Category Archives: Digital learning and development

Learning online, designing and creating digital learning materials, learning with digital technology, digital pedagogy, digital researcher development.

All good things must come to an end

Posted on by

After 4 years of blogging, 82 blog posts (including this one), countless writers and contributors, an ever-changing, fun, and knowledgeable blog editorial group, aka the Blog Bunch / Blog Group, we have come to the end of the road. This will be our final blog post, and we have invited current and past blog group members to share their highlights from the blog.

In addition to the group members who have contributed their highlights below, the current blog group would like to thank the following: Ana Shah Hosseani, Christopher Hart, Emily Pyers, Emma Chapman, Emma Nelms, Jasmine Castellano, Lyn Torres, Miranda Francis, and Sarah McQuillen (Photo by opera infinita on Unsplash).

To our valued readers, we have enjoyed and appreciated your support from the very beginning. Thanks for reading and enjoy this last post 🙂

A road of pebbles leading into a sea or lake at sunset

Danielle Degiorgio, Digital & Information Literacy Adviser, Edith Cowan University (previous blog group member):

Working with the Digital Dexterity blog editorial team, or, as we liked to call ourselves, the ‘Blog Bunch’, was an awesome experience, full of laughter and unforgettable moments. Our Teams’ chat was constantly filled with random GIFs that often wouldn’t load and multiple mentions of ‘scosk’ which took on a life of its own with Ruth even writing a mock post about it that I wish we published.  

Thanks to the support and knowledge-sharing of this amazing, talented group of librarians – Simone, Kristy, Emma, Sarah, Marianne, Krista, to name a few – I not only improved my editorial skills but also discovered new ways of thinking about digital learning and engagement. It was truly fun to be a part of such an incredible team, and I’ll always be grateful for the friendships I’ve made within the Digital Dexterity community of practice. A special shout-out to Sara, who was the heart of the ‘Blog Bunch’ and the CoP. Sara, your hard work and organisation kept us all on track and without you we’d have been too distracted to get anything done! Thank you all. 

Emeka Anele, Learning Designer, Deakin University:

As I look back to the beginning of my time with the DigiDex Group, I am overwhelmed by the incredible experiences and growth I’ve witnessed. I was invited by a colleague to attend a meeting, and I just never left. Joining the DigiDex blog group felt like rolling down a hill of digital literacy, only to be warmly welcomed at the bottom. This group picked me up and made me feel part of something special. 

One of the greatest highlights of my time with the DigiDex blog group has been the chance to collaborate with passionate colleagues from different libraries. Everyone approaches the work with such enthusiasm and optimism. This has been an asset to the editorial group as we enter a catch-up with no idea about the next blog post and leave with ten new ideas. 

I’ll always be immensely grateful for the guidance and support I received from other members of the editorial group. The joy and optimism I experienced has left a lasting impact on me. Though this is the end of the blog, the future looks bright. I am confident that our paths will cross again soon, to continue shining a light on digital literacy work in libraries. 

Kasthuri Anandasivam, Digital Curriculum Librarian, University of South Australia:

In my short time as a member of the CAUL DigiDex blog group, I have been amazed by how much I have learned and the inspiring people I have met from the different institutions. The group has been a safe, supportive space where I can ask questions—no matter how basic and know I will not be judged. I have gained insights into many new tools used by different institutions in higher education. Contributing to a post on an emerging and timely topic was incredibly rewarding. I have also been able to share what I have learned with my colleagues, sparking new ideas and conversations within my own institution. It has been a privilege to be part of such a creative, generous, and forward-thinking community.

Kristy Newton, Digital Literacies Coordinator, University of Wollongong (previous blog group member):

I was lucky enough to be a member of the CAUL Digital Dexterity blog team for a number of years and really enjoyed my time as a member. The team is an amazing, hard working group of folks with a genuine passion for digital dexterity. During the tumultuous times of 2020-2022 opportunities for in person collaborations were very limited but the virtual nature of the team made it possible to continue working together and producing a blog we were really proud of. The team kept an actively running chat in the background of our MS Teams site that covered everything from blog tasks and questions about meetings or post details to personal insights, advice, laughs, GIF preferences, and extremes in weather in our respective locations. As the pandemic eased, the blog continued and so did the group chat.  

We witnessed the rise and rise of generative AI and its impact on higher education and libraries and tried our best to cover it in blog form. We dipped our toes into SEO optimisation and the intricacies of the Edublogs platform that hosted the blog. We made lots of great connections with blog post authors and evolved our collaborative approaches as the blog group membership shifted over time. It’s been a fantastic project to be part of and I think everyone involved should be very proud of the contributions we have made to the discourse around digital dexterity in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Krista Yuen, Teaching and Learning Librarian, University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato:

I joined the DigiDex blog group around the beginning of what we could probably call the GenAI and ChatGPT trend, and it was an exciting time to be involved in a blog that explored and discussed ideas around digital literacy. We had some very enthusiastic Zoom meetings, which I always left feeling very inspired and full of new ideas to explore. This group, from the get-go, has been very warm and welcoming and our meetings have often been a highlight of my month. 

It has been great meeting and working with lots of dedicated librarians from across the Tasman, while also facilitating discussions, sharing ideas, and learning from each other about everything digital dexterity, especially in the world of tertiary libraries. It’s been a wild ride, and I am looking forward to our paths crossing again. 

Marianne Sato, Digital Learning Specialist, University of Queensland (previous blog group member):

I really enjoyed my time working with the Digital Dexterity Blog Group. Getting to know the other blog group members was a highlight for me, and hearing about all the interesting work they were doing at their own institutions. 

I continued to enjoy reading the blog and learning new things that I could apply to my work even after I was no longer a member of the group. 

