Professor Rhona Sharpe, University of Surrey

Innovation in Digital Education – moving from definitions of digital literacy, to a graduate attribute, to a measure of learning gain

Definitions of digital literacy, fluency or capability are now commonplace. Many universities and colleges have adopted or adapted some version of one of these definitions as an aspiration for their staff and students. Sometimes the focus is on digital skills to perform professionally orientated tasks, sometimes the ambition is more broadly defined in terms of the contribution graduates make to a global, networked society. Having agreed on a definition, how can digital literacy be developed across and within our complex organisations? This presentation will draw on evidence from the evaluation of the graduate attributes project at Oxford Brookes University and related learner experience research to help us understand how students develop their digital literacies and how this progress might be tracked within an institutional context.

Professor Carol McGuinness, Queen's University Belfast

What is creativity – and can we teach it?

Within the bigger picture of desirable learning outcomes for students in higher education, creativity can sometimes be seen as secondary to other desirable outcomes such as problem solving, critical thinking and, indeed, specialist disciplinary knowledge. Nevertheless, creativity assumes increasing importance for 21st century learning as students embark on unpredictable and uncertain futures, both personally and professionally and its importance is now recognised in earlier school systems as well as in tertiary education.
The purpose of this talk is to explore the many meanings associated with creativity and the idea of ‘being creative’ – at the level of the individual, the team, and the organisation. The purpose is to make more explicit what exactly needs to be enhanced in order to promote creativity in student learning and to identify what challenges are presented for higher education pedagogy.

Dr Philip Hanna National Teaching Fellow, Queen's University Belfast

Group projects: The good, the bad and the ugly

There are lots of reasons why working with others on a project is educationally beneficial. Projects provide a fantastic opportunity for students to exercise their creativity whilst bringing together different aspects of their subject and developing a range of transferable skills.

However, group projects can also present several challenges. What students do and how they collaborate may not be visible to educators, increasing the risk of collusion, plagiarism or students ‘being carried’ by their group. Some students may not like working with others or feel concerned if their ‘final mark’ depends on the actions of other students.

This talk looks at the experience (good, bad and downright ugly) of using group projects within EEECS and explores how new innovative technologies and tools can be used to promote the positive aspects of group projects whilst minimising the negatives. It is hoped that the talk will offer some insight into a form of learning and assessment that works well within the new QUB academic year structure.