EDTL Open Course: Getting Started with Personal & Professional Digital Capacity
EDTL Project Manager Sharon Flynn discusses the EDTL Open Course, which was developed by the EDTL Team this year and began in November with more than 80 people participating so far
The Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning (EDTL) project has always taken a pedagogy-first approach to digital enhancement in teaching and learning, with the aim of addressing professional development of all who teach or support learning in our partner universities. Based on early pilot activities in each university, a digital badge was developed, in partnership with the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, to recognise staff who engaged with the project. Since September 2020, more than 50 staff have met the criteria to be awarded the Getting Started with Personal & Professional Digital Capacity digital badge.
| Criteria: · Reflect on how your currently use technology to support or teaching (or support student learning) and identify areas where digital technologies could be used to enhance your practice. · Acquire (and demonstrate) a digital skill that will support your teaching practice. · Plan a new or enhanced teaching activity that makes best use of technology for your context. · Plan how you will evaluate the success of the new activity |
Moving beyond the pilots, the Getting Started with Personal & Professional Digital Capacity open course was developed by the EDTL team over six months in 2021, and a facilitated version was launched at the beginning of November on the National Forum Open Courses platform.
In the six weeks since the course began, more than 80 participants from across the higher and further education sector in Ireland have been working through six structured units, supported by short videos, collated resources, live webinars and drop-in clinics, asynchronous discussion fora, and groupwork in triads. By the week of 13 December, already a number of participants are claiming their digital badges, and we look forward to an optional week (5 hours) of facilitator training in January. Anybody who completes facilitator training will be able to run their own local versions of the course within their own institutions.
Next steps will include a review of the course, using feedback from participants and facilitators, so that an improved version of the course and materials can be made openly available, and another facilitated version offered in late spring of 2022.
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