Ruth Cameron, Open Education and Digital Learning Advisor, University of Newcastle (previous blog group member):

Being part of the DigiDex blog group has been one of my life’s highlights! The group has been so creative, generous, and innovative. We learned how to use Edublogs, schedule posts, analyse usage statistics, and other fun things like complying with all the different permissions for reposting. We learned how to write engaging blog posts that could educate readers about different digital dexterities. And we did all this in addition to our ‘normal’ work as librarians. It was a real wrench when I had to leave the group, and I’m grateful for the chance to have been part of such a wonderful project.

Sara Davidsson, Member Services & Governance Lead, CAVAL:

Starting a blog from scratch with colleagues from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic was…extremely rewarding and fun! We started in association with our Championing the Digital Dexterity Framework Virtual Festival and have since covered topics such as: advocating for OERs, digital identity, and copyright. Virtual collaboration, building connections, and fostering flexibility have all been integral parts of keeping the blog running and the content fresh. 

In addition to the cross-Tasman Sea collaboration, the connection we made with Mish Boutet (Digital Literacy Librarian at the University of Ottawa in Canada) was a blog highlight for me. Mish joined the Digital Dexterity Champions as a guest and introduced us to Ateliers sur demande | Instant Workshops through both his blog post and presentations. The opportunity to learn from others through the blog in this way has been inspiring!

Simone Tyrell, Learning Designer, Deakin University (previous blog group member):

When we first started the Digital Dexterity Blog, I think it’s fair to say not only did we not know each other but for most of us we’d never run a blog or been a part of a blog editorial team before. We came together as a group of librarians, passionate about digital literacy and lifelong learning. We had a clean slate to start the blog as we wished, we had lots of ideas and between us a variety of skills and knowledge. Whilst running the blog was a learning curve, choosing the platform, scheduling posts, learning about subscriptions, editing posts, and more, what I remember most from my time with the group is the editorial team itself (aka the blog group).   

From the beginning of the blog, the blog group proved to be a safe and welcoming space, a group of people whose skills complemented each other, who collaborated seamlessly to get things done, and, most importantly, who supported each other. I always looked forward to our meetings, we always got work done but we also took the time to breathe and take some space. The blog group is what I missed the most when I changed roles and had to hand the baton over (don’t worry I kept reading the blog).    

So, to my fellow blog groupers, as a former group member and reader, thank you for all your hard work and collegiality. To all our contributing authors and of course our readers, we couldn’t have done it without you, thank you.  

Thanks for having me and bye just for now! 

Two pairs of feet in shoes are visible on a footpath where it says Passion led us here
Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

Your Role in Digital Inclusion: Personal Reflections

Posted on by

By Ramona Naicker – Scholarly Services Librarian, Deakin University

Image generated in DALL-E using the prompt: A split in the earth as a visual representation of the digital divide.

Digital literacy is more important than ever in today’s world, serving as a key to education, employment, and civic engagement. With the constant evolution of technology, mastering digital environments is vital for success. Yet not everyone has the same access to digital skills and technology. This post encourages you to think about the disparities in digital literacy and consider how you can contribute to a more inclusive digital future for everyone.

Understanding the digital divide

Research consistently shows disparities in digital literacy for underserved communities. For example, those from low-income households, culturally and linguistically diverse populations, and those living in rural and regional communities in Australia all face unique challenges related to digital access. This digital divide mirrors broader socio-economic and cultural disparities, reinforcing existing inequities. 

Take time to reflect: Are you aware of how disparities in digital literacy impact your community? Digital inclusion is not just a matter of access but also of opportunity, affecting education, employment prospects, and the ability to participate fully in society.

Privilege and digital literacy

Digital literacy often signifies privilege. Those with access to the latest technology and educational resources have a better chance of thriving in our digital world. People who can afford these technologies, attend well-resourced schools, or live in areas with strong digital infrastructure are undeniably at an advantage. Possessing digital literacy skills boosts success in the modern economy, perpetuating a cycle where privilege leads to more privilege. Additionally, the assumption that young people are naturally adept with technology because they are “digital natives” overlooks the substantial disparities in access to technology and digital education. This misconception fosters the false belief that digital literacy is evenly spread among the younger generation, ignoring the systemic barriers many face.

Take time to reflect: How has your access to technology and education shaped your opportunities? Reflect on the advantages you’ve enjoyed and compare them to the experiences of those less privileged. By recognising the disparities, we can better understand the role of technology in creating opportunities and the need for a more equitable digital landscape.

The role of educators and programs

Educators and digital literacy programs play a pivotal role in either perpetuating or alleviating these inequities. Historically in western countries, education and literacy initiatives were designed by and for upper middle-class white males, inherently benefiting this group the most. Consequently, factors such as language, cultural relevance, accessibility for disabilities, economic disparities, educational background, and geographical barriers were often overlooked. This historical bias and lack of cultural responsiveness, has had long-lasting effects on educational outcomes and opportunities for other groups, and today’s digital literacy instruction may still be designed with an assumed baseline of knowledge, access, or understanding, which can exclude those who do not fit these assumptions.

Take time to reflect: Are the programs you support truly inclusive? Do they account for the diverse needs of all participants in your learning community? Ensuring inclusivity means recognising, reflecting on and addressing these varied needs to create opportunities for everyone, regardless of their starting point.

Challenging instructor biases

Instructors’ biases can contribute to digital inequality – our assumptions can inadvertently lead to the exclusion of underserved communities. For instance, an instructor might assume that all learners have consistent access to high-speed internet and personal devices, or presume a certain level of pre-existing knowledge, or even hold deficit-oriented beliefs about disadvantaged learners. Teacher education programs may also lack sufficient focus on preparing teachers to work effectively with disadvantaged students.

