise.
A decision has not yet been made about the exact timings of the Digital Insights Survey at Queen’s but they are under discussion and will be aligned to other institutional surveys so as to maximise response and subsequent benefits. We promise to let you know through a variety of channels when the surveys will be launched.
More information about the Digital Experience Insights service can be found here.
Contact
If you want to find out more about either service please contact the Queen’s Digital Insights Team at digital.insights.ac.uk.