Students as digital partners – empowering staff and students together

Over the last four years, students from across the University of Southampton have been working in partnership with academic teams to support the development of digital skills for both staff and students. The ethos of everything that they do is ‘working together’ and they understand that they must evidence their activities, using open badges combined with a portfolio. This combination supports their online presence as well as providing an evidence base for impact, providing the University with a rich source of good practice and authentic learning.  Students are working on a range of projects in education and some research activities have also been supported, including eBooks, blogs, the creation of resources and engagement with new tools.  This case study explains the process of setting up and managing a cross-university digital literacies development programme, including plans for expansion to cover pathways for students and, potentially, staff, as they work together to become engaged and empowered learners.