Take time to reflect: How can you become more aware of your own biases and ensure you provide equitable digital literacy support to all? Are you actively seeking training and engaging with the diverse experiences of your learners? Instructors can learn to identify and mitigate their biases, creating a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for everyone.

Call to Action 

Reflect on your role in promoting digital literacy. While systemic changes are necessary for long-term equity, we can start with our personal actions today:

  • Consider your own biases: Take time to identify and acknowledge any biases you may have regarding digital literacy and underserved communities. Understand how these biases might affect your actions and work towards addressing them to promote a more inclusive environment.
  • Understand community needs: Take the time to learn about and explore the specific digital literacy needs of underserved groups in your community.
  • Enhance accessibility and inclusivity: Ensure that the digital literacy initiatives you are involved in are accessible to everyone, considering the diverse needs of all participants.
  • Promote cultural relevance: Include and encourage the use of culturally relevant materials in digital literacy curricula to make learning more meaningful for diverse groups.
  • Commit to continuous learning: Regularly update your knowledge and skills in digital literacy to stay informed about new tools and best practices that can benefit underserved communities.

By making these personal commitments, we can contribute to systemic changes and work towards a more equitable digital future for all.

Choice overload: Finding the right tool for the job (conference) 

Posted on by

By Sae Ra Germaine, Deputy CEO and Manager, Member & Academic Services, CAVAL (saera.germaine@caval.edu.au)

As a self-confessed conference organising addict I’ve seen my fair share of conference platforms. Before COVID there was a smattering of virtual conference platforms available and to be honest they were all terrible. There just wasn’t the need to develop something that was user-friendly and created an event “experience” that we all grew to love in the “meatspace”.

Since then… well, COVID happened. It saw this accelerated need to bring the conference space into the virtual space and the rapid growth in many cases didn’t do us many favours. We now have an over-abundance of event management platforms and I for one suffered from a severe case of choice overload.

A bit of background about me, I’m currently the Co-Chair of VALA2024 Conference, founder of the Everything Open Conference, and a “Ghost of Conferences Past” for Linux Australia. In total, for the various organisations I am linked to, I have helped in some sort of form, run 13 conferences. 4 of those were in a virtual environment with no face-to-face attendance, while 2 of those were in a hybrid form. The concept of a “Ghost of Conferences Past” is a group of those who have organised a conference prior to the current conference organising team. This group passes on knowledge, wisdom, and war stories to the current team, so they learn from victories and mistakes of conferences past.  

A picture of a dark stairwell with an illuminated 3 hanging light to indicate the 3rd floor
Photo by Alison Pang on Unsplash  

One of the greatest words of wisdom that was ever dealt out was: “You only need to deliver 3 things for a successful conference: speakers, delegates, and venue”. The venue could be the crappiest venue available, but the important piece was that people were there to learn from each other and that’s all that matters. Some of the best conferences I attended were held at a school camp venue, with post-it notes on a wall for a schedule, terrible Subway for lunch, and a whole bunch of new people to meet. 

Most conferences I have run have been 100% volunteer effort. Most core teams had about 6-10 people and then about 30 volunteers on the ground during the conference. Many of these volunteers had many hats ranging from Rego Desk-ers to speaker wranglers, AV recorders, MCs, code of conduct teams, and volunteer well-being checkers. A personal plea… please don’t forget volunteer well-being checkers. This is so important! Volunteers need to be looked after too! 

A screenshot of the vFAIRS platform. The screenshot depicts a large virtual hall with an Information desk, vending machines, plants, advertising on the walls, and virtual people standing around in groups.
Screenshot from vFAIRS

As I mentioned, COVID caused many platforms to pop-up and I’m not sure why this is but, so many platforms insisted on re-creating the “meatspace” conference experience in a virtual environment. You know what? It does not work! It creates a confusing space for people, and it makes it difficult to manage by your team.  

A fancy virtual world creating experiences are very IT resource intensive. Remember, given Australia’s terrible internet situation you want to deliver a conference to reach the regions that will experience your conference with a horrible internet connection. The true benefit to running an online conference is to maximise your reach, don’t exclude those you are trying to reach by choosing a platform that a bad internet connection will struggle to deliver. 

I’m not going to list and do comparisons on lots of platforms as we all will make decisions on the platform we use based on needs at the time and what would provide the best experience possible. But, what I will do is talk about 3 specific setups that I’ve found to work very well for the events that I’ve helped run. The key with all 3 is the usability of the interface – in a virtual world, the venue does matter! The first 2 setups will require a separate mechanism for managing sponsorships, vendors, and schedules/website, etc.

Scrabble pieces that spell out the word Zoom.
Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

Zoom:

Love it or hate it, Zoom is one of the most common tools used across sectors. It can be downloaded or used directly within a browser. Zoom has also added an “Events” platform to help manage ticket sales and while it’s not perfect, it will get there eventually. One of the best conferences I attended was multiple zooms that I could duck in and out of and the schedule was in a simple Google doc spreadsheet. But the one thing that was missing was the serendipitous chatting that happens between/during/after talks.

Other versions of this were using an open-source tool called Jitsi. While this works great, it just doesn’t scale well beyond about 30 people.

A photo of a mobile phone which has the Twitch.tv app open that has the Twitch.tv logo.
Photo by Caspar Camille Rubin on Unsplash

Twitch.tv: or even YouTube: 

Twitch is a gaming platform where you can watch many streamers play games. But between Twitch and YouTube they have more recently moved to hosting conferences and it has worked quite well. It has chat functions and is very light in using computer resources. But again, it’s missing those serendipitous chats! 

Last but not least:

Sae Ra’s choice! https://venueless.org/en/

It would be remiss if I didn’t bring up an open-source friendly alternative 😊. Venueless is part of a 3-part software package. Venueless is primarily text based however it has 4 key pieces. Sponsor exhibitor spaces, text-based chat rooms, streaming spaces, and video/audio conferencing. What makes this unique is that it’s completely stripped back and a low resource intensive solution. There are no bells and whistles, it’s essentially text-based chat rooms with some video capabilities.

