Developing Digital Information Literacy in Higher Education: Obstacles and Supports

Abstract

Executive SummaryThe development of digital information literacy (DIL) has been slow in comparison to changes in information communication technologies, and this remains an issue for the higher education sector. Competency in such skills is essential to full participation in society and work. In addition, these skills are regarded as underpinning the ability to maintain life long learning. Evidence suggests that simple exposure to technology is not sufficient to promote adequate levels of literacy.Why has DIL development been so slow? How can we speed the process up? The purpose of this study was to identify obstacles and supports to fostering the development of DIL to staff and students in higher education.The literature identified a range of obstacles that hindered students' ability to develop their technology related skills. The issue of access and the digital divide that has been of interest to those concerned with social equity continues to generate lively discussion. The students' own beliefs and attitudes to learning new technology can also become barriers to the students' learning progress when they experience low self-efficacy or anxiety about their ability to develop digital skills. Conversely, students who are over-confident regarding their technical proficiency can also be hindered in their ability to develop good digital information skills.Material published as part of this publication, either on-line or in print, is copyrighted by the Informing Science Institute. Permission to make digital or paper copy of part or all of these works for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that the copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage AND that copies 1) bear this notice in full and 2) give the full citation on the first page. It is permissible to abstract these works so long as credit is given. To copy in all other cases or to republish or to post on a server or to redistribute to lists requires specific permission and payment of a fee. Contact HPublisher@InformingScience.orgH to request redistribution permiss Three broad strategies were inferred from the learning principles advocated nearly 80 years ago by Dewey as having the potential to support the development of digital information skills. The first of these was collaboration and sharing.ion. Editor: Thomas Connolly Developing Digital Information LiteracyWhile the benefits of collaboration were established decades ago, the advent of the Internet has made this a reality through online communities of practice. Dewey's advocacy of experiential learning has been widely applied on the Internet in the form of bricolage. Finally, personal relevance, the third of Dewey's principles, is an inherent part of the Web 2. 0 tools that personalize online environments to the individual.Using a case study design, four higher education institutions ran 10 two-hour workshops in which participants were given autonomy over their learning and goals and were encouraged to collaborate and to engage in explorative trial-and-error le...

Impact of Electronic Portfolios on Prospective Teachers’ Participation, Motivation, and Autonomous Learning

“…ICTs provide a series of tools that fulfil certain needs detected in teaching practice, such as lack of space and time for student work (individual and group) and for teaching tasks such as monitoring and tutoring students. These tools can increase students' active participation in the learning process and provide motivating experience that gives students freedom and flexibility to learn with greater autonomy (Jeffrey, Hegarty, Kelly, Penman, Coburn, & McDonald, 2011;López-Fernández & Rodríguez-Illera, 2009). …”

The Importance of Promoting Digital Literacy in Higher Education

“…In this sense, it is fundamental that it be carried out by someone that has a critical sense and who is knowledgeable, not only of technical competencies of using virtual libraries or databases of indexed journals but, fundamentally, of competencies and knowledge that allow their careful selection, given the myriad of journals of different quality that are found on the Internet and that may not be automatically discernible by individuals who do not have digital literacy competencies, although they are often expert users of Facebook or the computer (Jeffrey et al, 2011;Murray & Pé rez, 2014).…”

“…Thus, the link between DL and the promotion of a scientific culture, in formal and/or informal environments, both in the face-to-face teaching modality and in online learning processes is, therefore, critical (Prior, Mazanov, Meacheam, Heaslip, & Hanson, 2016;Knutsson, Blå sjö, Hå llsten, & Karlström, 2012;Kivunja, 2015;Meyers, Erickson, & Small, 2013;Jeffrey et al, 2011).…”

“…in Jeffrey et al, 2011 refers to the socio-economic standing, gender and age as variables influencing the possibilities and attitudes towards the use of technology, with consequences in the development of competencies in this field. Furthermore, for Jeffrey et al (2011), the "beliefs about one's own ability to learn, anxiety about learning, and confidence can hinder learning" (Jeffrey et al, 2011, p. 385).…”

“…In a context of development and expansion of an increasingly digital society, training in competencies within the scope of Digital Literacy (DL) of higher education students becomes essential (Jeffrey et al, 2011); yet, it is often viewed as something that "is often taken for granted" (Murray & Pérez, 2014, p. 95). …”