Digital Literacies as an Emerging Imperative in Higher Education (IMCIC 2019)
"Digital Literacies as an Emerging Imperative in Higher Education"
(General Joint Session at IMCIC 2019)
Dr. Lorayne Robertson
University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), Canada Former Assistant Dean in the Faculty of Education
Former Director of the Graduate Programs in Education
Abstract:
Definitions of digital literacies abound in the literature, but much of the focus has been on the technological advances associated with online learning and the ubiquity of access to information. As a result, less attention has been directed toward aspects of the ethos associated with new literacies, such as the personalization of education, the design of open, collaborative learning spaces, and the need for scholarly research that is more flexible and integrated in its design. Today’s doctoral students need to be strong communicators who can navigate in spaces characterized by cross-disciplinary, cross-generational and international discourses. These new literacy issues in doctoral programs are not minor, but are linked to the redefinition of the core work associated with doctoral education. This presentation examines some of the pillars of doctoral education, such as a focus on fields, and program elements such as comprehensive exams, and reconsiders these requirements through the lens of new literacies.