Irish National Digital

INDEx FINDINGS FROM STUDENTS AND
STAFF WHO TEACH IN HIGHER EDUCATION

National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching
and Learning in Higher Education
Irish National Digital Experience (INDEx) Survey:
Findings from students and staff who teach in higher
education
Survey completed: December 2019

Report published: May 2020
Report updated: 9 May 2020
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Irish National Digital Experience (INDEx) Survey: Findings from students and staff who teach in higher education
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Chapter Section
Minister’s welcome 5
Foreword 7
OVERVIEW Executive summary 9
At-a-glance findings 16
Rationale 17
Who responded to the survey 19
METHODOLOGY The INDEx Survey 20
Participants, response rates and representativeness 21
Analysis 24
FINDINGS Five themes 26
A note on digital capabilities and digital competence 29
Structure of this chapter 30
Theme One: Digital Teaching and Learning Practices 31
1.1 Digital learning activities and tools 32
1.2 Online interaction and online teaching 37
1.3 Online assessment and feedback 39
1.4 Creating digital media 41
1.5 Using the VLE 43
1.6 Theme One: Concluding comments 45
Theme Two: Digital Infrastructure 47
2.1 Basics of digital infrastructure 48
2.2 Access to digital resources 50
2.3 Students’ own devices 52
2.4 Assistive technologies 54
2.5 Theme Two: Concluding comments 59
Theme Three: Digital Skills Development and Support 61
3.1 Guidance regarding digital skills needed 62
3.2 Digital skills development 63
3.3 Digital workplace readiness 65
3.4 Sources of support 67
3.5 Theme Three: Concluding comments 69
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Theme Four: Digital Environment and Culture 71
4.1 Student wellbeing and student data protection 72
4.2 Staff information regarding digital responsibilities 74
4.3 Student and staff roles in digital decision-making 76
4.4 Theme Four: Concluding comments 78
Theme Five: Attitudes to Digital 79
5.1 Attitudes to use of digital technologies 80
5.2 Student preferences regarding digital resources and learning 82
5.3 Student and staff assessment of digital at institution 85
5.4 Theme Five: Concluding comments 90
CONCLUSION Summary of key findings 93
Concluding remarks 99
Actionable next steps 103
APPENDICES Appendix 1. Report authors and sectoral partnership 105
Appendix 2. Participating institutions 107
Appendix 3. Thematic coding framework 108
Appendix 4. Definitions used in the INDEx Report 110
Appendix 5. Student Survey: Summary results 111
Appendix 6. Survey of Staff Who Teach: Summary results 117
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Minister’s Welcome
I am thrilled to be in a position to welcome the findings of Ireland’s National Digital Experience Survey.
This report is the product of enormous commitment and collaboration and its contents provide valuable
insights and evidence for the future. The report has implications for decision-making at every level of
higher education and, indeed, other related sectors of Government and its recommended actions will be
carefully attended to. Digital competence and agility have become crucial for all Irish citizens and their
importance is likely to become even more pronounced in the coming years. It is therefore paramount that
we optimise the digital provision and supports in our higher education institutions so that graduates may
experience success in their future lives and work.
I commend the fact that the INDEx Survey features the input of both students and staff who teach. As
the report mentions, developing the digital capabilities of students and staff is, without question, an
interdependent endeavour and this is clear across all the INDEx findings. We cannot expect to enhance
student learning without considering the perspectives and needs of those shaping that learning, and we
cannot expect to enhance teaching without understanding the engagement and experiences of those
being taught.
Another notable characteristic of the Survey is its timing. The importance of the digital lives of teachers
and learners has never been more in focus than it is at the current moment. I was interested to read that
Ireland is the only country with national data representing all students and staff currently experiencing the
sudden shift to online teaching and learning. We have a unique dataset at a unique time, and it is up to
the whole higher education community to make the most of it.
The INDEx findings demonstrate how much students in higher education value digital technologies in their
learning. Both students and staff who teach have reported that they would like to see digital used more
in teaching and learning. If use of digital is to be extended, we must leverage the insights in this report to
ensure this is done in a deliberate, coherent manner and that all those engaging with technology, whether
for teaching or learning, are well supported in terms of infrastructure, policies, pedagogies and skills
development.
I thank the National Forum and the INDEx Steering Group and Digital Education Advisory Group, as well
as the broader higher education community, for their stellar efforts in bringing this report to fruition. Its
contents will be of interest to all in higher education and will no doubt resonate through national and
institutional policy and practice in the years to come.
Mary Mitchell O’Connor

Minister of State for Higher Education
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Foreword
Foreword
On behalf of the Union of Students in Ireland [USI], I am delighted to endorse the findings of this report.
The Irish National Digital Experiences Survey, conducted across October and November 2019 in 32
Irish higher education institutions, gives Ireland, for the first time, a national understanding of the
digital experiences of students and staff who teach. As we read the report now, in spring 2020, we find
ourselves in the midst of one of the most unprecedented and widespread health crises in modern times.
A crisis that has provided an unparalleled challenge for just about every sector in society, as we seek to
evolve our normal ways of working and to embrace remote working and learning as the ‘new normal’.
As Irish higher education seeks to prepare for a new academic year, one that will no doubt be delivered in
a manner like never before, all stakeholders within the sector will be keen to learn from the digital pivot we
have undertaken over the last few months. The quick switch to digital teaching & learning over the course
of just a matter of weeks is not in itself an example of best practice in online learning, but instead provides
a good example of crisis management and resilience within the sector. In order to build on this, and to
develop an enhanced digital teaching & learning environment for all, it is important that the sector listens
to the experience of students and those who teach them, and combines this with expertise in pedagogy,
digital innovation, and student engagement. The INDEx survey results provide an excellent foundation
which the Irish sector can use to build a truly engaging and inclusive digital learning environment
together.
When just under 50% of the 25,000+ students surveyed indicated that they would like digital technologies
to be used in their course more than they are now, they could never have imagined what was to come.
However, whilst the teaching arrangements of recent times might not in themselves exemplify the type of
digital teaching students who filled in this survey would have been thinking of, they symbolize an almost
universal experience that all learners and educators can refer to when engaging in conversations around
the future of digital learning and teaching in Ireland.
The data contained in this report is no less relevant now that an increased number of staff and students
have discovered the world of live online teaching, in fact, it now takes on an even greater significance.
Those who had never previously been engaged in live online learning up until March 2020 now have
added anecdotal experience which they can refer to when engaging in conversations around the findings
of this survey, and how they can be used to improve the digital experience for all staff and students at an
institutional level.
It is important, however, that we do not view this survey’s findings as actionable only at an institutional
level. Moreover, the fact that this report provides us with a national dataset underlines the need for it to
be considered at this level, and for significant action to be undertaken across the sector. Firstly, if recent
months, and some of the findings from this report demonstrate anything, it’s that digital learning is only
possible when adequate digital infrastructure is in place. We must therefore consider how broadband can
be rolled out across all parts of the country, so that having adequate bandwidth to engage fully in online
learning does not continue to be a postcode lottery.
Secondly, staff and students require support in developing the adequate digital literacy to be able to
engage in digital teaching & learning. Existing initiatives aimed at exploring this area of practice, such
as the IUA’s Enhancing Digital Teaching & Learning, and the CUA’s iNote project will add great value to
national efforts to enhance digital literacy, but it’s important also that professional development for staff
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in the area of digital teaching & learning is a priority across the higher education sector, and institutional
efforts are aided and championed by sectoral leaders. Furthermore, the needs of students and staff who
require additional support must too be considered, and the principles of universal design for learning
should be championed when we explore the creation of new digital teaching & learning initiatives.
Finally, it is important that conversations on ‘what next’ are not confined to senior committees, and board
meetings, but cascaded to the almost 30,000 staff and students who engaged with this survey, and the
rest of the higher educator population too. Almost one third of students, and nearly half of staff who were
surveyed felt that they did not have the opportunity to be involved in discussions about digital services at
their institutions. In order to enact meaningful change, and to build a digital environment that is engaging
and accessible for all, this report must not become an agenda item on one committee, but rather, a
conversation that starts today, and goes beyond the boardrooms, and into the heart of each and every
(digital) classroom.
USI looks forward to continuing to engage with all stakeholders in building a Digital Future for all.
Kevin McStravock
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Union of Students in Ireland [USI]
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Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Across all countries and contexts, higher education institutions are confronted with the question of how to
adapt and shape higher education in an increasingly digital, networked world. At a time of unprecedented
global challenge, the importance of confident, supported engagement with digital technology has become
clear. The findings of the Irish National Digital Experience (INDEx) Survey, presented in this report, provide
a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the digital engagement, experiences and expectations of
students and staff who teach across our sector.
Overall, the INDEx Survey stands as an important benchmark for Irish higher education, recorded at a key
moment in time. Ireland is the only country with national data representative of all students and staff who
subsequently experienced the sudden shift to online teaching and learning resulting from the COVID-19
pandemic. The data reflect a sector in which digital technology was considered valuable for learning, and
both students and staff who teach were eager for more use of digital technology and additional support
to develop their digital skills. The potential, both latent and manifest, which allowed the higher education
community to move to teaching and learning online and to transfer, re-purpose and re-imagine existing
knowledge and experience reflects the significant Government investment in teaching and learning
over the past several years and the sustained efforts of institutions and all those who support staff and
students.
The INDEx Survey has deep roots in the policy and practice contexts of Irish higher education. The
publication of the National Strategy for Higher Education to 20301 and subsequent establishment of the
National Forum in 2013 accelerated the momentum of teaching and learning enhancement in Ireland,
with a distinct focus on building digital capacity that has carried forward to this day. A nationwide
consultation conducted by the National Forum in 2013-15 to explore the perspectives and experiences of
senior managers, staff and students regarding teaching and learning in a digital world indicated that we
could all be using technology more effectively to improve the way we teach, and to transform the ways in
which students are enabled to engage with their learning. This consultation resulted in the development
of the Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World2, which identified key drivers for capacity building,
encouraged purposeful dialogue between stakeholders, and presented focused, action-orientated ways
in which digital learning and digital innovation could be fostered across the sector. The shared vision for
building digital capacity that emerged from the Roadmap led to the establishment and implementation of
the INDEx Survey and will be an important touchstone as we continue to interrogate the survey findings
and look to the future.
1 Department of Education and Skills (2019). National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 https://www.gov.ie/en/
publication/072a65-national-strategy-for-higher-education-to-2030/
2 National Forum (2015). Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/
teaching-and-learning-in-irish-higher-education-a-roadmap-for-enhancement-in-a-digital-world-2015-2017/
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The INDEx Survey

