Written by Amy Preston, Student Digital Champion

Why are digital skills important in the workplace? 

Now that we are emerging from a 2-year pandemic, many companies are moving back towards hybrid or in-person working. However, you’d still be hard pushed to find a job description that doesn’t have digital skills on their list of requirements. Even non-technical and non-office-based jobs require some degree of digital literacy. Recent surveys exhibited on the government website have shown that essential digital skills (things like communicating, handling information and online safety) are required across low, medium and high-skilled occupations. And competency in Microsoft Office is generally required for entry into medium and high-skilled jobs (which graduates typically join). However, it’s not just basic digital skills students need to be thinking about – different jobs require different specialist technological skills, which future employees need to think about when trying to boost their CV. For example, specific requirements for a job as a patent attorney will be notably different to one in marketing – one may require knowledge of online safety and privacy, whereas the other will emphasize creativity.  

What are the JISC digital capabilities and JISC discovery? 

Because digital skills and employability go hand-in-hand, you may want to look at JISC’s six elements of digital capabilities below. These are the key digital skills looked for by employers, and very important for students (future employees!) to be aware of. Or, take a look at the reimagined JISC framework in the form of the Digital Capabilities Tree by the Student Digital Champions and DEO (Digital Education Office). A good way to find areas that you need to focus on is the JISC discovery tool, which provides a questionnaire on your digital capabilities. This will generate a report and give you ways to improve, with links to useful resources. It’s great for assessing how you can improve your digital capabilities as a student, and as it applies to jobs too, implementing these techniques now is how you will stand out as a digitally skilled candidate to employers! 

How can I make my digital skills stand out when applying for jobs? 

If you know you are interested in certain jobs after you graduate, scope out adverts for them on LinkedIn, Indeed or other job listing websites to see whether they list any specific digital skill requirements for their jobs. As mentioned above, you will often see they ask for proficiency in Microsoft Office. Find how you can showcase your proficiency – for example, you may have taken the ICDL (or ECDL) exam in school, which is highly regarded by employers looking for Microsoft Office proficiency. But more importantly, consider what specific digital skills you have that match the job requirements and how you can gain skills that you don’t already have. For example, if a job wants some coding experience, there are plenty of resources available to help you. ‘Learn Python the Hard Way’ is a great free resource to use as an introduction to Python coding. Use your digital skills to do some digging and find online resources to help you gain specific expertise that will make you stand out! 

Finally, be aware of your online identity when applying to jobs. The first ‘Digitally Skilled’ video talks about what online identity is and how you can shape it. Have a look and see if there are ways that you can adjust it to improve your employability – this is an important skill in itself! 

Further resources

If you need further help with job applications, head to the Careers Service website for information on employability and bookable workshops such as CV writing and interview skills. Also look at the DEO’s resources and other DigiTalk blog posts for all things digital! Finally, best of luck in securing a job with your new and improved digital skills! 

Technology is being built into our day to day IT programmes to enhance our working and studying practices. Technology can help to ease and overcome challenges, it can also enable us to complete tasks quicker and with more precision.

Technology for learning – is a workshop designed to guide you through technology freely available to support you with time management and organization, reading text and note taking.

This workshop is on Tuesday April 5th 2pm – 3pm, and will be held online.

If you would like to attend you can sign up here: Technology for Learning workshop

If you would like to attend but cannot make this date then please send an email expressing your interest to: gemma.russell@bristol.ac.uk
You can find out about more of the Disability Service’s workshops on their website.

We are excited to announce that the DEO have recruited a new group of Student Digital Champions to work with the team for the next few months to help us improve students’ digital experience whilst at University. You can find out more about them here. If you’re a student and want to get in touch with them, get in contact with your Course Rep who will be able to put you in touch.

Helena Thornton

2nd Year, studying Psychology. Helena has worked with the DEO since July 2021.

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I have lived in 6 different countries 🙂

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

This is such a DEO question ahahaha… It has to be ‘command-t’ (‘ctrl-t’ for PC-users) to add a tab on my web browser – I always have so many tabs open!!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

The laughing face! I laugh a lot in real life, so it’s very appropriate 😂

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

I’m not sure, my mind has now gone blank to all University acronyms and terms.

