'You've been frameworked': evaluating an approach to digital and information literacy at the Open University

Authors

  • Katharine Reedy Open University
  • Robin Goodfellow Open University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i0.291

Keywords:

learning development, digital literacy, information literacy, curriculum development, distance learning, skills development, elearning

Abstract

This article explores the effectiveness of the Open University's (OU's) Digital and information literacy (DIL) framework (Reedy and Goodfellow, 2012) in promoting the integration of digital skills into modules and qualifications - a key strategic priority for the university - and in contributing to cultural change in the digital practices of teachers and learners - a key aim for the UK HE sector as a whole. We trace the history of digital and information literacy in the OU curriculum and elsewhere, leading up to the development of the framework. Four sets of interviews tell the story of academic and library staff engagement with it. These case studies are supplemented by two further interviews giving the perspective of OU middle managers responsible respectively for learning design and digital and information literacy development. We evaluate the success of the framework, and suggest how it might be further developed in future. Conclusions point strongly towards the need to involve students in shaping their own skills development, as found in other recent research (for example, Jisc, 2011a; 2011b).

Author Biographies

Katharine Reedy, Open University

Digital and Information Literacy Specialist at Open University Library Services. Previous work includes development of the OUââ¬â¢s award-winning Being digital site and the OUââ¬â¢s Information literacy levels framework. Chartered librarian, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and active member of ALDinHE.

Robin Goodfellow, Open University

Senior Lecturer in Teaching with New Technologies at the Open University's Institute of Educational Technology. Was principal investigator for the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-funded seminar series ââ¬ËLiteracy in the Digital Universityââ¬â¢ from 2009-2011. Published research has included work on computer-assisted language learning, literacies and learning technologies, learning cultures in online education, and most recently, digital scholarship.

Downloads

Published

08-12-2014

How to Cite

Reedy, K. and Goodfellow, R. (2014) “’You’ve been frameworked’: evaluating an approach to digital and information literacy at the Open University”, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. doi: 10.47408/jldhe.v0i0.291.

Issue

Special Edition: Digital Technologies in Learning Development

Section

Papers

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).