1. Developing Computing and Information Literacy Skills on an Award Basis Marion Hall Faculty of Health & Social Care

2. Integrate computing (ICT) and information literacy (IL) skills into HSC awards such that: Aim Skills are taught in the context of the course There is minimal repetition between courses Students progress from L1 → L2 → L3 Students can demonstrate acquisition of specific skills by the end of the award

3. Why? To support academic requirements of course To meet professional and QAA standards Because employers – and students – want them HSC awards need to deliver ICT/IL skills:

4. Background Award-based skills development in place in ‘professional’ programmes (Social Work/Nursing) –external requirements for award General Social Care Council – ECDL NHS – Knowledge + Skills Framework –more straightforward to implement relatively fixed progression through courses limited choice of courses Now developing strategy for award-based skills teaching in HSC programme

5. Progress K101 (part of all HSC awards) –remade 2008 - now teaches basic ICT/IL skills Skills Working Group –devised strategy for skills development –identified ICT/IL skills sets for L2+L3 (see handout) –working with CTs to implement L2 strategy HSC Resource Bank (HSCRB) –online repository of shared resources –generic skills activities –see http://learn.open.ac.uk/site/HSCRBhttp://learn.open.ac.uk/site/HSCRB

6. Strategy Build on skills developed at previous level Use HSCRB skills activities –updated centrally so less work for CTs –where possible, they allow use of example from course –accessible to all students at any time Provide skills diagnostic at each level to direct student to ‘catch up’ activities if necessary Integrate skills learning in context of course Assess skills so that demonstrable – but take ‘light touch’ approach

7. The OU’s undergraduate levels framework (developed by COBE)OU’s undergraduate levels framework Guidance from the Library’s Information Literacy Unit Subject Benchmark statements The NHS Knowledge and Skills FrameworkNHS Knowledge and Skills Framework Skills Councils websites and publications, including Skills for Health and Skills for Care and DevelopmentSkills for HealthSkills for Care and Development Employer requirements Skills developed in HSC degrees provided at other universities Basis of skills list (See handout for details)

8. Core skills - important academic skills and/or skills employers want, such as: –literature/information search and evaluation –word processing –spreadsheets Basic skills – needed to acquire core skills, such as: –using and managing toolbars and menus –understanding how the internet works Optional tools - benefit student but not essential, such as: –bibliographic software like Refworks –word-processing tools like spelling check, highlighting –Windows tools like search, shortcuts Skill groups Skills can be divided into 3 groups:

9. Assessment Core skills - need to be demonstrable, so must be assessed Basic skills - no need to assess since can’t acquire core skills without them Optional tools – no need to assess because can still achieve necessary outcome without them: –can do reference list without Refworks –essay can have good spelling without Word spelling check Assessment based on outcome not process –if TMA in Word, assume have word-processing skills –no need to test in detail how actually use software Assessment based on final link in chain –if have to learn skill A before they can learn skill B, only need to assess skill B

10. L2 strategy Three core L2 courses being remade as two: K217 + K218 Deliver L2 skills set in both All students take K217 or K218, few will take both Assume skills taught in K101 Approx 21 hrs study time for L2 skills activities from HSC Resource Bank Allow time in first week to catch up/revise equivalent K101 skills, also via HSCRB activities

11. Plan/carry out/refine web search for information/publications Evaluate information on web Download PDFs, images, tables, etc from web Create PowerPoint presentations Create diagrams using drawing software Use spreadsheets for simple calculations and to create graphs and charts Produce professionally formatted and styled word-processed documents Level 2 LOs

12. K217 production Health, social care & wellbeing First presentation October 2010 60 points 5 Blocks One TMA per Block ECA (project) not exam Activities in online learning guide

13. K217 skills Each activity: –sets context of task in relation to course content (e.g. find information about particular policy) –directs student to HSCRB activity to get relevant skills if necessary (e.g. how to search internet) –then brings them back to course context to complete task (e.g. discuss policy implications) –output of activity may feed into assignment (e.g. incorporate information they find into TMA) Can bypass HSCRB activity if already have necessary skills About 30-60 min per week ICT/IL skills Core skills are necessary to complete ECA

14. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact: Marion Hall Chair, Skills Working Group Faculty of Health & Social Care m.j.hall@open.ac.uk ext 55136 More?