Surveying the digital literacy landscape for academic and professional staff in higher education

Abstract

In order to produce digitally literate graduates, it is necessary for institutions to have digitally literate staff. While this statement seems clear, the commitment and approach of Australian Higher Education institutions to professional learning focused on digital literacies is not. This paper describes initial steps towards clarifying the place of digital literacies in the context of professional learning for higher education staff. The researchers canvassed 31 higher education websites to identify institutional approaches, and conducted a targeted literature review to uncover models and practices that could have transposal value to institutions. This paper reports on which institutions are publicly committed, which units are typically responsible for digital literacy, the reasoning for institutional approaches and key themes in pedagogical designs. It is the beginning of a conversation, in an effort to distil the muddy waters that digital literacies occupies and generate greater transparency and understanding between educators in the Australian Higher Education context.