Last semester we ran a survey to find out more about students’ experience of digital learning at the University. We used the Digital Experience Insights surveys which are created by a national organisation named Jisc – a number of UK Universities run the same survey every year, and the results are compiled into a yearly report that helps to understand national trends.

We chose to run the survey during September and October 2024, and we received 226 responses – thank you to everyone who shared and completed the surveys. Your responses will help us to consider how you use digital technologies in your learning, as well as how you engage with key aspects of the digital environment and digital skills provided by the University so that we can understand what we’re doing well, and how we can improve.

Video summary

We’ve created a 4 minute video summarising the responses to the survey. Click on the thumbnail below to watch the video. You can turn on captions by selecting the closed captions [CC] icon in the bottom right of the video, and download a transcript if you prefer.

A more detailed summary report is also available to download.

If you have any comments or questions about the survey or its findings, please contact the Digital Capabilities Officer, Kim.

Follow-up questions

It’s clear from the survey responses and last year’s national report that students at the University of Reading aren’t offered recognition for their digital skills. This could be achieved by awarding badges for completing courses or training in digital capabilities, encouraging students to share their training credentials on sites such as LinkedIn, or offering training courses which provide their own credentials.

• Would you like recognition for digital skills, and how would you like these to be offered? If you’re already completed the RED Award, have you considered ways to incorporate digital skills into your training plan? Do you use LinkedIn or would you like another way to show potential employers what you have been learning?
• Would you like more support in finding useful training to improve your digital skills? We know that there are a lot of options, and many different training opportunities, if the University provided some support working out where to start would you use this to get started?

What happens with the results now?

We’ve shared certain sections of this survey with the relevant teams so that they can consider the responses – for example, any comments about Blackboard Ultra or lecture capture have been shared with the Technology Enhanced Learning team, and any responses related to wifi on campus have been shared with the relevant team within DTS.

But the main purpose of this survey was to help inform the ongoing Digital Capabilities Project. Due to finish in February this year, the Digital Capabilities Project is aiming to create a set of recommendations to improve the digital capabilities of staff and students at the University. For more information on the main activities, please visit the Digital Capabilities webpages.

How can I learn more about digital capabilities? What training is there?

Being ‘digitally capable’ is more than just searching the web for information, or being able to manipulate data using Microsoft Excel, although of course these are essential skills! Digital Capabilities refers to your awareness of how online learning and work impacts your physical and mental wellbeing, how confident you are selecting and evaluating reliable information, how you manage your workload using digital tools, and how you deal with distractions and demands online. We are always learning and our skills and capabilities change as the technology changes – read the definition of digital capabilities here, or look at some suggested skills that you are expected to develop during your time at University.

Having said that, there are a range of different places at the University to get support in lots of these areas. We’ve compiled a list of sources on the Student Essentials page, and if you’ve any questions, please get in touch with the Digital Capabilities Officer.