Month: December 2022

Digital Capabilities Training: January 2023

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Orange banner with Aberystwyth University Logo, and Digital Capabilities Training text

Are you interested in learning what resources are available to help you assess and develop your digital capabilities? Or, perhaps you’re interested in learning more about how you can support your students to develop their own digital capabilities?

We will be delivering several training sessions for staff throughout January. If you are unable to attend any of these sessions, please feel free to email digi@aber.ac.uk to arrange a conversation with a member of our team.

Welsh-medium sessions:

English-medium sessions:

Finally, we would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we look forward to continuing to support you in the new year!

Catching up with our Student Digital Champions!

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We’re fast approaching the end of semester 1 and that also marks the halfway point for this year’s Student Digital Champions. We’re catching up today with Laurie Stevenson and Jeffrey Clark to hear about their experiences in the role this semester, to see some of the wonderful resources they have produced and to learn what they hope to achieve in the new year.

Firstly, can you explain what a Student Digital Champion is?

Jeffrey: A Student Digital Champion is someone who can help others with their digital learning and developing their digital capabilities.

Laurie: It is somebody who bring their own experiences as a student to promote and assist others with the skills and knowledge needed online.

What have you enjoyed most about your role?

Laurie: The ability to express myself creatively and learn new skills whilst being able to help other students.

Jeffrey: I have enjoyed creating blogposts on the various aspects of digital capabilities, such as my two-part blogposts on Fake News & Plagiarism – Foiling Fake News (Part 1) and Preventing Plagiarism (Part 2).

What do you feel has been your biggest achievement this semester?

Jeffrey: My biggest achievement this semester has been creating high-quality blogposts which have gained a significant amount of traction.

Laurie: Creating my Ten Top Library and Information Services Tips display and bookmarks (see blogpost) which I really believe will be a beneficial resource for students now and for years to come.

Table and display board with post-it-notes stuck to it.
Laurie’s top tips display in the Hugh Owen Library
Bookmark containing 10 tips for students
Laurie’s top tips bookmark

What new skills have you learnt from this role?

Laurie: I’ve learnt a lot, including media content creation, graphic design skills and communication skills.

Jeffrey: I’ve developed my communication skills, organisational skills, research methods, and fact checking through this role.

What do you hope to achieve next semester?

Jeffrey: I hope to reach more students with my posts so I can help as many students as possible.

Laurie: A continued sense of achievement and enjoyment in the role as well as gaining more insight into how digital capabilities can help students at the university.

Thank you to Laurie and Jeffrey for all their hard work this semester, and we look forward to learning more from them in the new year!

My review of LinkedIn Learning

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In this blogpost, Jeffrey Clark, a Student Digital Champion within our team, provides his review of LinkedIn Learning.

Banner with Student Digital Champion

LinkedIn Learning: An Introduction

At Aberystwyth University there are plenty of books and learning materials to sink your teeth into. But what about when you’re on the go? Or you want to explore other topics that pique your interest but don’t know where to start? Founded in 1995 as Lynda.com, LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform with thousands of courses to choose from. The courses are designed by industry professionals and credible experts in fields ranging from business studies to personal wellbeing. While this service would normally require a paid subscription, students and staff at Aberystwyth University can enjoy access to LinkedIn Learning for free across any device!

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Ten Top Library and Information Services Tips

Laurie Stevenson [las60] Student Digital Champions, Students Leave a comment
Banner with Student Digital Champion

Starting university can be a daunting and navigating the IT side of things can be confusing. We’ve therefore put together a collecting of helpful links and videos to cover any questions you may have about our IT and library services at Aberystwyth University.

Tip1: Where is everything in the Hugh Owen Library? Watch this virtual library tour:

Tip 2: Which buildings on campus have student printers? Here is the location of all printers on campus.

Tip 3: How do I print from a university printer? Watch this short demo video:

Tip 4: How do I top up my AberCard? Log into your account here to top up your AberCard.

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Fake News & Plagiarism: Stop the Spread! Part 2 – Preventing Plagiarism

WordPress User [jec68] Information, data and media literacies, Student Digital Champions, Students Leave a comment
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Don’t be a copycat!
Welcome to part 2 of our series on fake news and plagiarism. In part one we looked at the world of smoke and mirrors that is fake news. In this part, we will go over the many forms of plagiarism, how to avoid accidental plagiarism, and ways you can combat deliberate acts of plagiarism.

What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else’s work as if it were your own without giving credit to the original author(s) of the work. In other words, plagiarism is a form of theft but instead of physical property it is the idea of someone else, or intellectual property. There are several ways of committing plagiarism, many accidental and others intentional. Fortunately, virtually every course at Aberystwyth University goes over the basics of academic integrity as well as the proper referencing scheme to use for your course. More information on plagiarism can be found through the LibGuides page on plagiarism.

Referencing & Plagiarism Awareness LibGuide

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Join our Christmas Learning Challenge!

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Our Christmas Learning Challenge begins tomorrow, Wednesday 7 December! We have put together 12 short courses, videos, and audio content for you to view and listen to over the next 12 days from LinkedIn Learning. This content ranges from 2-8 minutes and will help you to develop a range of skills – from using keyboard shortcuts in MS Teams to developing your self-confidence.

How do I join the challenge?

There are two ways for you to join the challenge:

  • You can either follow the links on each day of the challenge from the calendar below
  • Or you can follow our Christmas Learning Challenge Learning Path (which will also display at the top of the LinkedIn Learning homepage when you login).
Calendar-Her-Dysgur-Nadolig_Christmas-Learning-Challenge-Calendar-1Download

Finally, if you haven’t activated your LinkedIn Learning account yet, remember to do so before 6 January 2023 and you will automatically be entered into a raffle where you will have the opportunity of winning one of three £20 vouchers. For any queries about the challenge, please email the Digital Capabilities Team (digi@aber.ac.uk), and we hope you enjoy your 12 days of learning!