During the pandemic lockdowns, thanks to remote teaching, everyone became an innovator – but many did not realise it.  

It has become hugely important to acknowledge and celebrate the digital skills of staff, because the positive outcomes experienced by both staff and students have proven invaluable.As part of a learning and teaching support unit, we have found that staff often do not realise how competent they are, especially those who do not identify as ‘tech savvy’.Now that there is not such a pressing impetus to leap into the unknown and explore new digital avenues, we want to preserve this new culture of trying, adapting, and continuing to innovate, especially as teaching with technology is becoming more commonplace.Reflect and celebrateSo, we are celebrating the achievements of colleagues by sharing their digital innovations on our team blog. These provide colleagues with a chance to reflect on their success, further building confidence as well as providing inspiration and continuing to encourage a digital culture.The blogs also remind colleagues of how far they have come. In the early days of the pandemic, we were all figuring out how to screen share and remembering to unmute ourselves. Now many of our colleagues are developing digital teaching approaches they could not even have conceived back in early 2020.Carry on innovatingWhile there has been a narrative about the return to exclusively on-campus teaching, many colleagues are finding new ways to further develop approaches born out of the shift to entirely remote teaching during the pandemic. Instead of abandoning digital, we are working with colleagues to innovate further and to keep the elements that best serve them and work well for students.Failing is part of the processIt has proven helpful to remind staff that if their innovation has not worked quite as they had hoped, it does not mean they have failed. In fact, it is an opportunity to pivot, adapt, and try again, eventually creating something that improves their working day and/or how their students learn.We have found it useful to highlight when we make mistakes too, or when technology does not work for us as planned. For example, if something does not go smoothly when giving a presentation, we do not gloss over the error. In fact, we highlight it, letting staff know that it is fine if things go wrong.Time to upskillNow that we are no longer in a state of emergency, staff are rarely able to spend the same amount of time to focus on their digital skills. Considering heavy workloads and the daily demands of teaching, we provide several time options and training formats, be it a pre-recorded webinar, face-to-face chat, or a Teams’ call. When it comes to digital skills support, flexibility is key.Weaving digital into course designBecause more digital tech is being woven into delivery as part of course design there are more opportunities to consider the kinds of digital skills students will need for life beyond education. Teaching staff will also need support to develop digital confidence to accompany their digital skills.Want to learn more?Rachel and Rosemary ran a participatory session at this year’s Digifest event, exploring digital confidence and ways to nurture a sense of curiosity in digital learning.Read about Jisc’s framework for digital transformation in higher education.Read Jisc’s report on digital strategies in UK higher education: making digital mainstream.