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

I can! My very first university lecture was online, and I remember it feeling so strange… The chat box was hectic, but it also felt quite isolating. It took a while to get online learning to work for me, which is a reason I’m now passionate about finding ways to make digital learning and skills-acquisition more user-friendly for others.

Sophie Shanahan

4th Year, studying German

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I worked as a journalist in Berlin for my year abroad last year (and very much miss it!)

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

A very boring but useful one is Ctrl + Shift + V to paste without formatting – comes in very useful when writing essays/referencing.

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

The shocked face –

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

I think I’ve managed to decipher them all by now.

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

I remember there being a ridiculous number of references to ‘unprecedented times’ and lots of people either not muting or unmuting themselves!

Bobby Joynes

1st Year, studying Film and Theatre Studies

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I love taking photographs of pretty much anything I see and creating really weird and wacky digital collages!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Comand + S, ‘ctrl-s’ for PC-users, (the amount of times I’ve accidentally deleted work without saving it! This shortcut has bee an ABSOLUTE lifesaver at saving work on the go)

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

Thumbs up!

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

I still mix up the definitions of Formative and Summative work, even after completing loads of essays and work!

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

My first online lecture was from Theatre and it was pretty chaotic! The lecturer wasn’t completely familiar with using Zoom and everything went a bit topsy turvy halfway through. Luckily, we were still able to get all of the notes from it in the form of a handout afterwards but organised chaos is the best way I would describe it. Everyone got a bit confused with what was happening but we were all able to learn from it and it got much better in the lectures that followed!

Amy Preston

4th Year, MRes Physiology and Pharmacology

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I also do dance and climbing (although very much a beginner!)

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Ctrl+F

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

👍 – usually to let people know I can hear them!

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

When I first got to Uni I couldn’t work out why everyone was going to ASS!

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

Not very smooth – most people had internet issues as they were at their family homes or in student housing!

Polly Davis

2nd Year, studying Environmental Geoscience

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I am a Louis Theroux enthusiast- I would love to be apart of the documentary and film industry, travelling and working behind the scenes.

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Control-command-4, I am always cropping and taking pictures of lecture slides on my computer screen!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

👍 A thumbs up- pretty simple and effective, says a lot without saying much.

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

No, I struggle reading jargon so I always have to find out what it means before it gets too late.

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

I remember it being pretty relaxed. All my first year lectures were recorded, and so I could go at my own pace. It saved me the anxiety of walking into a lecture theatre full of people I didn’t yet know.

Georgie Pitts.

Post Grad Year 2 MA Law. Georgie has worked with the DEO since July 2021

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I don’t like cheese (can’t get past the smell)

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

ctrl+shift+S, for speech typing, for when typing is too much effort!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

The thumbs up! 👍

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

It was quite slow, with lots of technical issues!

Daniel Walsh

1st Year, studying Philosophy and Politics

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I like to write songs and make music in my spare time!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

CTRL + C and CTRL + V

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

The skull!

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

No!

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

It was interesting. There were a lot of technical difficulties at the start.

Alex Dunn

1st Year, studying Law

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

While working with the Orchard Heights JCR and SU, I handed out over 1000 condoms to students!!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Ctrl+Z (undo) – for when you accidentally delete your coursework!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

🤔 (emoji that captures being puzzled) – for when you aren’t quite following along…

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

‘BBOLE’ – not sure where to start…

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

In my first online lectures, even the 9am ones, every student was very keen and had their cameras on! That didn’t stay for long… Now lecturers need to take advantage of online tools to keep people engaged. It wasn’t long before one of the lecturers brought their dog along to the call – something only possible online…

Kexin Li

PG, studying Digitalisation and Big Data Management

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I’m an international student, and I did my undergraduate study in Canada. I‘ve lived in Canada for five years and I really enjoy the multicultural environment and cold winters there. It is a completely new experience and a very exciting thing for me to study in the UK as a postgraduate student, which enables me to feel the culture and history of different countries. I’ve travelled to the UK when I was in junior high school, and I was very fond of the British culture at that time, so being able to study in the UK was kind of a fulfilment of my childhood dream.

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

My favourite keyboard shortcut is absolutely Ctrl+C/V (copy and paste). I think this shortcut is very convenient and helps me a lot in my daily life and study, especially when I am writing papers and sorting out literature!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

😂. My favourite emoji is this cute face with tears in his smile! I feel like this emoji can show my friendliness and interest, and it also amplifies the entertainment.

