Digital Leadership in Higher Education

Designed for those who lead, manage, or coordinate a team of colleagues teaching in higher education (but open to anyone in the sector), this course recognises the fast pace of change of technology and varying levels of confidence in using tools to genuinely support or enhance learning. By using the European Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu) as a basic scaffold, the course will provide an overview of the technology and educational landscape in higher education in addition to empowering you to build a richer picture of your own institutional context, before focusing on different dimensions of teaching and student learning, and concluding with suggestions for how you might develop an effective strategy for your own team, department, or school.

The course is open to any staff in higher education but will be of particular interest to heads of department/school, team or programme leaders, or other academic staff with responsibilities for course design and management.  Successful completion will lead to the issuing of a Digital Badge from Ireland’s National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning.

Following the course, participants will:

• Introduce the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) and demonstrate its relevance to higher education
• Ensure that those with responsibility for teams or groups of teachers in higher education programmes have knowledge and awareness of the potential and actual use of technologies in supporting teaching, learning, and assessment, with the emphasis on pedagogical and curricular aspects.
• Emphasise the importance of developing critical digital literacy amongst staff and students as a means of empowerment in a time of rapid technological change.
• Facilitate reflection on the current situation within their team and institutional context in terms of the digital capability of their unit or department, with examples of approaches that can be taken to gather relevant information and data
• Guide the development of action plans and strategy for enhancing the use of technologies to support teaching and learning in their programmes and for the professional development of their team.
• Share examples of practice from institutions, research, and other projects internationally.
• Provide practical tools and checklists which can be adapted and used

The course structure is based on six lessons (one per week):

• Mapping your context – which serves as an overall introduction and sets the scene
• Digital resources in your programme – covering all aspects of text, multimedia, interactive, and open licensed materials
• Using technology to support teaching and learning – consideration of the integration of pedagogy and technologies
• Technology and assessment – developing assessment strategy and dealing with issues of validity and integrity
• Using technology strategy for learner confidence – empowering learners and developing their digital skills and competencies
• Digital leadership and collegiality – highlighting the importance of developing your team and supporting practical actions

The content is available for self-study in your own time, but there will also be a weekly live/synchronous online session (optional, but recommended) and online discussions. There are specific, short, reflective tasks associated with each lesson which you need to complete in order to qualify for the Digital Badge/course completion certificate.