Screenshot of linux.conf.au Online 2022 conference opening address. The screenshot includes the linux.conf.au 2022 logos, a picture of the speaker, and a picture of “The pets of LCA” with pictures of cats and dogs that joined during the conference.
Screenshot of linux.conf.au online 2022 conference opening address

At Linux Australia we used the video/audio conferencing for side birds-of-a-feather sessions, product demonstrations, user group meetings, and we even had our conference dinner in there! One of our speakers wrote their perspective on the event. Running that specific conference gave me all the joy that I would have got in bringing something to people face to face.

One thing to note, is that audio quality is a must. If you are watching a video stream all day, you can forgive video quality because you can look away, but audio quality we aren’t so forgiving about. For some handy tips please go and see this document that we created for linux.conf.au 2021. 

After all of this I think it will just go back to the basics: Speakers, Delegates, and Venue. You don’t need the bells and whistles to run a successful conference. Keeping it simple will make your life easier and will make the delegates feel more included.

DIY degree? Why universities should make online educational materials free for all

Posted on by

We loved this article from The Conversation, originally published on 29 May 2023.

Richard F. Heller, University of Newcastle

This article is part of our series on big ideas for the Universities Accord. The federal government is calling for ideas to “reshape and reimagine higher education, and set it up for the next decade and beyond”. A review team is due to finish a draft report in June and a final report in December 2023.

Sam Lion/Pexels

As part of the federal government’s bid to overhaul higher education, the Universities Accord discussion paper is seeking to “widen” opportunities for people to access university. It also wants to “grow a culture” of lifelong learning in Australia. As the review team note, most people in Australia who study at university are under 35.

Lifelong learning can help to ensure that workforce skills are up to date and that jobs in high demand can be filled, as well as enabling people to create new job opportunities through innovation.

These issues need to be approached in many ways. And will inevitably include proposals for shorter forms of learning as well as addressing the financial cost of attending university.

My proposal – also outlined in this journal article – is that a proportion of educational resources generated by publicly funded universities should be made public and freely available.

This could radically expand opportunity and flexibility and potentially allow students to design their own degrees, by doing multiple different units from different universities.

This idea is not completely new

There is a precedence for this idea. The international Plan S initiative is led by a group of national research funding organisations. Since 2018, it has been pushing for publicly funded research to be published in open-access journals or platforms.

Australian chief scientist Cathy Foley similarly wants all Australian research to be “open access, domestically and internationally, and for research conducted overseas to be freely available to read in Australia”.

When it comes to university learning, a 2019 UNESCO report encouraged member states to make higher education educational resources developed with public funds free and freely available.

In a March 2023 report, the Productivity Commission recommended the federal government require “all universities to provide all lectures online and for free”. The commission said this would increase transparency in teaching performance and encourage online learning.

But this also has the ability to make to higher education more accessible.

There is already plenty of international experience sharing educational materials online – including the global Open Educational Resources public digital library. This includes resources from early learning through to adult education.

The Productivity Commission says universities would not lose income by making educational resources open access. This is because universities “sell” credentials, not resources. It is also argued overworked academics can save time by using materials created by others.

A mother works on her computer next to her young son.

But there is resistance from institutions and academics, including a perception free resources will be poor quality and take a lot of time to create. There is also a lack of technological tools to adapt resources. This may explain why open education has not yet taken off in Australia.

Making resources free will increase access to higher education in Australia. Shutterstock

How would this work?

My plan would require open online sites to host educational materials produced by academics. These would need to be moderated or curated and published under an open access license.

It would include a peer review system for educational materials like the one already used for research publications. Academics could get credit for publishing, updating or reviewing resources and the publication of education output would be included in the university metrics.

This could also help reverse the current downgrading of teaching in Australian universities in favour of research.

There could be three types of users:

  1. students who access materials through the university that produced them, as per current practice

  2. individual students outside the university that created the materials who access materials for their own learning at whatever stage of life they are relevant to them

  3. other organisations, including other universities, that then contextualise and deliver the materials to their students.

What kind of materials are we talking about?

The Productivity Commission has talked about “lectures” being made available for free. But lectures are not a good way of transmitting information, especially online. For one thing, they do not promote critical thinking.

My plan proposes whole courses or at least sections of courses with assessments, would be provided. This includes text, videos and software and can include course planning materials and evaluation tools.

An indication of the academic level to which the course speaks, and the amount of possible credit, should also be provided.

What about accreditation?

Accreditation of learning should be considered as part of this.

The OERu is an international organisation where partner universities (including Penn State in the US and Curtin University in Australia) offer free access to online courses. Students pay reduced fees if they want to submit assignments, which can earn them microcredits towards a degree offered by one of the partners.

A woman in a wheelchair work on a laptop in a cafe.

A more radical option would be to develop a system where students collect microcredits from whatever source they wish and present them to an accrediting body for an academic award rather than enrolling in a particular degree course.

Students could pay a fee if they want accreditation for their work. Marcus Aurelius/Pexels

Suggested recommendations

As it prepares its draft report, the accord review team should recommend:

  • most university-generated educational material should be public and free

  • as an interim goal, within three years, 10% of all public university courses should be freely available online

  • an organisation should be created to develop the infrastructure needed to do this. This includes, open repositories, a peer review system for open educational materials, and systems for offering microcredits to students and academic credit to academics who take part.

Why is this a good idea?

The Productivity Commission says making this material public will encourage higher quality teaching, empower students and assist in lifelong learning. On top of this, there is the potential for true reform of the educational landscape.