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

UEB. I’ve seen this acronym once, but I didn’t realise what it meant at the time.

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

I remember my first online lecture was a statistics course two years ago. Since we had just switched from on-campus courses to online courses, the lecturer were faced with some technical issues, such as screen recording and organising student group discussions. However, the overall impression to me was very fresh and interesting, because I could hear the content of the class more clearly, and it solved the problem of not seeing the projections clearly because of my poor eyesight. More importantly, this saved me the time to go to the classroom and made me have a more comfortable learning environment.

Olivia Muggleton

Final year, studying Law. Olivia has worked with the DEO since July 2021.

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I am dog obsessed, I have 5 German Shepherds in my family and absolutely love big breeds, they are the kindest, gentlest most amazing beings.

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

My favourite is ‘Ctrl >’ to make bullet points but I use ‘Ctrl Z’ the most.

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

Can’t go wrong with a good, reassuring thumbs up 👍

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

The unit code for any law unit begins with ‘LAWD’, I’ve never known what the D stands for, is it just random?

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

I was quite nervous my internet would go down… so obviously it did and I stressed out so much – Luckily I didn’t miss too much as it was only a welcome lecture!

Leah Parker

3rd Year, studying Biology

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I’ve been vegetarian for the last 4 years!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Definitely my favourite (and one I use the most) is control Z – the undo shortcut

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

The classic thumbs up emoji 👍

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

It took me way too long know what MVB was…

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

I remember the first lecture was part of my Quantitative & Computation Methods unit. Usually, this unit is quite lab-based unit in terms of its teaching, so the fact it switched to completely online made it all the more strange. I remember everyone still being confused with how blackboard collaborate worked, everyone asking so many questions, people’s internet cutting out, and also me always clicking the hand-up button instead of the chat function.

Angus Robertson

4th Year, studying Dentistry

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I also write my own music!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

‘Tab’ is surprisingly useful when bullet pointing an unnecessary amount of information about teeth.

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

I think a simple ‘thumbs up’ goes a long way. 👍

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

DEO… what’s that all about?

Can you remember your first online lecture? What was it like?

During the initial lockdown; very strange. I think everyone was still in shock, but our tutors transitioned relatively well based on our situation and it was nice to see everyone’s faces again!

Useful links

You can find out more about the Student Digital Champions, and see some of the work they have created on the following pages.

• Student Digital Champions projects page
• Case Studies – DEO
• Student Support – DEO

Following on from the great work of our Student Digital Champions, we are keen to hire some more students to work with us through TB2.

Student Digital Champion 

The UoB Digital Education Office (DEO) are looking for passionate students to work with us to ensure that all students can get the most out of their digital and blended learning experiences at Bristol. As a Student Digital Champion, you will be talking to students, course reps and staff members to hear what is or isn’t working in our online learning environments, and identify good practice in teaching and assessment. You will be working as a team, with the DEO and other Student Digital Champions, to identify and address key challenges the student body are facing when learning in an online, blended or hybrid environment, and then propose, pilot and implement practical solutions. In addition, you’ll be adding your own personal experiences and feedback to the work of the DEO, and helping us shape the work we do in real time. To apply for this role, you need to be a current student at the University of Bristol. You’ll be working an average of 3 hours per week for three months spanning March – to the beginning of June, and we hope to provide a possibility of continuing in the role for the 2022/23 academic year.

• Student Digital Champion Application Pack.
• You can apply for this role using this form.
• The deadline for applying for this role will be 6th February 2022.
• Duration of contract: Fixed-term from the 7th March 2022 to 7th June 2022

The Student Digital Learning Experience team in the DEO are excited to announce the launch of our Digitally Skilled video series!

Digital skills are an important part of your learning, and are an area that have really taken a front and centre position on stage in the last few years.

It is estimated that, in 20 years’ time, 90% of all jobs will require people to work with digital technologies. Already, 72% of large firms struggle to recruit workers with digital skills. Quote from jisc.ac.uk

Digital skills are not only useful whilst at University, but they make up part of your development, learning and experiences you take with you into your future careers. Staff and students alike should be thinking about digital skills and taking them into consideration in their professional and personal lives.

