City Research Online

Abstract

Drawing on Weller’s (2011) notion of the digital scholar, this research uses phenomenography to explore higher education staff attitudes to digital literacies and open educational practices. Participants completed accredited modules in educational technologies, digital literacies and open practices and the research examined the impact of these modules on their understanding of the terms and their wider academic practices. The study concludes that staff digital literacies are often perceived through the lens of students as ‘digital natives’ (Prensky, 2001). There are four categories of experience in relation to staff digital literacies including some who lack confidence, some who stay in their comfort zone, those who are willing to develop their digital literacies and those who recognise it’s an ongoing process and goes beyond technical skills. Meanwhile most staff have a more limited understanding of open educational practices, some equate it with open access research, but others share the values of openness and find learning about this topic transformational. Limitations include the small sample size, and further research is recommended. The findings suggest that the accredited modules allowed staff to deepen their understanding of critical issues related to how higher education is engaging with digital technologies to support scholarship.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Copyright (c) 2025 Jane Secker, Luis Pereira, Julie Voce. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publisher Keywords:	digital literacies, open educational practices, higher education, digital scholarship, staff
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
Departments:	Professional Services > Learning, Enhancement and Development
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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