The INDEx Survey was undertaken in autumn 2019 to explore the digital experiences of students and
staff who teach in Irish higher education. Data was collected from 25,484 students and 4,445 staff who
teach at 32 higher education institutions. The survey was coordinated and managed by the National
Forum in partnership with members of the higher education community. The aim was to highlight what
makes a difference to students and staff who teach in Irish higher education, providing an evidence base
to inform decision-making and future enhancement of digital teaching and learning.
The INDEx Survey was composed of two separate online survey instruments: the INDEx Student Survey,
open to all students enrolled on taught programmes of study, both undergraduate and postgraduate,
aged 18 and over, and the INDEx Survey of Staff Who Teach, open to all staff who teach and all who
support teaching and learning, including academic, professional and technical staff. Students and staff
shared their digital practices, attitudes, preferences and recommendations, as well as their experiences of
digital infrastructure, digital skills and support provision, and digital environment and culture within their
institutions.
Key strengths of the INDEx Survey were its breadth in terms of the range and diversity of students and
staff who participated, its reach across the sector, its consideration of digital capabilities in different
domains, both individual and institutional, and its enabling of national and international benchmarking.
The INDEx dataset is benchmarked with three national datasets available to us via published findings
from similar digital experience surveys conducted in the UK (for both students and teaching staff) and
Australia and New Zealand (for students).
Consolidated key findings

Importance of digital to student learning in Irish higher education
A majority of students agreed that when digital technologies are used on their course, they understand
things better, enjoy learning more, are more independent in their learning and can fit learning into their
life more easily. Indeed, half of students indicated that they would like digital technologies to be used
on their course more than they are now. Almost three-quarters of students rated the overall quality of
digital teaching and learning on their course as above average. Interestingly, given student reporting of
the benefits of digital technologies, over two-thirds of staff who teach also indicated that they would like
digital technologies to be used in their teaching practice more than they are at present.
Supporting student and staff digital capabilities

Four in ten students said they had regular opportunities to review and update their digital skills.
When asked to describe what their institution could do to improve their experience of digital teaching
and learning, students requested more interactivity in teaching, in both lectures and online, and
emphasised the need for ongoing support for themselves and the staff who teach them in developing
digital skills, knowledge and confidence. It is clear that the digital capabilities of students and staff who
teach are interdependent and that participatory, co-creative digital pedagogies are valued by students.
Indeed, students cited lecturers on their course as their primary support in using digital technology in their
learning.
The vast majority of staff who teach engaged in development of their digital teaching skills either formally
or informally and more than a third reported that their institution regularly provided opportunities for them
to develop their digital skills. There was a relatively even split between the sources of support staff most
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Executive Summary
relied on to use digital technology in their teaching: online videos and resources, teaching colleagues, and
support staff. Close to half of all staff who teach rated as above average the support they received from
their institution to develop the digital aspects of their role. When asked to describe what their institution
could do to support them in their use of technology for teaching, the most popular response from staff
who teach was more and dedicated time to develop digital teaching and learning. This was reinforced by
separate findings that half of all staff who teach did not feel that their institution provided them with time
and support to innovate or reward/recognition when they developed the digital aspects of their role.
A new understanding of which digital tools and activities are valued

We have never before had such robust national data telling us which digital tools and digital teaching
and learning activities students and staff use and value. For example, we know that the digital tool found
most useful by students and staff is the virtual learning environment (VLE), and that universal, effective
and consistent use of the VLE and provision of lecture recordings were two of students’ top requests for
improving their experience of digital teaching and learning. Regarding digital activities, the course-related
digital activity most students found useful was polling/quizzing. This new knowledge about what is valued
can be combined with related findings regarding support and provision to inform future decision-making.
At the time of the INDEx Survey, for example, one-quarter of students reported having access to lecture
recordings and just under a third of staff who teach reported having access to lecture capture; two-thirds
of students reported having access to polling/quizzing on their course, while half of all staff who teach
had never carried out live polls or quizzes in class.
Access to wifi, devices and digitally-enabled teaching and learning spaces

Overall, four in five students and two-thirds of staff who teach rated the quality of their institution’s
digital provision (software, hardware, learning environment) as above average. Although access to
reliable institutional wifi was available to most students and staff who teach, one in five student and staff
respondents reported that they lacked such access. When asked how their institution could improve their
experience of digital teaching and learning, students’ top suggestion was access to better, faster, more
stable wifi.
Student device ownership and use for learning was high overall, but it was not universal. Eight out of
ten students used a personally-owned smartphone to support their learning, with one-third of students
reporting that they regularly accessed the VLE on a mobile device. While nine out of ten students owned
and used a laptop, over one-quarter of students indicated that they would find it useful to have more
laptops/tablets on long-term loan. These findings suggest caution in assuming that all student devices
are equally suitable or reliable, particularly during the current period of institutional closures with students
relying on access to personal devices, software and wifi in order to take part in learning and assessment.
Nearly half of all students but just under a third of staff agreed that teaching spaces were well-designed
for digital technologies. Priorities for students, in addition to access to reliable wifi, included adequate
access to reliable, up-to-date computers, devices and printers (in classrooms, lecture halls, computer
labs, libraries, etc.) and access to adequate power and seating to support learning and wellbeing. Staff
who teach described a variety of ways that teaching spaces could better support their use of digital
technologies for teaching, mostly by facilitating seamless use of devices and technologies across different
teaching spaces. As infrastructure and needs vary across institutions and discipline areas, it will be
important to explore the specific needs of students and staff within each institution.
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Online teaching and learning

