Introduction to FACT IADT Case Study for Digital Skills in Action – TEL Week across Dublin March 2016

Introduction to FACT is a first year module in the Faculty of Film, Art and Creative Technologies at IADT. In September 2015 it was run across 12 programmes by 10 staff for 388 students. The module was devised to enable... [ view full abstract ]

Introduction to FACT is a first year module in the Faculty of Film, Art and Creative Technologies at IADT. In September 2015 it was run across 12 programmes by 10 staff for 388 students. The module was devised to enable students to learn about the faculty, its range of programmes and to get to know each other. Given the student numbers the module was designed to be student-focused independent learning through the Institute VLE Blackboard.

IADT subsequently participated in a technology-enhanced learning project supported by the National Forum with colleagues from Marino, NCAD, TCD and UCD building. The project was built on the All Aboard digital skills framework for higher education. Introduction to FACT was selected as the IADT case study to enable us to explore the module, how it ran, particularly the digital issues, and to further develop it for September 2016. It was noted during the module that although the students had no issues with the use of the VLE and the group work was completed, their basic digital skills made the tasks assigned more difficult than anticipated at an individual level.

The digital issues were explored though a student developed survey, staff focus groups, VLE data and analysis of the digital artefacts submitted during the module. The themes emerging from the analysis centred on transition into college, the development of student digital identity and related back to the All Aboard framework. The issues were debated and developed at the IADT TEL day in March 2016. This exploration is enabling IADT to develop a digital toolkit to support students with their transition into college through the Introduction to FACT module. Sample elements of the digital toolkit will be introduced.

All Aboard. (2015). All Aboard Digital Skills in Higher Education. Retrieved from http://allaboardhe.org/.