Module manager: Helen Howard
Email: h.e.howard@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2015/16
This module is approved as a discovery module
How can digital tools help you to be a successful student? This module encourages you to reflect on your digital life and explore how you can use technology to enhance your studies throughout your degree. It includes finding and managing digital information, collaborating with your peers online, building personal learning networks and crafting your online identity. We will also be uncovering the ethical issues that surround our online lives such as how we use and re-use information. You will have the opportunity to critically consider real life issues in digital scholarship, and take part in practical activities with experienced tutors in lectures, practical workshops and online seminars. Assessments will comprise of: the completion of an essay; a personal reflective blog; and the creation of an individual online presentation with accompanying reflective report. This module will be beneficial to students on all degree programmes. You will have the opportunity to develop your skills in critical thinking, research and reflection in addition to practical skills in using digital technologies all of which are integral to modern academic study. The skills are transferable to life beyond university and create a sound foundation if you decide to choose The Digital Professional module in your second year. For more information please contact Michelle Schneider.
The module aims to develop students’ digital literacy knowledge and skills for academic purposes. It will engage them in key debates and issues relating to digital literacy. Students will be encouraged to explore and take a critical view of the digital environment, specific tools and technologies as well as their own digital identity, building an understanding of the ethical issues and implications of learning in a digital age.
On completion of this module students should:
- Be able to demonstrate their understanding of digital literacy and what it means to be a digitally literate student.
- Have a familiarity with the key debates around the concept of the "digital native" and consider how they, as a student relate to this concept.
- Be able to explain how they have critically assessed their own online identities, and how they could adopt strategies to craft their online identities to enhance future professional or personal plans.
- Be able to locate appropriate online sources for their academic work, and demonstrate an understanding of some of the core principles of how to critically assess different types of online information.
- Be able to give examples of how digital tools such as EndNote, Twitter and Wordpress used throughout the module, can enhance academic practices such as collaboration, networking, research, group work and communicating online.
- Demonstrate an understanding of some of the ethical issues and implications of sharing information online.
- Demonstrate the development of critical thinking skills to aid their understanding of the digital environment and the implications of more open communication and digital scholarship.
- Be able to identify how their skills in research, criticality, reflection and online communication and presentation have developed over the module.
Practical skills in using different digital tools and technologies through workshops, activities and assessments.
- What is digital literacy and what does it mean to be a digital student?
- The digital native debate
- Being critical in a digital age
- Digital discovery:
- Finding academic information online and critically assessing different types of online information. This includes using social media such as blogs and YouTube to identify appropriate academic content.
- Using tools and technologies such as Twitter and EndNote to enhance study practice.
- Ethics in a digital age: legal and ethical considerations of using and re-using online information including copyright, plagiarism and open academic information
- Crafting your online identify:
- Assessing your online identity
- Managing your online presence
- Creating your academic profile
- Building your personal digital learning networks
- Digital scholarship in practice: presenting real life stories about experiences of using technology in academic life.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-line Learning | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Support by Host Establishment | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Lecture | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Practical | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Practical | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Seminar | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Independent online learning hours | 5 | ||
| Private study hours | 170 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 25 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
- Reading and research as seminar preparation
- Flipped classroom content (directed private study)
- Independent research for assessments
- Exploring digital tools and technologies
- Weekly online reflective blog entries
- Monitoring of weekly blog entries; formative feedback on week 1 entry
- Feedback on essay plan
- Use of discussion board to encourage student questions
- Use of tutor blog to highlight key issues / discoveries
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1250-1500 Words | 30 |
| Practical | Digital presentation accompanied by 1500-1750 reflective report | 50 |
| Reflective log | Regular contribution expected; 2 specific entries will be required and assessed | 20 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Re-sit for the reflective log: A 1000-1200 word reflective essay on your overall experience of the module.
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 8/25/2015
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team