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Digital literacy is widely considered to be an essential attribute for both academic and professional success. In an increasingly regulated and standards-based higher education environment, however, there is a lack of clear guidance as to what constitutes the nature of appropriate level of digital literacy that graduates need to demonstrate. This paper argues for the application of a digital literacy taxonomy to articulate the dimensions inherent in it, which can then be applied to student activities and curricula. This process can be used to assist academics in identifying the literacy requirements of their courses, their own opportunities for professional development and the creation of appropriate pedagogies to teach them.

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AUT University [Auckland University of Technology] is developing a certification checklist and support materials to encourage and acknowledge 'green teaching'. Green teaching includes using less resources (e.g., paper, energy, transport, etc.), making more use of online tools and activities, and including conservation and sustainability concepts in course content. Lecturers can earn a green teaching label for their course, which is displayed in the University's Learning Management System. This is designed to support a global sustainability imperative, and to align with a key strand in the University's strategic themes. As a part of this project we have also developed an understanding of 'open badges', allowing our users to earn a verified award that can be displayed in a variety of other online systems.

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The Digital Literacy Project was launched in response to recognising that the use of technologies to enable dual campus collaborative teaching and learning required an improvement in the digital skills of staff. The project used a process of self-assessment and competency based training to address identified needs in workplace, educational and communication technology skills. On completion of the project, staff were surveyed and asked about their experiences of the self-assessment and training processes. Staff indicated that while the needs self-assessment process was cumbersome, time-consuming and sometimes confusing, the training received was beneficial, but needed to be timely, personally relevant and easily accessible. As a result of this research, it is recommended that the self-assessment process be consolidated and that the Institute consider mechanisms to measure the overall effectiveness of ongoing training initiatives with respect to training delivery, embedding of new skills and Institutional Return on Investment.

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Despite calls for innovation in learning technologies, setting up new tools for learning at large institutions is an often difficult road. This paper will address the challenges involved in setting up a small pilot of open badges at the Australian National University (ANU). It will investigate the options available for trialing badges when system administrators are unable to support the endeavor, and discuss the university policies and government legislation which have impacted the use of badges at ANU. Drawing on actor-network theory, it examines the complex techno-social environment and power structures surrounding the piloting of new technologies. This paper will also provide suggestions for other institutions struggling with concerns relating to privacy, branding, and reliability of open badges and invite discussion on ways to move forward.

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In their current instantiation, massive open online courses (MOOCs) represent a form of educational delivery with little barrier to entry. In part due to the ease of enrolling, low completion rates have been a notable characteristic of MOOCs with as few as 5-10 per cent of enrolled students gaining a certificate of completion. Beyond these observations, little is known about the patterns of attrition, nor how they may vary amongst different groups of MOOC participants. Activity data was analysed from log records collected from 42 MOOCs run by Stanford University between 2011 and 2013 on Coursera. A novel analysis was applied to the data which showed that attrition varies little between those that audited the course and those that actively participated in assessments. The results indicate that attrition is not influenced by levels of participation in a MOOC and attrition is further not greatly influenced by attributes of the course.

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This report describes a project to explore what digital information literacy is and how it could be most effectively applied in tertiary education. It provides an initial definition of digital information literacy based on a review of the national and international literature. It identifies methods to develop adults' digital skills and capabilities, and to understand how these contribute to lifelong learning. Its key findings are that having dedicated time, support and the opportunity to experiment with a range of [information and communication technology] ICT tools were essential for developing digital information literacy. The research showed that this could be achieved in a relatively short and intensive period of professional development and that this resulted in large changes to participants' digital information behaviour and skills.

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Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a relatively recent online learning phenomenon that has developed in the last five years. The opportunity that MOOCs offer to developing countries has generated significant interest from higher education as it has opened doors to step into territories that were never available before this era. This paper reports on the research findings of the impact of MOOCs in developing countries. The key challenges and opportunities identified by the researchers in using the MOOC concept within the Sri Lankan higher education context is discussed. It also highlights how developing countries can transform education, and provide lifelong learning opportunities which will give access to learning resources, innovative learning technologies, higher engagement and collaborative learning opportunities with international experts.

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