JISC Digital Student Tracker Survey raises questions

Students want staff to be better with digital and not make assumptions about their skills, according to the 2017 JISC Digital Student Tracker survey.

While students surveyed reported that they do not place great importance on technology to help with their understanding or independence in their learning, the report did highlight that the findings could be used by e-learning, IT, academic and information services staff as evidence to support and enhance digital learning provisions.

The report indicated that there is a high dependence by students on access to institution-owned desktop computers and printers. Students wanted universities to not make sweeping assumptions that they have access to technology and IT literacy.

Students revealed that it’s not that they want their lecturers to use more digital, they just want us to use it better. Consistency in using virtual learning environments is at the top of student lists—they don’t want to hunt around in different places to find the unit guide or the assessment briefs. They also don’t want lecturers to put everything online—they want experience working with people; blended learning is the way forward, it is suggested.

While students implied that they wanted rapid immediate feedback in lectures about their learning, the authors stated, “low use of interactive digital media such as games and simulations which provide rapid intrinsic feedback, and polling which provides in situ feedback to make live learning more engaging and responsive. Neither appears on this evidence to be fully mainstream yet”.

Some interesting findings emerged from this survey. For a closer look, check out: http://repository.jisc.ac.uk/6662/1/Jiscdigitalstudenttracker2017.pdf

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