Until the recent sudden shift to remote/online learning, teaching and learning in a live online environment
was largely considered the purview of those who taught or were enrolled in online programmes, or those
who support them. At the time of the INDEx Survey, 70% of staff who teach had never taught in a live
online environment; looking at the benchmarking data, this compares with 74% in the UK. This proportion
will have changed dramatically since March 2020. Many who had never taught or learned online now
have done so and understanding their experiences and how their attitudes and expectations with regard
to online teaching and learning have been affected will be essential in order to make sure that the
evidence of the INDEx Survey and of recent experience both inform future decision-making.
Supporting the needs of all students

One in ten students reported that assistive technologies were vital to meet their learning needs. Students’
largely positive assessments re digital teaching and learning were consistent across almost all cohorts of
students. Some differences in engagement and attitudes were evident, however, and these may point to
differing needs that can be taken into account in ensuring equitable provision and support for all students.
For example, full-time students were more likely to want digital technology to be used more for learning;
postgraduate students were more likely to have created an e-portfolio; online students were less likely
to access the VLE on a mobile device; mature students were more likely to use assistive technologies;
and international students were more likely to regularly work online with others as part of their course. In
addition, students in their institution for less than one year were more likely to have used polling/quizzing,
to have had opportunities to update their digital skills, and to be involved in digital decision-making.
Digital workplace readiness

The importance of digital skills and digital competence for higher education students is widely
acknowledged, but INDEx findings shed further light on this. Three-quarters of all students agreed that
digital skills are important for their chosen career; while there were some disciplinary differences, a
majority of students in all discipline areas agreed. In contrast with this perceived need, however, fewer
than half of all students believed that their course prepared them for the digital workplace. Detailed
analysis and discussion of INDEx data within institutions, and within specific disciplines/departments, will
be helpful in designing, adapting and implementing initiatives to address these gaps. Examples of findings
that relate to workplace readiness and may be worth interrogating at institutional and programme level
are the degree to which students collaborate online, produce work in digital formats other than Word/
PowerPoint, or feel that the software used on their course is industry standard and up-to-date.
Importance of professional identity to staff engagement, experiences and expectations

The INDEx Survey definition of staff who teach was ‘all staff who teach and all who support teaching and
learning’. Staff respondents encompassed a range of roles including, for example, lecturer, academic dean,
education developer, instructional designer, learning technologist, library staff, manager, technician and
tutor. The findings indicate that professional identity may be relevant to engagement, experiences and
expectations related to digital technologies, with responses varying somewhat across roles. For example,
findings indicate that: lecturers are close to the overall average for all staff who teach in practices such as
use of polling/quizzing, creating learning materials using digital media, and teaching live online; librarians
and managers are most likely to have time to innovate; learning technologists and deans are most likely to
have an opportunity to be involved in decisions about digital services; and managers are most likely to be
informed about their responsibilities re students’ online safety.
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Executive Summary
Digital policies
Underpinning digital capabilities and pedagogical practices are the digital strategies, environment,
culture and policies within each institution. It is these organisational digital capabilities that motivate,
enable and support the individual digital capabilities and digital practices of students and staff. While
each institution may have a range of policies in place regarding digital teaching and learning, many
students and staff indicated that they were unaware of these policies or the related guidelines. Only half
of all students said their institution protected their data privacy and just over a quarter said they were
informed about how their personal data was stored and used, while half of staff respondents said they
were informed about their responsibilities with regard to managing learner data securely. Four in ten
students said their institution helped them to stay safe online, while fewer than two in ten staff said they
were informed about their responsibilities with respect to ensuring students’ online safety. Additional
findings indicate further areas where awareness of existing policy-related guidelines was low, e.g., use
of assistive technologies, copyright and licensing. These findings indicate a need to increase student and
staff awareness of and engagement with policy development and implementation.
Digital decision-making
INDEx findings show that almost one-third of students and nearly half of all staff who teach reported
they did not have the opportunity to be involved in decisions about digital services at their institution. It
is not possible to ascertain from this data if this is because respondents did not have such opportunities
or were unaware of the opportunities available to them. However, in their responses regarding how
their institution could better support their use of technology for teaching, several staff requested that
institutions consult with staff when making decisions about new technology, tools and platforms.
Reflection on these student and staff findings from an institutional perspective may help individual
institutions to enhance communications and engagement with respect to current and future digital
decisions. Engaging and partnering with students and staff can ensure that digital strategies, policies and
initiatives will complement and support the diverse needs of students and staff across the institution.
Differences across institution types

In the main, INDEx findings were largely similar across all institution types, although there were some
differences. For example, students at technological higher education institutions (THEIs) were most likely
to agree that their course prepared them for the digital workplace; staff at THEIs were most likely to have
taught live online. Students at universities gave the highest ratings for their institution’s overall digital
provision; university staff were most likely to have access to lecture capture. Students at private colleges
had the highest access to recorded lectures and staff who teach at private colleges were most likely to
be involved in digital decisions. At other institutions, students and staff were most likely to say they had
access to reliable wifi and students reported the highest access to digital resources.
Differences between countries

Australia and New Zealand (for students only). Overall, the generally similar expectations and experiences
in the four countries highlight the structural and cultural similarities across these higher education sectors.
Differences were observed in a few areas. For example, compared with students in the UK, Australia and
New Zealand, students in Ireland were more likely to access the VLE on a mobile device and less likely to
have access to recorded lectures. Students in Australia and New Zealand were more likely to have created
a digital record or portfolio of their learning than students in the UK or Ireland. Compared with staff who
teach in the UK, staff who teach in Ireland were more likely to use the VLE for student collaboration and
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have regular opportunities to develop their digital skills, but only half as likely to have access to lecture
capture.
A unique characteristic of the INDEx Survey was its combined focus, nationally, on both students
and staff who teach. Across the findings, the multiple interdependencies between students and
staff who teach were evident, most notably with respect to digital capabilities. Students and
staff often make assumptions about one another’s digital capabilities, for example, students
relying primarily on lecturers for support in using technology for learning, and staff assuming
that students are aware of and know how to use (and make the most of) various digital tools.
Critically, the digital capabilities of staff who teach enable them to use digital technologies to
enhance pedagogic practice as well as to support learners to actively develop their own digital
capabilities. Developing the digital capabilities of students and staff must be viewed as an
interdependent endeavour, informed by the evidence of research and practice and supported by
knowledgeable decision-making regarding institutional supports and provisions.
Building a future together