It provides opportunities for collaboration between universities, rather than a competitive business model. And it would make teaching more important, rather than an “inconvenient task” by those seeking academic advancement through research.

Finally, it would genuinely make learning more accessible and more affordable, no matter who you are or where you live.The Conversation

Richard F. Heller, Emeritus Professor, University of Newcastle

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Is ChatGPT cheating? The complexities of AI use in tertiary education. 

Posted on by

Craig Wattam, Rachael Richardson-Bullock

Te Mātāpuna Library & Learning Services, Auckland University of Technology

“The university is at the stage of reviewing its rules for misconduct because they really don’t apply as much anymore.” 

– Tom, Student Advocate, on the Noisy Librarian Podcast

Cheating in the tertiary education sector is not new. Generative AI technologies, while presenting enormous opportunity, are the latest threat to academic integrity. AI tools like Chat GPT blur the lines between human-generated and machine-generated content. They present a raft of issues, including ambiguous standards for legitimate and illegitimate use, variations in acceptance and usage across discipline contexts, and little or inadequate evidence of their use. A nuanced response is required.

Fostering academic integrity through AI literacy

Academic integrity research argues pervasively that a systematic, multi-stakeholder, networked approach is the best way to foster a culture of academic integrity (Kenny & Eaton, 2022). Fortunately, this is also the way to foster ethical, critical reflective and skilful use of AI tools, in other words, a culture of AI literacy. Ironically, to support integrity, we must shift our attention away from merely preventing cheating to ensuring that students learn how to use these tools responsibly. Thus, we can ensure that our focus is on learning and helping students develop the skills necessary to navigate the digital age ethically and effectively.

Hybrid future 

So, the challenge of AI is an opportunity and an imperative. As we humans continue to interact with technology in high complexity systems, so the way we approach academic work will continue to develop.  Rather than backing away or banning AI technologies from the classroom all together, forging a hybrid future, where AI tools play a role in setting students up for success, will benefit both staff and students.

Information and academic literacy practitioners, and other educators, will need to be dexterous enough to respond to the eclipsing, revision, and constant evolution of some of our most ingrained concepts. Concepts such as authorship, originality, plagiarism, and acknowledgement. 

What do students say? 

This was the topic of discussion in a recent episode of the Noisy Librarian Podcast. Featured guests were an academic and a student – a library Learning Advisor and a Student Advocate. The guests delved into the complexities of academic integrity in today’s digital landscape. Importantly, their discussion underscored the need for organizations to understand and hear from students about how AI is impacting them, how they are using it, and what they might be concerned about. Incorporating the student voice and understanding student perspectives is crucial for developing guidelines and support services that are truly effective and relevant.  

Forget supervillains! 

Both podcast guests emphasised that few cases of student misconduct involve serial offenders or super villains who have made a career out of gaming the system. Rather than intending to cheat, more closely, misconduct is related to a lack of knowledge or skill. Meantime, universities are facing challenges – needing to adapt their misconduct rules and provide clear guidelines on the acceptable use of AI tools. 

Listen to the Noisy Librarian podcast episode Is ChatGPT cheating? The complexities of AI use in tertiary education

Podbean

Or find us on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts or I Heart Radio

Reference:

Kenny, N., & Eaton, S. E. (2022). Academic Integrity Through a SoTL Lens and 4M Framework: An Institutional Self-Study. In Academic Integrity in Canada (pp. 573–592). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83255-1_30

Library strategy and Artificial Intelligence

Posted on by

by Dr Andrew M Cox, Senior Lecturer, the Information School, University of Sheffield.

This post was originally published in the National Centre for AI blog, owned by Jisc. It is re-printed with permission from Jisc and the author.

On April 20th 2023 the Information School, University of Sheffield invited five guest speakers from across the library sectors to debate “Artificial Intelligence: Where does it fit into your library strategy?”

The speakers were:

  1. Nick Poole, CEO of CILIP
  2. Neil Fitzgerald, Head of Digital Research, British Library
  3. Sue Lacey-Bryant, Chief Knowledge Officer; Workforce, Training and Education Directorate of NHS England
  4. Sue Attewell, Head of Edtech, JISC
  5. John Cox, University Librarian, University of Galway

A capacity 250 people had signed up online, and there was a healthy audience in the room in Sheffield.

Slides from the event can be downloaded here . These included updated results from the pre-event survey, which had 68 responses.

This blog is a personal response to the event and summary written by Andrew Cox and Catherine Robinson.

Impact of generative AI

Andrew Cox opened the proceedings by setting the discussion in the context of the fascination with AI in our culture from ancient Greece, movies from as early as the start of the C20th, through to current headlines in the Daily Star!

Later on in the event, in his talk John Cox quoted several authors saying AI promised to produce a profound change to professional work. And it seemed to be agreed amongst all the speakers that we had entered a period of accelerating change, especially with Chat GPT and other generative AI.

These technologies offer many benefits. Sue Lacey-Bryant shared some examples of how colleagues were already experimenting with using Chat GPT in multiple ways: to search, organise content, design web pages, draft tweets and write policies. Sue Attewell mentioned JISC sponsored AI pilots to accelerate grading, draft assessment tasks, and analyse open text NSS comments.

And of course wider uses of AI are potentially very powerful. For example Sue Lacey-Bryant shared the example of how many hours of radiologists time AI was saving the NHS. Andrew Cox mentioned how Chat GPT functions would be realised within MS Office as Copilot. Specifically for libraries, from the pre-event survey it seemed that the most developed services currently were library chatbots and Text and Data Mining support; but the emphasis of future plans was “Promoting AI (and data) literacy for users”.