The Digitally Skilled series will focus on a number of different digital skills. We want you to feel confident in understanding digital capabilities and capable to adapt and progress whilst using them in your student and further careers. We have aligned the series with the Jisc Digital Capability Framework which takes you through the six elements of digital capabilities.

Take a look, do you feel you already have some of these skills?

• Digital identity and wellbeing
• ICT Proficiency
• Information, data and media literacies
• Digital learning and development
• Digital creation, problem solving and innovation
• Digital communication, collaboration and participation

We first take a look at your Digital identity and wellbeing. You can find more information on what makes up this skill in the framework.

Our very first video, we hope you enjoy! Please let us know what you think.

Online Identity – Digitally Skilled video (6mins)

Transcript:

Online identity is the social identity that you establish in online communities. Your posts, comments and reactions on online platforms you use give others an image of who you are, e.g. as a student or as a professional. You can craft your online identity to show your peers, tutors, lecturers, or even potential employers, who you are, and allow your personality and skills to shine through.

Crafting your identity:
1. Think about who you are and who you want to be.
2. Look at your current online identity on the various online platforms you use, and consider whether they reflect who you are.
3. Decide whether you need to change the privacy settings or delete any of your profiles, information, posts, images, comments or reactions.

To develop your online identity further, from now on:
1. Re-consider your content before posting to ensure your message is clear and your tone appropriate.
2. Occasionally look at combinations of items you have posted, to ensure your online identity is what you want.
3. Keep a digital record of your skills, achievements, projects or articles in a portfolio, professional network or in a document, so you can add them online later.
4. Add a profile photo to online platforms you use as a University student, to make your contributions to your peers and tutors more personal.

Think about the data you are sharing online:
1. Are you sharing too much?
2. Could the information you share be harmful to others or could anyone use that information to harm you?
3. Check what information apps and websites are collecting about you and how you can heighten your protection.

You don’t need to get your online identity right immediately. We all improve with time and practice. Start with small changes and that will get you on the right track.

Prioritise your wellbeing
It’s ok to unfollow or unfriend people if looking at their posts is negatively affecting your mental health.
Make sure you take some time away from being online and disconnect for a while.

Written by Hamzah Teladia, Student Digital Champion

 

Microsoft Teams, part of the University’s chosen Office 365 platform integrates several interactive pathways allowing for streamlined collaboration. Although it can be tricky to find your way around the first time, getting used to it does not take long at all once you have found where things are.

If you have used it, you know how useful it can be in group tasks: if not, you might want to consider it. The main usefulness of Teams from a personal opinion, and being a fan of centralised platforms where you don’t have to have several apps open, is that everything you need is in one application. You can access; the Instant Messaging function to speak to individuals or groups rather than creating lengthy email trails, your calendar to create or join meetings in a click, recently accessed files, a link to all other Microsoft apps and an FAQs section if you’ve lost your way. Downloading the Teams app on your phone allows you to access these features too, and enabling push notifications allows you to instantaneously receive any updates, or if you have been tagged in anything which requires your attention.

The primary function of Teams however, is the Team function itself. Here, you can create spaces limited to groups selected by the admin, who would have management functions over the Team. This means you have a private space to interact, where channels can also be created for specific purposes to organise activities. You can see your recurring or ad hoc meetings, if scheduled with the Team attached and importantly, have a repository of shared files in the files tab and being able to see this history in one place allowing you to track progress. See the Teams guide to learn more about these individual functions.

Word docs, PowerPoints or anything else can be created within your Teams which allows changes to be made in time and be seen and accessed by people in your Team – be careful to run things past your Team in shared documents to keep them aware of changes. This function still exists through OneDrive, by creating a document, but requiring invites to be sent to people to view or edit. In the case of group work this would work the best with a Team, as all the documents would be in one place. The IM function especially is useful in day-to-day updates or just staying connected, whereas meetings would be useful for more in-depth discussions or periodic planning or progress updates.

As difficult as group work can be at University, Teams makes it easier by allowing you to work and communicate in one place. This also contributes to your digital upskilling, allowing you to collaborate digitally, more important now than ever.

Useful links for further information:

• Digital Education Office Support page
• MS Teams for learning video (5mins)
• IT Services: MS Teams
• Office 365 Support