INDEx findings reflect a higher education community that has progressed significantly with respect to
engagement with digital technologies since the Digital Roadmap was first developed. None of this would
have been possible without the foundations that had been laid for effective community and collaborative
working, including willingness to collaborate, experience of collaborative project management and
implementation, the availability of the infrastructure for collaboration, and commitment to collaboration.
From initial contact with registrars and policy partners to the convening of a national steering group,
through all steps involved in collectively mobilising students and staff to encourage participation in the
survey among their colleagues and peers, collaboration was crucial.
There is work to be done at every level of higher education in raising awareness of, and engagement
with, existing provision and supports and in addressing identified gaps. The sense of shared purpose
and cross-cutting ambition that underpinned the INDEx Survey will now need to carry through to the
realisation of the potential of its findings. A rich picture of the needs and priorities of students and staff
who teach with respect to the digital dimension of their lives in education is available to us. It supplements
existing evidence and comes at a time when the potential and the commitment of the sector to work
together for the good of all students have never been more evident. We need to determine, together, how
we can channel this energy and leverage existing potential to identify areas where focused effort may
accomplish relevant, specific, positive outcomes for all students and staff.
With much of the Digital Roadmap purposefully navigated, and this new evidence base of the digital
engagement, experiences and expectations of students and staff now available, Irish higher education is
primed to consider a re-articulated vision for digital teaching and learning. We can move from the original
Digital Roadmap to a mapping of enhanced pathways to student success underpinned by robust digital
infrastructures, policies and pedagogical approaches. Collaboration, responsiveness and adaptability
to institutional contexts will be prioritised as we re-articulate a national vision for digital teaching and
learning3. This will require openness at institutional and system levels, meaningful partnership between
students and staff, and structures that enable ongoing communication and problem-solving, at local and
national levels, as the digital terrain continues to evolve.
3 National Forum Strategy 2019-21 https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/strategy-2019-2021-leading-

enhancement-and-innovation-in-teaching-and-learning/
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Executive Summary
Since the closure of all higher education institutions in March 2020, staff and students across the
sector have made enormous efforts to continue teaching and learning remotely and online. This has
been accomplished in the context of a continuing global health crisis and myriad individual and family
challenges. While the exact contours of our future are not yet known, capable and critical engagement
with digital technology remains central to our mission in higher education. Now particularly, we recognise
that ‘digital’ does not only relate to those with ‘digital’ in their titles and is not just an individual endeavour.
Student-staff partnership and equitable, holistic approaches will help us to move towards becoming truly
digitally capable institutions and a digitally capable sector – helping students and staff to thrive as they
live, learn and work in a rapidly changing and increasingly digital world: building our future together.
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At-a-Glance Findings
• A majority of students agreed that when digital technologies are used on their course, they understand
life more easily.
• 48% of students would like digital technologies to be used in their course more than they are now and
68% of staff who teach would like digital technologies to be used in their teaching practice more than
they are at present.
• 80% of students and 64% of staff who teach rated as above average the overall quality of their
institution’s digital provision (software, hardware, learning environment).
• 71% of students rated as above average the overall quality of digital teaching and learning on their
course. The report provides detail about the digital tools and digital activities that students found most
valuable.
• When asked to describe what one thing their institution could do, or do better, to improve their
stable wifi. The next three most popular suggestions were effective and consistent use of the VLE by
staff who teach, availability of lecture recordings, and access to reliable, up-to-date hardware and
software.
• When asked to describe one thing their institution could do, or do better, to support them in their use
of technology for teaching, the three most popular responses from staff were more and dedicated
time to develop digital teaching and learning, improved digital infrastructure, and more support and
professional development re digital skills, digital literacies and the use of educational technologies; 46%
of staff who teach rated the support they received from their institution to develop the digital aspects of
their role as above average.
• Lecturers were seen by students as their main source of support to use digital technology in their
learning; there was a relatively even split between the sources of support staff most relied on to use
digital technology in their teaching: online videos and resources, teaching colleagues, and support staff.
• 74% of students believed that digital skills were important in their chosen career; 46% said their course
prepared them for the digital workplace.
• 70% of staff who teach had never taught in a live online environment (using benchmarking data, this
compares with 74% in the UK); this proportion will have changed dramatically since March 2020.
• 30% of students and 44% of staff who teach said they did not have the opportunity to be involved in
decisions about digital services at their institution.
• There are some differences in INDEx findings across student cohorts (e.g., discipline area, mode of
study) and institution type, as well as a small number of differences between INDEx findings and
equivalent Digital Experience Insights findings from the UK, Australia and New Zealand. These will be
valuable for institutions to interrogate to inform decision-making and to ensure equitable opportunities
for all.
• Across the findings, multiple interdependencies between students and staff who teach were evident,
most notably with respect to digital capabilities. Both students and staff who teach requested
additional and ongoing support in developing their digital skills and knowledge, digital literacies, and
digital confidence.
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Rationale
Rationale
The INDEx Survey has deep roots in the policy and practice contexts of Irish higher education. The
publication of the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 and subsequent establishment of the
National Forum by the Minister for Education and Skills in 2013 accelerated the momentum of teaching
and learning enhancement in Ireland, with a distinct focus on building digital capacity which has carried
forward to this day.
A nationwide consultation conducted by the National Forum in 2013-15 to explore the perspectives and
experiences of senior managers, staff and students regarding teaching and learning in a digital world
indicated that we could all be using technology more effectively to improve the way we teach, and
to transform the ways in which students are enabled to engage with their learning. This consultation
resulted in the development of the Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World4, which identified key
drivers for capacity building, encouraged purposeful dialogue between stakeholders, and presented
focused, action-orientated ways in which digital learning and digital innovation could be fostered across
the sector:
Building digital capacity is about much more than developing a capacity for online course provision
and the use of digital tools. It is about developing new ways of dealing with information, working
and learning in a digital environment, using time and information differently, and developing new
versatility when it comes to interaction in learning environments. Embracing the full potential of
digital technology poses a challenge to many of our basic structures, our assumptions, our policies
and procedures, not least regarding our beliefs and attitudes about the role and nature of higher
education itself.
Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World, 2015, p. 4
The subsequent implementation of the Roadmap recommendations informed and shaped recent
advances in engagement with digital in higher education, creating a sense of shared purpose and
strategic coherence. The National Forum supported large-scale inter-institutional collaborative projects
and local practice seminars and worked in partnership with the sector to conduct national reviews
mapping the technological infrastructure of higher education, the digital policy landscape, institutional
engagement with learner data, and initial insights into the experience and support of the digital dimension
of higher education5.
The knowledge and understandings emerging from this work interacted with policy development in real
time. Action Plans for Education and System Performance Frameworks6 published by the Department
of Education and Skills, and related national funding calls7, responded to the evidence gathered and
encouraged individual and institutional engagement with resulting frameworks and structures that
4 National Forum (2015) Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World 2015-17: https://www.teachingandlearning.
ie/publication/teaching-and-learning-in-irish-higher-education-a-roadmap-for-enhancement-in-a-digital-
world-2015-2017/
5 National Forum (2018) Building Digital Capacity in Irish Higher Education 2013–18: https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/
publication/building-digital-capacity-in-irish-higher-education-2013-18-national-developments-and-key-perspectives/
6 See the Action Plan for Education 2016-19: https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Corporate-Reports/Strategy-
Statement/Department-of-Education-and-Skills-Strategy-Statement-2016-2019.pdf and the Higher Education System
Performance Framework 2018-20: https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/higher-education-
system-performance-framework-2018-2020.pdf
7 See, for example, the 2018 Innovation and Transformation Fund (https://hea.ie/funding-governance-performance/
funding/innovation-call/https:/hea.ie/funding-governance-performance/funding/innovation-call/) and the 2019 Strategic
Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funding in Higher Education (https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/
funding/strategic-alignment-of-teaching-and-learning-enhancement-funding-in-higher-education-2019/) 17
leverage the potential of digital technology to optimise the learning and development opportunities for
each student.
The development of the 2019-21 Strategy of the National Forum in late 2018 provided a timely
opportunity to reflect on the achievements by the higher education community to date and to consider
how the high-level ambitions of the Digital Roadmap could continue to be realised systemically over the
longer term. The Strategy emphasised the need for a re-articulated vision for digital teaching and learning
in Irish higher education, informed by the experiences of recent years and developed in partnership with
policy partners and sectoral stakeholders. There was an acknowledgement, however, that before outlining
a new vision for digital teaching and learning it would be important to gather evidence on how those who
teach and learn in higher education are engaging with and experiencing digital.
The INDEx findings represent a unique and timely record of the digital engagement, experiences and
expectations of those who teach and learn in higher education nationally and an important benchmark
for our sector nationally and internationally. The findings will allow national-level developments, such
as the upcoming Digital Transformation Framework, and the realisation of the ambitions laid out in
key documents, such as the Charter for Irish Universities and the recent report of the Technological
Universities Research Network8, to be well informed so that Ireland continues to lead in digital teaching
and learning within the European higher education context. They will also underpin cross-sectoral
innovation projects such as the Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning (IUADigEd) project9 currently
ongoing across Irish universities and the Innovative Opportunities Transforming Education (iNOTE)
project10 being undertaken across institutions in the Connaught Ulster Alliance.
At institutional level, collaborative interrogation of the findings and consideration of their meaning will
ensure that future policy and practice decisions at individual, departmental or institutional levels that
impact on teaching approaches and student learning experiences are grounded in what is known to be
true; to build a future together, we must first know where we are.
8 See information on the upcoming Digital Transformation Framework here: https://hea.ie/assets/uploads/2017/04/190621_

