Dissertation IT Toolkit

Despite the Digital Native theory (Prensky 2001) being widely accepted, the reality is that higher education students come to university with mixed levels of academic IT skills (Farrell 2013). Many HE institutions don not provide IT skills support to the same extent as academic communication skills (e.g. essay and report writing, literature reviews, and critical thinking) with some institutions reporting very limited IT provision. Yet digital literacy and employability are two widely recognised desirable graduate attributes of today’s UK students. Digital literacy includes the ability to carry out higher level IT tasks and IT proficiency is listed as one of the top ten skills employers are looking for in graduates (Adams 2014). Students may struggle with IT throughout their courses but it is arguably the final year dissertation where students need the most help. Institutions may find their library services and helpdesks overwhelmed with requests for help. This paper presents a practical and holistic toolkit that was designed to ensure students are equipped with the right IT skills and know how to embed the IT part of the dissertation into their overall dissertation time management planning. The skills learnt are valuable additions to their employability portfolio. The toolkit consists of three elements; a booklet, video tutorials and podcasts, all of which can be used independently by students formatting their dissertations. It can be produced fairly simply, without the need for highly specialised IT skills. It is something therefore, that can easily be created at institutions across the UK. Adams, S. (2014) The 10 skills employers most want in 2015 graduates. ‘Forbes’ [Online], Available from: <http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/11/12/the-10-skills-employers-most-want-in-2015-graduates/#7d918e7919f6> [Accessed 22 January 2016]. Farrell, L (2013) ‘Challenging Assumptions about IT skills in higher education’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 6, 2013 [Online]. Available at: <http://www.aldinhe.ac.uk/ojs/index.php?journal=jldhe&page=article&op=view&path[]=173&path[]=138 > [Accessed: 22 January 2016] Prensky, M. (2001) ‘Digital natives, digital immigrants’, On the Horizon, 9(5), pp. 1-6 [Online]. Available at: <http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf> [Accessed: 22 January 2016].