1.4: Learning in a Digital Age
In this subunit our focus shifts to learning in particular the digital, academic and study skills required for success in higher education in a digital age.
Upon successful completion of this subunit you will be able to:
- Use an online note-taking tool to summarise video and/or audio presentations for academic purposes.
- Summarise an academic publication to support your research.
- Identify the range of academic and study skills for learning success in higher education and share support resources for improving these skills.
- Discuss the future of higher education in a digital age with particular emphasis on the implications for academic and study skills.
- Prepare a learning reflection; and
- Improve skills and build confidence in using social media to support learning on the Internet.
| “ | The future lies in personal learning networks and paths, learning that blends experiential and digital approaches, and free and open-source educational models. | ” |
—Anya Kamenetz | ||
Watch this brief video.
In this section we will listen and take notes from watching a video recording. The advantage of online video is that you can pause playback, or even increase the playback speed if you like.
Some learners prefer taking notes with pen and paper, but in this activity you will be required to use a note-taking application. You can always use pen and paper to prepare your first draft before recording a digital text version of your notes. Most citation management tools provide note taking capabilities which you can associate with items stored in your library, however for the purposes of this activity you will be directed to use Simplenote (an open source tool) because we will be using features of this tool for other course activities.
Mini summary
Summary: Watch a video or listen to an audio lecture, and record and share notes digitally. 
45 mins 
Simplenote (Available for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux and the web.) Mini challenge summary
Summary: The future of higher education in a digital world and the phenomenon of “free” online learning. 1 – 1.5 hours In this section, you will demonstrate your note-taking skills based on reading an academic publication.
The challenge which follows also incorporates digital skills associated with semantic content markup using the Markdown markup language. Semantic markup is an important digital skill which separates formatting (e.g. headings, bold, italics, lists etc.) from the content using designated characters without the use of rich text editors. This provides the capability to use plain text files that can be converted to formatted text online. Markdown is one of many markup protocols, and is used here to demonstrate the principles of semantic markup.
Mini challenge summary
Summary: Summarise research article using semantic markup. 45 mins Mini challenge summary
Summary: Read and annotate a research article on academic and study skills 1 hour Academic skills for learning success in higher education covers a wide range of skills, for example: reading for meaning, note taking, academic-writing, problem-solving, critical thinking and communication skills. Fortunately there are extensive resources and tutorials you can source online to suppoegrt and improve your learning to ensure success with your studies.
Mini challenge summary
Summary: Create a mind map summarising academic and study skills, highlighting areas for self-improvement and corresponding support resources. 1 – 1.5 hours - An important part of university study is self-reflection. You are required to prepare a learning reflection for the final course assignment and this learning challenge will give you the opportunity to practice and refine your skills in preparing a learning reflection.
Challenge summary
Summary: Learning reflection based on this unit, Learning in a digital age 1 hour Optional: Continue to participate in the LiDA photo challenge.