Digital-transformation_Proceedings.pdf; See the Charter for Irish Universities here: https://www.iua.ie/wp-content/
uploads/2019/08/IUA_Charter_2018_v16.pdf; See the TURN Report here: https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/
Education-Reports/connectedness-collaboration-through-connectivity.pdf
9 See here: https://www.iua.ie/ourwork/learning-teaching/digital-learning/
10 See here: https://digitaled.ie/
18
Who responded to the survey
Who Responded to the

Survey
A key strength of the INDEx Survey is the breadth of participation – across the entire higher education
sector, including the perspectives of students and those who teach. The tagline for the survey was “Let’s
see where we are, so we can build our future together.”
7 Universities
12 Technological higher education institutions
5 Other institutions
32
INSTITUTIONS
8 Private colleges
11% Response Rate
25,484
STUDENTS
25% Response Rate

4,445
STAFF WHO TEACH
19
Methodology
The INDEx Survey
The Irish National Digital Experience (INDEx) Survey was undertaken in autumn 2019 to explore the
digital experiences of students and staff who teach in Irish higher education. Data was collected from
25,484 students and 4,445 staff who teach at 32 higher education institutions11, with each institution
administering the online survey during a selected three-week period between 14 October and 1 December
2019. The INDEx Survey was coordinated and managed by the National Forum for the Enhancement of
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in partnership with staff and students across the Irish higher
education sector. The INDEx Steering Group, comprising institutional leads at each participating institution
and key student and staff stakeholders, played a central role in this partnership.
The aim of the INDEx Survey was to gather quantitative and qualitative data from students and staff
who teach in Irish higher education, at one point in time, about their digital experiences, engagement
and expectations. The specific objectives were to enable higher education institutions and the higher
education sector more broadly to:
• Understand more about students’ digital experiences and create opportunities for meaningful
collaborative engagement
• Explore the perspectives of staff who teach on the institutional digital environment and the use of
technology for teaching, learning and assessment
• Identify and highlight what makes a difference to students and staff who teach with respect to digital
infrastructure, digital skills, digital tools and digital literacies
• Gather current empirical evidence upon which strategic decisions about digital interventions and
investments can be based, as part of the process of building digital capacity
• Enable international benchmarking with other countries that have completed a similar survey (i.e., the
UK, Australia, New Zealand)
An overarching motive for the survey was to enable students and staff who teach to share their
perspectives, together, in order to inform and influence the future enhancement of digital teaching and
learning across the Irish higher education sector.
The INDEx Survey was composed of two separate online survey instruments. The INDEx Student Survey
was open to all students enrolled on taught programmes of study, both undergraduate and postgraduate,
aged 18 and over. The INDEx Survey of Staff Who Teach was open to all staff who teach and all who
support teaching and learning, including academic, professional and technical staff. Both surveys were
approved by the National Forum Research Ethics Committee and equivalent bodies in each participating
institution. Both INDEx survey instruments can be found on the INDEx website of the National Forum
(www.teachingandlearning.ie/index) and complete sets of responses for the two surveys can be found in
Appendices 5 and 6.
11 A list of participating institutions can be found in Appendix 2.
20
Methodology
The INDEx Survey was based on an existing survey and survey platform developed by Jisc. The Digital
Experience Insights12 surveys have been well-tested and optimised for accessibility and usability based
on their use in the UK since 2013 and Australia and New Zealand since 2017. The National Forum worked
closely with the INDEx Steering Group to tailor the INDEx Survey specifically for students and staff
who teach in Irish higher education while also endeavouring to retain the validity of the original survey
instruments. As a result, INDEx Survey results can be benchmarked with Digital Experience Insights
survey results from the UK, Australia and New Zealand (see Appendices 5 and 6).
Participants, response rates and representativeness

A total of 32 higher education institutions13 in Ireland participated in the INDEx Survey, including all
universities, all technological higher education institutions, most other institutions and several private
colleges (a full list is available in Appendix 2). The number of each type of institution and the proportion of
total student and staff responses from each is shown in Table 1.
Table 1. Institution types and proportion of student and staff responses from each
% Student % Staff
Institution type Count
responses responses
University 7 46% 37%
Technological higher education institution 12 38% 45%
Other institution 5 4% 6%
Private college 8 12% 11%
Total 32 100% 100%
A total of 25,484 students participated in the INDEx Survey. The student response rate was 11%
nationally. Response rates varied across institutions and institution types, as summarised in Table 2. On
average, institutions collected responses from their students at the following rates: private colleges 17%,
universities 11%, technological higher education institutions 10%, and other institutions 8%.
Table 2. Response rate for students
Total student No. of student Student

Institution type
population14 responses response rate
University 107,883 11,707 11%
Technological higher education institution 96,831 9,802 10%
Other institution 11,471 927 8%
Private college 17,788 3,048 17%
Total 233, 973 25,484 11%
12 https://www.jisc.ac.uk/digital-experience-insights
13 At the start of the INDEx Survey project, the three campuses of Technological University Dublin (City, Blanchardstown and
Tallaght), recently merged, were categorised as three separate institutions. However, for the purposes of data analysis
and this final report, these are recognised as Technological University Dublin.
14 Student population figures for 2019-20 were obtained directly from individual institutions.
21
A total of 4,445 staff who teach participated in the INDEx Survey. The response rate for staff who teach
was 25% nationally. Response rates varied across institutions and institution types, as summarised in
Table 3. On average, private colleges collected responses from 36% of staff who teach, technological
higher education institutions collected responses from 30% of staff who teach, and universities and other
institutions 21%.
Table 3. Response rate for staff who teach
Total staff who No. of staff who Staff who teach