But it did mean uncertainty. Nick Poole compared the situation to the rise of Web2.0 and suggested that many applications of generative AI were emerging and we didn’t know which might be the winners. User behaviour was changing and so there was a need to study this. As behaviour changed there would be side effects which required us to reflect holistically, Sue Attewell pointed out. For example if generative AI can write bullet point notes, how does this impact learning if writing those notes was itself how one learned? She suggested that the new technology cannot be banned. It may also not be detectable. There was no choice but to “embrace” it.

Ethics

The ethics of AI is a key concern. In the pre-event survey, ethics were the most frequently identified key challenge. Nick Poole talked about several of the novel challenges from generative AI, such as what is its implication for intellectual freedom? What should be preserved from generative AI (especially as it answers differently to each iteration of a question)? Nick identified that professional ethics have to be:

  • “Inclusive – adopting an informed approach to counter bias
  • Informed & evidence-based – geared towards helping information users to navigate the hype cycle
  • Critical & reflective – understanding our own biases and their impact
  • Accountable – focused on trust, referencing and replicability
  • Creative – helping information users to maximise the positive benefits of AI augmented services
  • Adaptive – enabling us to refresh our skills and expertise to navigate change”

Competencies

In terms of professional competencies for an AI world, Nick said that there was now wider recognition that critical thinking and empathy were key skills. He pointed out that the CILIP Professional Knowledge and Skills Base (PKSB) had been updated to reflect the needs of an AI world for example by including data stewardship and algorithmic literacy. Andrew Cox referred to some evidence that the key skills needed are social and influencing skills not just digital ones. Skills that respondents to the pre-event survey thought that libraries needed were:

  •        General understanding of AI
  •        How to get the best results from AI
  •        Open-mindedness and willingness to learn 
  •        Knowledge of user behaviour and need
  •        Copyright
  •        Professional ethics and having a vision of benefits

Strategy

John Cox pointed to evidence that most academic library strategies were not yet encompassing AI. He thought it was because of anxiety, hesitancy, ethics concerns and inward looking and linear thinking. But Neil explained how the British Library is developing a strategy. The process was challenging, akin to ‘Flying a plane while building it”. Sue Attewell emphasised the need for the whole sector to develop a view. The pre-event survey suggested that the most likely strategic responses were: to upskill existing staff, study sector best practice and collaborate with other libraries.

Andrew Cox suggested that some key issues for the profession were:

  • How do we scope the issue: As about data/AI or a wider digital transformation?
    • How does AI fit into our existing strategies – especially given the context of institutional alignment?
    • What constitutes a strategic response to AI? How does this differ between information sectors?
  • How do we meet the workforce challenge?
    • What new skills do we need to develop in the workforce?
    • How might AI impact equality and diversity in the profession?

Workshop discussions

Following the presentations from the speakers, those attending the event in person were given the opportunity to further discuss in groups the professional competencies needed for AI. Those attending online were asked to put any comments they had regarding this in the chat box. Some of the key discussion points were:

  • The need for professionals to rapidly upskill themselves in AI. This includes understanding what AI is and the concepts and applications of AI in individual settings (e.g. healthcare, HE etc.), along with understanding our role in supporting appropriate use. However, it was believed this should go beyond a general understanding to a knowledge of how AI algorithms work, how to use AI and actively adopting AI in our own professional roles in order to grow confidence in this area.
  • Horizon scanning and continuous learning – AI is a fast-paced area where technology is rapidly evolving. Professionals not only need to stay up-to-date with the latest developments, but also be aware of potential future developments to remain effective and ensure we are proactive, rather than reactive.
  • Upskilling should not just focus on professional staff, but all levels of library staff will require some level of upskilling in the area of AI (e.g. library assistants).
  • Importance of information literacy and critical thinking skills in order to assess the quality and relevance of AI outputs. AI should therefore be built into professional training around these skills.
  • Collaboration skills – As one group stated, this should be more ‘about people, not data’. AI requires collaboration with:
    • Information professionals across the sector to establish a consistent approach; 
    • Users (health professionals, students, researchers, public etc.) to establish how they are using AI and what for;
    • With other professionals (e.g. data scientists).
  • Recruitment problems were also discussed, with it noted that for some there had been a drop in people applying for library roles. This was impacting on the ability to bring in new skillsets to the library (e.g. data scientist), but on the ability to allow existing staff the time to upskill in the area of AI. It was discussed that there was the need to promote lifestyle and wellbeing advantages to working in libraries to applicants.

Other issues that came up in the workshop discussions centered around how AI will impact on the overall library service, with the following points made:

  • There is the need to expand library services around AI, as well as embed it in current services;
  • Need to focus on where the library can add value in the area of AI (i.e. USP);
  • Libraries need to make a clear statement to their institution regarding their position on AI;
  • AI increases the importance of and further incentivises open access, open licencing and digitisation of resources;
  • Questions over whether there is a need to rebrand the library.

The attendees also identified that the following would useful to help prepare the sector for AI:

  • Sharing of job descriptions to learn about what AI means in practice and help with workforce planning. Although, it was noted how the RL (Research Libraries) Position Description Bank contains almost 4000 position descriptions from research libraries primarily from North America, although there are many examples from RLUK members; 
  • A reading list and resource bank to help professionals upskill in AI;
  • Work shadowing;
  • Sharing of workshops delivered by professionals to users around the use of AI;
  • AI mailing lists (e.g. JISCmail);
  • Establishment of a Community of Practice to promote collaboration. Although it was noted that AI would probably change different areas of library practice (such as collecting or information literacy) so was likely to be discussed within the professional communities that already existed in these areas.

Workshop outcome

Following the workshop Andrew Cox and Catherine Robinson worked on a draft Working paper which we invite you to comment on @ Draft for comment: Developing a library strategic response to Artificial Intelligence: Working paper.

Lost in the Open Sea: Practical guidance for finding and creating inclusive OER

Posted on by

Ash Barber, Librarian and OER enthusiast

Do you ever feel kind of lost in the sea of resources out there, trying to figure out how to create or find high quality open educational resources (OER)? Those ones that tick all the boxes for great content and promote equity and inclusion?