Institution type
teach population15 teach responses response rate
University 8,025 1,653 21%
Technological higher education institution 6,824 2,022 30%
Other institution 1 ,302 272 21%
Private college 1,370 498 36%
Total 17,521 4,445 25%
Each participating institution aimed to achieve at least a minimum number of responses from students
and staff who teach in order for these datasets to be representative of the population of students and
staff who teach at each institution. This was easier for larger institutions where a valid and reliable
sample could be achieved with a smaller proportion of the whole. All but one institution (one of the
smallest) achieved at least the minimum number of responses to ensure they had representative samples
for both surveys, assuming a 5% margin of error. The national samples of students and staff who
teach each exceeded the minimum number of responses required for each to be representative of these
populations nationally.16 The data gathered comprise a valid national dataset.
Table 4 shows a profile of student respondents.17 At each participating institution, all registered students
aged 18 and over18 were invited by the registrar (or equivalent) to participate in the INDEx Survey. The
participants span a wide range of student demographics, course types and study modes. Efforts were
made to reduce non-response bias, i.e., to ensure that survey responses were spread relatively evenly
among the entire population, both in the design of the survey and in efforts nationally and institutionally
to engage students. Comparing the profile of student respondents with data about the national higher
education sector19 enables an assessment of the representativeness of the INDEx student dataset. Using
the latest data available from the Higher Education Authority (2018-19), the INDEx student dataset
over-represents students aged 18 and slightly under-represents students aged 19-21 and 30 plus. The
student dataset over-represents female and under-represents male students. Regarding course level
(undergraduate, postgraduate taught and access), the student dataset reflects the higher education
sectoral data. The INDEx dataset over-represents full-time and under-represents part-time students, over-
represents international students and slightly under-represents mature students in comparison with other
students. These variances should be taken into account when interpreting the findings.
15 Population figures for staff who teach were obtained directly from participating institutions; each identified the number
of staff within their institution who fit the INDEx Survey definition of ‘staff who teach’, i.e., all staff who teach and all
who support teaching and learning (see The Index Survey, above). No comparable sectoral dataset is available as this
definition of ‘staff who teach’ spans multiple staff categories, i.e., academic, professional and technical.
16 Details for calculating valid sample sizes was provided by the National Forum to all participating institutions and can be
found on the INDEx website: www.teachingandlearning.ie/index
17 Further details about student respondents can be found in Appendix 5.
18 Ethics approval for the study was obtained for students ages 18 and older. Learners under age 18 are considered to be
a vulnerable group; while including this group would have been preferable, the timeframe did not allow for the added
complexity of gaining consent from parents/guardians.
19 Profile comparison was made to the most recent national student dataset (2018-19) available from the Higher Education
22 Authority
Methodology
Table 4. Profile of student respondents
Student respondents
Age
18 14%
19 to 21 41%
22 to 24 16%
25 to 29 10%
30 plus 18%
Gender
Female 59%
Male 40%
Other 1%
Level
Access, preparatory or foundation course 1%
Undergraduate 80%
Postgraduate taught 19%
FT/PT
Full-time 86%
Part-time 14%
Mature
Yes 32%
No 68%
International
Yes 19%
No 81%
Table 5 shows a profile of staff respondents, i.e., staff who teach who completed the INDEx Survey.
The National Forum uses an inclusive definition of learners and teachers, i.e., all those who learn and all
those who teach in Irish higher education. The INDEx ‘staff who teach’ definition mirrors the National
Forum definition, explicitly including all staff who teach and all who support teaching and learning20. This
inclusive definition recognises that many who teach are not categorised as lecturers or academic staff,
and thus spans multiple job roles and staff categories (e.g., academic, professional, technical). Unlike the
INDEx student data, there is no equivalent sectoral data to which the INDEx staff data can be compared.
Table 5 shows the range of roles of staff respondents. 71% of respondents were lecturers, 6% were tutors,
5% managers, 4% library staff, and smaller proportions were technicians, deans, educational developers,
learning technologists and instructional designers. Another 6% were classified as ‘Other’ which included
roles such as registrar, equality officer, head of department, professor, library staff, administrator, digital
skills trainer, careers advisor, student services staff and researcher. While all supported teaching and
learning, several respondents in these categories explicitly noted that their roles included teaching.
Despite the challenge of engaging staff across multiple roles and categories, concerted efforts were
made to communicate the value of the survey widely and to engage and encourage all staff who teach to
complete it.
20 https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/national-professional-development-framework-for-all-staff-who-teach-
in-higher-education/
23
Table 5. Profile of staff respondents
Staff respondents
Gender
Female 53%
Male 46%
Other 1%
Years at institution
Less than a year 8%
1 to 3 years 16%
4 to 9 years 23%
Ten years or more 53%
Years teaching
Less than a year 6%
1 to 3 years 11%
4 to 9 years 19%
Ten years or more 64%
Role
Academic dean 2%
Educational developer 1%
Instructional designer <1%
Learning technologist 1%
Lecturer 71%
Library staff 4%
Manager 5%
Technician 3%
Tutor 6%
Other 6%
Analysis
This initial report, published in May 2020, presents findings based on a broad descriptive analysis of
the national datasets for students and staff who teach. The report describes the national INDEx data
overall, differences observed in the data, and key findings. Some detailed qualitative analysis of free-
text questions which was undertaken is not included in this report but will be available in due course
on the INDEx website (www.teachingandlearning.ie/index)21. There is scope for further quantitative
and qualitative analysis including additional partitioning of the data, testing for statistical significance,
additional qualitative analysis and focus groups to explore specific findings. Decisions on further analysis
will follow consultation across the sector. All further analysis and reports (e.g., National Forum Insights)
will be available on the National Forum’s INDEx website.
In addition to the mutually agreed core questions on the student and staff surveys, each participating
institution had the option of adding up to four supplementary questions to each survey to reflect local
21 Specific references to additional qualitative analysis are included where relevant, see Findings chapter, Section 1.1.
24
Methodology
institution priorities. The national-level analysis of INDEx Survey findings, summarised in this report, was
based on core survey questions only.
The national datasets were analysed as a whole, filtering each by relevant demographic variables (age,
gender), individual student descriptors (mature student, international student, years at institution),
individual staff descriptors (time in teaching role, time in institution, role), course descriptors (level of
course, mode of study) and discipline area.
The national dataset is also benchmarked with three national datasets available to us via published
findings from Digital Experience Insights (DEI) surveys conducted in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
These datasets are briefly described in Table 6. DEI findings from higher education students and staff
in the UK are available for academic year 2018-1922, allowing INDEx data to be benchmarked for both
students and staff. DEI findings from higher education students in a combined study in Australia and New
Zealand are available for academic year 2017-1823, enabling INDEx data to be benchmarked for students.
The full survey results for the INDEx Survey in Ireland and related DEI surveys in the UK, Australia and
New Zealand are available in Appendices 5 and 6.
Overall, regarding international benchmarking, the findings from the digital experience surveys in
Ireland, the UK, Australia and New Zealand are broadly similar. The generally similar expectations and
experiences in the four countries highlight the structural and cultural similarities across these higher
education sectors. Where there are differences, these are highlighted in the Findings chapter and in the
Conclusion.
Table 6. Benchmarking data: UK, Australia and New Zealand
Abbreviation
Country Survey year No. HEIs Participants
used in report
UK United Kingdom 2018-19 32 15,962 students
UK United Kingdom 2018-19 26 3,485 staff
ANZ Australia and New Zealand 2017-18 12 21,095 students
22 Jisc Digital Experience Insights: Findings from UK Students https://www.jisc.ac.uk/reports/digital-experience-insights-

survey-2019-students-uk and Jisc Digital Experience Insights: Findings from UK Teaching Staff https://www.jisc.ac.uk/
reports/digital-experience-insights-survey-2019-staff-uk
23 Jisc Digital Experience Insights: Findings from ANZ students https://www.jisc.ac.uk/reports/digital-experience-insights-
survey-2018-students-anz 25
Findings
The INDEx Survey was completed by students and staff who teach at most higher education institutions
in Ireland. The findings provide a unique record of the digital experiences of a diverse range of students
and staff in higher education nationally at a particular point in time, autumn 2019. The survey design
enables some comparison of findings across the two surveys, i.e., comparing student and staff
perspectives on digital experiences such as use of the virtual learning environment (VLE), use of assistive
technologies, development of digital skills, digital support, data privacy, wellbeing and more. In addition,
because the INDEx Survey was adapted from a validated and widely-used instrument, the Digital
Experience Insights survey, it is possible to compare findings from the Irish higher education sector with
equivalent recent findings from the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
From the time of its launch, the tagline for the INDEx Survey has been: “Let’s see where we are so we can
build our future together”. Thus, in this national report, student and staff findings are presented together.
It is hoped that this will facilitate mutual consideration of these findings across the sector.
Five themes
The interrogation of the substantial INDEx dataset resulted in the identification of five themes which
offer specific lenses through which to view and understand the data collected (see Figure 1 and Table
7). Themes One and Five are the linchpins, and thus the start and endpoint: the voices of students and
staff sharing their practices, attitudes, preferences and recommendations. Theme One findings outline
the specific digital teaching and learning practices of students and staff. Theme Five findings present
student and staff attitudes to (digital) teaching and learning, their assessments of digital provision at their
institutions, and their specific recommendations for enhancing digital teaching and learning. Findings for
Themes One and Five are thus indicators of the individual digital capabilities of students and staff who
teach. These can be enabled and supported by the organisational digital capabilities of the institutions
within which they learn and teach. Findings in Themes Two through Four are indicators of these
organisational digital capabilities: student and staff experiences of digital infrastructure, digital skills and
support provision, and digital environment and culture.
THEME ONE Digital Teaching and Learning Practices
THEME TWO Digital Infrastructure
THEME THREE Digital Skills Development and Support
THEME FOUR Digital Environment and Culture
THEME FIVE Attitudes to Digital
26
Findings
Figure 1. Five themes of INDEx Survey findings
IDUAL DIG ITAL CAPABILI TI ES

IND I V
Digital Teaching &

Learning Practices
ENABLE SUPPORT
Attitudes to Digital
Digital Digital Environment

Infrastructure & Culture
Digital Skills
Development
& Support
ORG
ANISA ITIES
T I O N A L DI G I TA L C A PA B I L
27
Table 7. Description of five themes of INDEx Survey findings
Theme Findings within theme Digital capabilities
Digital teaching and learning Findings within Theme One are indicators of the
Theme One.
activities; Use of digital tools; individual digital capabilities of students and staff
Digital Teaching
Online assessment and who teach, i.e., those capabilities which prepare
and Learning
feedback; Creation of digital individuals for living, learning and working in a
Practices
media; Use of the VLE continually evolving digital society24
Institutional digital
ThemeTwo: infrastructure; Access to
Digital digital resources; Use of
Infrastructure personal devices; Use of
assistive technologies
Theme Three: Guidance regarding digital Findings within Themes Two through Four are
Digital Skills skills provided; Digital indicators of the organisational digital capabilities
Development and skills development; Digital of higher education institutions, i.e., the extent
Support workplace readiness; Support to which the infrastructure and culture of an
institution enable, motivate and support the digital
Student and staff
practices of students and staff25
wellbeing; Student data
Theme Four:
protection; Information
Digital
for staff regarding digital
Environment and
responsibilities; Student/
Culture
staff roles in digital decision-
making
Attitudes to use of digital

for teaching and learning;
Theme Five: Findings within Theme Five are broad and include
Student preferences for
Attitudes to indicators of individual and organisational digital
learning; Student and staff
Digital capabilities
assessment of digital at
institution
A thematic coding framework can be found in Appendix 3, showing how individual questions on the
student and staff surveys map to each of the five themes.
24 Beetham, H. (2015) Revisiting digital capability https://digitalcapability.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2015/06/11/revisiting-digital-

capability-for-2015/; Dore, L., Geraghty, A., & O’Riordan, G. (2015). Towards a national digital skills framework for Irish
higher education https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/wp-content/uploads/NF-2016-Towards-a-National-Digital-Skills-
Framework-for-Irish-Higher-Education.pdf; Jisc (2016) What is digital capability? https://digitalcapability.jisc.ac.uk/what-
is-digital-capability/individual-digital-capabilities/
25 Jisc (2017) Developing digital capability: An organisational framework http://repository.jisc.ac.uk/6610/1/JFL0066F_
DIGICAP_MOD_ORG_FRAME.PDF
28
Findings
A note on digital capabilities and digital competence

Enhancing digital capacity and building digital literacy are essential to realising the potential of digital
transformation in Irish higher education26. The concept of digital capabilities, encompassing digital
capacity, skills and literacies, is used in the presentation of INDEx Survey findings as, like the survey, it
relates to students, staff and institutions. The concept of digital capabilities is built on existing work in
digital literacies, data literacies and digital wellbeing, as well as Martha Nussbaum’s work in the area
of human development. Nussbaum’s “capabilities approach” conceives of capabilities as opportunities
created by a combination of a person’s abilities together with their social, economic and political
environment27.
The specific concept of ‘individual digital capabilities’ encompasses an individual’s digital skills as well as
critical use of digital technologies, creative digital production, digital communication, collaboration and
partnership, digital learning and development, and digital identity and wellbeing28. What it means to be
digitally capable varies for each person and will depend on their specific role and discipline, as well as
their personal circumstances, experience and other contextual factors. Within the Irish higher education
context, work in the area of digital skills and digital literacies has been influenced by and has built on this
conceptualisation of digital capabilities, e.g., the All Aboard framework29.
The concept of individual digital capabilities aligns closely with that of digital competences as defined in
the European Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp)30. In the context of the INDEx Survey
findings, both concepts are applicable to students and to staff who teach. The concept of individual
digital capabilities of staff who teach, specifically, maps directly to the concept of digital competences for
educators as defined in the European Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu)31. Such
digital capabilities/competences are recognised as an important foundation for enhancing pedagogic
practice and helping to develop students’ digital capabilities.
The concept of ‘organisational digital capabilities’ moves beyond the realm of the individual, recognising
that digital capability goes beyond the capabilities of individuals, even senior leaders. It requires
consideration of institutional strategies, academic and administrative structures and processes,
and cultural features such as leadership, governance, communication and engagement. Overall, an
organisation’s digital culture determines its approach to key issues such as digital safety and wellbeing,
openness, data privacy and digital inclusion and equity32.
26 See Department of Education and Skills (2019) National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 https://www.gov.ie/
en/publication/072a65-national-strategy-for-higher-education-to-2030/; Higher Education Authority (2018), Higher
Education System Performance Framework 2018-20 https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/
higher-education-system-performance-framework-2018-2020.pdf; National Forum Strategy 2019-21 https://www.
teachingandlearning.ie/publication/strategy-2019-2021-leading-enhancement-and-innovation-in-teaching-and-learning/
27 Nussbaum, M.C. (2011) Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach. Harvard University Press; Beetham, H.
(2016) What is digital wellbeing? https://helenbeetham.com/2016/07/09/blog-post-title-2/
28 Beetham, H. (2015) Revisiting digital capability https://digitalcapability.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2015/06/11/revisiting-digital-
capability-for-2015/; Jisc (2016) What is digital capability? https://digitalcapability.jisc.ac.uk/what-is-digital-capability/
individual-digital-capabilities/
29 See https://www.allaboardhe.ie/ and National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Ireland (2016)
Towards a National Digital Skills Framework for Higher Education https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/resource/towards-
a-national-digital-skills-framework-for-irish-higher-education/
30 European Commission (2013) DigComp: Digital Competence Framework for Citizens https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomp
31 European Commission (2017) DigCompEdu: Digital Competence Framework for Educators https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/
digcompedu
32 Jisc (2017) Developing digital capability: An organisational framework http://repository.jisc.ac.uk/6610/1/JFL0066F_
DIGICAP_MOD_ORG_FRAME.PDF
29
Structure of this chapter

Findings within each of the five themes are presented in this chapter, in sequence.
• Theme One contains findings from students and staff about their specific digital teaching and learning
practices, i.e., what they do and how they do it
• Themes Two through Four contain reports from students and staff about digital at their institutions:
digital infrastructure, provision of digital skills and support, and digital environment and culture
• Theme Five contains findings related to student and staff attitudes to digital as well as their
assessments about digital at their institutions, including specific suggestions for improvements
Each set of findings is presented under the following four headings and accompanied by relevant figures:
Students – summary of student findings
Staff who teach – summary of staff findings
Further observations – observations within the national dataset (e.g., differences across institution type,
discipline area, type of course, staff role, etc.) and with international benchmarks
Student/Staff comparisons – comparisons between student and staff findings
The four institution types referred to in the Findings chapter are universities, technological higher
education institutions (THEIs), other institutions and private colleges. A list of participating institutions in
each of these categories can be found in Appendix 2.
Please refer to Appendix 4 for definitions of all the terms used in this report.
30
Theme One.
Digital Teaching and
Learning Practices
Findings related to the first theme describe the digital teaching and
learning practices of students and staff who teach. The findings are
discussed in the following six sections:
1.1 Digital learning activities and tools

1.2 Online interaction and online teaching
1.3 Online assessment and feedback
1.4 Creating digital media
1.5 Using the VLE
1.6 Theme One: Concluding comments
31
1.1 Digital learning activities and tools