Me too.

So I went on this trip.

The beginning

For a few years, I’d been peering curiously at the higher education world of North America, watching as they made leaps and bounds in progress towards creating OER that are steeped in concepts of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility – and wondering how can we make these leaps here in Australia too? So, when the Libraries of the Australian Technology Network (LATN) announced a Fellowship opportunity to explore OER on an international study tour, I grabbed it and ran – well, flew – to that magical mystery land I’d been observing for so long.

The broad theme of the Fellowship project I proposed was the development of some kind of resource that curates other resources (a meta resource, if you will) to help Australian librarians better understand the identifying characteristics of OER which influence greater equity and inclusion in education, and to harness this knowledge to empower others to raise their marginalised voices.

The middle

Galvanised by a deep belief in this idea (and the narcoleptic superpower of dodging jetlag), in September 2022, I finally stepped foot in Los Angeles, ready to fangirl my way through a whirlwind two and half weeks of 21 meetings with 46 people I could. not. wait. to. meet.

I attended and met with a multitude of institutions that are home to many open education thought leaders across Los Angeles, Vancouver and Minneapolis, and held a number of incidental conversations along the way. Institutions included:

I am ever grateful to all the lovely humans who met with me for their generosity of time, wisdom and kindness.

The empowered future

These conversations informed the creation of EmpoweredOER (the promised meta resource), a website which helps practitioners wade through that open sea to find a set of resources, concrete examples, and guides curated to the Australian context. It provides a wider theoretical understanding of equitable education principles then grounds them in practical exemplars of OER that meet these needs. EmpoweredOER aims to help people who feel a bit lost amongst it all to find a solid set of parameters to work within.

The website uses the BranchED Equity Rubric for OER Evaluation as the framework for looking at individual aspects of OER with an equity lens.

Often when we talk about creating OER that are “accessible” we’re thinking about alt-text and screen-readers. That’s not a bad thing, but it’s just one step in the direction of access. It’s not thinking about “accessible” in the broader sense of cultural sustainability and multiple ways of learning. The Equity Rubric for OER Evaluation explores these deeper levels of access, but doesn’t give examples demonstrating concepts. EmpoweredOER builds on the Rubric to provide tangible examples found in the wild which help ground the (often high level) language and explanations.

Why is the site called EmpoweredOER?

I’m glad you asked!

OER empower because OER remove the barriers to publishing. In traditional publishing, you have a “gatekeeper” – the one who decides whose voice will be heard and what they’re saying. This necessarily marginalises some voices and elevates others. However, anyone can publish an OER. Anyone can get their voice out there, can tell their own story and not have their story told by others.

OER also afford the opportunity for students to be involved in the co-creation of new knowledge and to have their own voices represented, to see themselves reflected in the material they’re studying in the classroom. One of the great examples I came across in the US was this program called Open For Antiracism (OFAR) which trains teaching staff in antiracist pedagogical practices, including the use and creation of OER as a tool to this end. One of the problems the program addresses is that materials in the classroom don’t always represent the people in the classroom. An OER can be modified, adapted, become a collaborative piece in which students can see themselves and build a sense of belonging: They’re welcome here. This course is for them. They’re not on the outside looking in.

The call for support

If you’d like to learn more about EmpoweredOER, please tune in to my upcoming webinar Demystifying inclusive OER: Practical guidance for finding and creating equitable OER which I am co-presenting with Tanya Grosz from the Open Education Network. I also gratefully welcome any feedback on the website (its content, structure, usability) and any suggested resources to include.

You can get in touch with me at Ash.Barber@unisa.edu.au or follow me on Twitter @AshTheLibrarian.

In-person versus Online: A Conversation

Posted on by

by Peggy Hsu, Liaison Librarian, Federation University Australia, and Kayleen Wardell, Team Leader Client Services, Southern Cross University Library

Authors’ contact details: p.hsu@federation.edu.au and kayleen.wardell@scu.edu.au

Open laptop with gallery view of online meeting participants, on a desk next to a pottery cup
Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

 “The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air.

Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.”

J. R. R. Tolkien. The Fellowship of the Ring. 1954

It’s starting to happen again. Attending events in person and seeing friends and colleagues from other institutions face-to-face.

Kayleen and I both attended the ‘CAUL: Enabling a Modern Curriculum Conference’ in early September 2022, which had both online and in-person days to the program, so it felt like the appropriate time to interrogate and debate our thoughts on ‘in-person versus online professional development’.

Webinar fatigue

Peggy: I. Love. Webinars.

I can see a webinar from anywhere in the world. With webinars, I don’t hurt my neck or back if I’m seated sideways, and *whispers* I can run to the bathroom with my headset on and still listen to the webinar. Plus, the links and attendee chat are often interesting.

Kayleen: I. Love. In-person events.

I enjoy being in the same physical space with others and engaging with them on a very visceral level. I am energised by their enthusiasm and love working together on activities at the event. This can be exhausting, but not as much as ‘webinar fatigue’.

Connections and networking

Peggy: I am an introvert with ‘weird hearing’. I strain to filter all the conversations happening around me, plus I feel weird sidling up to a group, inserting myself and then having said difficulty hearing the conversation. Ugh!.

I also forget names, like really quickly. I’m sorry and embarrassed now.

Kayleen: For me, the most amazing part of an in-person event is meeting the people who until that moment had only been faces on a Zoom screen.

And during the breaks, it’s great to engage in ‘face to face’ serendipitous or ‘water cooler’ conversations. Especially when standing in front of the vast array of teas, trying to work out which flavour you want to try, and then finding out that the person standing next to you likes that same tea. A conversation then ensues about the other things that you have in common. Pure gold!

Costs: Money or Time (Travel)

Peggy: I’m about 90 minutes from Melbourne, so not that far. For me, the event should ideally be longer than the time it takes travelling and if it’s on the other side of Melbourne, add another hour. Plus, why are universities not near train lines?

Kayleen: I must admit that there are probably not many positives about the cost of travelling to an event in person. Unless the event is just around the corner or your boss is paying the bill. However, adding other activities to the trip, such as visiting colleagues in other libraries, can make it worthwhile.

Equity

Peggy: This article from Scientific American had some great points to make on equity provided by online events.

  • Easier access for disabled or people with children.
  • Environmentally friendlier, if you have a budget for travel.
  • Lastly, online is great for diversity.

The information that really blew my mind though was research reported by Allseated that at online scientific conferences, female attendance increased by 253% and genderqueer attendance “jumped by 700%”.

Kayleen: Peggy has raised some excellent points around specific elements of equity for attendees at online events.

There is also some great information provided by the Australian Human Rights Commission on hosting in-person meetings and events to improve the experience of attendees.

Wrap-up

There are positives and negatives to in-person and online-only events. Hybrid seems to be the way forward, but the technology may not be ready in terms of pricing, access, and ease of set-up. Still, worse, we might be stuck in a binary where the only perceived options are in-person or online, and we aren’t displaying pandemic adaptability and innovation.

References

Allseated. (n.d.). The Return to In-Person Events: What’s Changed. Allseated. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://allseated.com/blog/the-return-to-in-person-events-whats-changed/

Australian Human Rights Commission. (2021). Hosting accessible and inclusive in-person meetings and events. https://includeability.gov.au/resources-employers/hosting-accessible-and-inclusive-person-meetings-and-events

Liu, G. (2020, August 21). The Surprising Advantages of Virtual Conferences. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-surprising-advantages-of-virtual-conferences/

MyHub. (2022, May 24). Water Cooler Conversation: The Essential Guide For Hybrid Workplaces. https://www.myhubintranet.com/water-cooler-conversation/

Robinson, E. (2021, April 21). Study explains ‘cocktail party effect’ in hearing impairment. OHSU. https://news.ohsu.edu/2021/04/21/study-explains-cocktail-party-effect-in-hearing-impairment

The National Press Club (n.d.). Live, Virtual or Hybrid Events – Which Approach Is Best? The National Press Club. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.press.org/live-virtual-or-hybrid-events-which-approach-best

Wilson, A. (2021, September 15). What is Webinar Fatigue and how do we manage it? Lernium. https://www.learnium.com/2021/09/15/what-is-webinar-fatigue-and-how-do-we-manage-it/

The Need for Digital Literacy in a Digitally-Connected World

Posted on by

by Darnell Epps and Kurtis Tanaka

We loved this post so much, we have to share it with our readers! Originally published in the Ithaka SR blog on 15 March 2021: https://sr.ithaka.org/blog/post-nchep-reflection/ . This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution/NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

If you have a topic you would like to read about, please drop us a line at digidexbloggroup@lists.caval.edu.au.

We also welcome contributors, so if you want to write a post yourself, please let us know!

Open knowledge activism for lifelong learning, independent research and knowledge translation

Posted on by

By Clare O’Hanlon, La Trobe University Library

e: c.ohanlon@latrobe.edu.au

Open knowledge activism in libraries is about more than negotiating transformative agreements and making research available in repositories and open access journals. It also involves helping researchers and students give research back to communities in an accessible and meaningful format for their needs and contexts. Academic library worker support for student and academic digital literacies development, particularly information, media, and data literacies; collaboration; community and participation; and digital creation, problem solving and innovation, plays a crucial role in this. Local public library and community archive and museum workers provide extensive digital literacies, local history, STEM, and creative programming in their communities. Together we can do more to support lifelong learning, independent research, and knowledge translation.

Open knowledge activism by night

Volunteering with the Australian Queer Archives (AQuA) by night to preserve and make research and more knowledge available for and with LGBTIQA+ communities within and beyond the academy in multiple formats (from queer history walks and exhibitions to an Honours thesis prize and beyond) has helped me see that research can be a collective, generative, and transformative process. Our collection and work may not be open in traditional academic “Open Access” ways, and it is not safe for our collection to be completely open to all, but we are open in the inclusive sense of the word. In her Open as in dangerous talk, Chris Bourg illustrates the importance of individual privacy and protection from abuse and harassment, and warns that Open Access publishing can perpetuate existing systems of oppression and inequality and that opening up collections can potentially lead to a loss of context that is then extracted and shared in diverse ways. Bourg’s warnings and my work at AQuA by night motivate me to advocate for the collective, generative, and transformative kind of research and openness in the sometimes extractive and competitive academic environment I work in by day.

The Australian Queer Archives reading room
Australian Queer Archives reading room ready for visitors (author supplied).

Other ways that library workers can support open knowledge activism by night might include participating in learning spaces outside of universities, including but not limited to:

Open knowledge activism by day

Below are some ways I have helped and seen others help support lifelong learning, independent research, and knowledge translation through open knowledge activism by day:

Additionally, we could help connect academics and students with local public library, archive and museum-based STEM, local history, literary and creative programming rather than compete with such programs. Some examples of this public library and related programming include:

We must keep in mind the amount of labour involved in opening up research, translating it into practice, and making it accessible to communities and recognise that this is not always adequately acknowledged and supported. With increasing focus on research impact and engagement, this is changing, and I hope this post will encourage academic and public library workers to collaborate with each other and academics and students to open research with and for communities.

Large protest on Flinders Street in Melbourne with a trans flag and placard with the words 'Change the System' written in rainbow-coloured letters and two Aboriginal flags on it.
Protest in Melbourne (author supplied).