Students were asked about some of their specific digital learning activities and tools, i.e., how often they
found information online as part of their course, how often they used digital tools or apps for specific
purposes, and which digital tools they found most useful for learning. Staff who teach were asked
how often they engaged in specific digital learning activities to support their teaching. In both cases,
respondents could specify ‘weekly or more’, ‘monthly or less’ or ‘never’. Summary results are shown in
Figures 2 and 3.
Students (Q12, Q17) Staff who teach (Q17)

• 93% of students searched online weekly or more • Approximately half of all staff who teach
for information as part of their course searched online weekly or more for digital
teaching resources to support their teaching
• Most students used digital tools weekly or more
(49%); 42% searched online monthly or less;
to access lecture notes (89%)
9% never searched online for digital teaching
• Two-thirds of students used digital tools weekly resources
or more to look for additional resources (67%),
• 85% of staff who teach said that they developed
and two-thirds to make notes or recordings (66%)
their digital teaching skills (formally or informally)
• In terms of managing their learning, 63% of to support their teaching; 20% of staff who teach
students used digital tools weekly or more to did this frequently (weekly or more) and 65%
manage links or references, and 48% to organise occasionally (monthly or less); 15% of staff who
their study time teach said that they never developed their digital
• Over one-quarter of students never used digital teaching skills
tools to organise their study time (27%) • Reading up on developments relating to digital
• The top four digital tools used by students for education was an occasional activity for most
learning were: the VLE, Google, basic MS Office staff who teach: 55% did this monthly or less,
apps, and YouTube while 18% did this weekly or more
• 27% of staff who teach never read up on

developments in digital education
Figure 2. Responses from students (digital learning activities)

As part of your course, how often do you…? (Q17)
Find information online 6% 93%
Never Monthly or less Weekly or more
In your own learning time, how often do you use digital tools or apps to…? (Q12)
Access lecture notes or recorded lectures 3% 8% 89%
Look for additional resources 7% 25% 67%
Make notes or recordings 14% 21% 66%
Manage links/references 12% 25% 63%
Organise your study time 27% 26% 48%
32
Theme One: Digital Teaching and Learning Practices
Figure 3. Responses from staff who teach (digital learning activities)

To support your teaching, how often do you…? (Q17)
Search online for digital teaching resources 9% 42% 49%
Develop your digital teaching skills (formally or informally) 15% 65% 20%
Read up on developments and issues

relating to digital education 27% 55% 18%
FURTHER OBSERVATIONS
• Part-time students were more likely than full-time students to frequently (weekly or more) use
digital tools to look for additional resources not recommended by their lecturer (74% to 66%) and
manage links/references (71% to 62%)
• Students in private colleges, universities and other institutions (72%, 71%, 71%, respectively) were
more likely than students in THEIs (62%) to frequently (weekly or more) use digital tools to look for
additional resources not recommended by their lecturer
• International students were more likely than non-international students to frequently (weekly or
more) use digital tools to organise their study time (62% to 44%) and also to look for additional
resources not recommended by their lecturer (73% to 66%) and manage links/references (72% to
60%)
• International benchmarking: Students in ANZ were more likely than students in the UK and Ireland
to manage links or references online (70%, 64%, 63%, respectively)
STUDENT/STAFF COMPARISONS
• Searching for course-related information online was a regular activity for most students; searching
online for teaching resources was a regular activity for just half of all staff who teach
Optional free text questions

In addition to the multiple choice questions described above, students and staff who teach were asked
optional free text questions to find out more about their digital teaching and learning practices:
Students were asked to give an example of a digital tool or app they found really useful for learning
(Q12a); a total of 18,511 students answered this question (73% of all respondents). Over 600 unique tools
and apps were identified demonstrating the wide range of technologies students use to support their
learning. Figure 4 shows a weighted word cloud of the top 200 tools used by students. The digital tool
that most students found useful was their VLE; almost one-third of respondents to this question identified
this. Other commonly mentioned tools were Google, Microsoft Office applications and YouTube. A full list
of all tools identified and a more detailed thematic analysis will be available in due course on the INDEx
website (www.teachingandlearning.ie/index).
33
Students were asked to give an example of a digital activity they found really useful on their course
(Q17a); a total of 13,807 students answered this question (54% of all respondents). Table 8 shows the top
digital activities mentioned.
Staff who teach were asked to give an example of a digital tool or app they found really useful in their job
role (Q17a); a total of 2,627 staff answered this question (59% of all respondents), identifying over 300
different tools. Figure 5 shows a weighted word cloud of the top 200 tools used by staff who teach. The
range of tools identified by staff supported multiple activities: digital content creation, communication,
quizzing and polling, resources for learning, collaboration, and discipline-specific use. A full list of all tools
identified and a more detailed thematic analysis will be available in due course on the INDEx website
(www.teachingandlearning.ie/index).
Figure 4. Weighted word cloud based on student responses: ‘Digital tool or app you find really useful for
learning’33 (Q12a)
33 For the purposes of the word cloud, all individual institutional VLE tools were coded into the term ‘VLE’.
34
Table 8. Top digital activities that students found really useful on their course (Q17a)
Theme % Responses Digital activities
Nearly a quarter of students highlighted the use of polling

devices in class or knowledge check style quizzes as part of
their course as being really useful. Students liked the ability
to be engaged in class through such interaction, with some
Polling/quizzing 24%
saying they liked the ability to participate anonymously.
Students used quizzes to check their progress in a topic
when assigned to do so and also as part of revision
practices, e.g., to make flashcards.34
Learning how to use and using core Microsoft programmes

such as Excel, Word and PowerPoint featured strongly as
Using core programmes 14%
digital activities which students found useful on their course.
Some students described them as ‘essential’. 35
Many students highlighted accessing their VLE as a really

useful digital activity, e.g., to complete quizzes, to access
Accessing the VLE 13%
lecture notes, recordings or other course material, to share
work or to submit assignments.36
Using discipline-specific software was mentioned as a

useful digital activity, particularly by students in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics. Students
Using discipline-specific
12% studying media or design described ‘news editing and
software
writing on mobile’ and ‘sound development’ as useful
activities. Few mentions of specific software were made for
other disciplines. 37
Other activities which did not appear as frequently are those in the following categories: accessing
learning material; collaborating with others; creating content; researching; communicating with others;
organising time and resources; and making notes
34 Polling/quizzing tools mentioned by students when describing useful digital activities: Canva, Classmarker, Classroom,
Clicker, Clickers, Kahoot!, Kubicle, Logger Pro, Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere, Quizlet, Qwickly, Responseware, Slido,
Socrative, Survey123, Surveymonkey, TurningPoint
35 Core programmes mentioned by students when describing useful digital activities: Microsoft applications: 365, Access,
Excel, Forms, Office, Outlook, PowerPoint, Project, Teams, Word
36 VLE applications mentioned by students when describing useful digital activities: Blackboard, Brightspace, Canvas,
Moodle, Loop, Sulis
37 Discipline-specific tools mentioned by students when describing useful digital activities: Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD,
Autodesk, Belbin, BIM, BLS Simulations, CAD, ChemDraw, Circuit Simulation, Codeacademy, Codeblocks, Codesandbox,
Collaborate Ultra, Dart fish, DaVinci Resolve, Duolingo, Eclipse, Eviews, Falstad circuit simulator, Geany, GIS, GitHub,
GraphPad, GX, Works, Hotpots, Hotts, HSELanD, HubSpot, IBM SPSS, Java, Jupyter, Leica Airlab, Mastering Biology,
MATLAB, Minitab, Mule, NetAnatomy, OxCal, p5, Packet, Packet Tracer, Power World, Proteus, PSpice, Python, R, R
Markdown, R Studio, RedCap, Repl.it, Revit, Rosetta Stone, Rstudio, Scrum, SedLog, SEED Labs, Sibelius, SimuText,
Socrative, SolidWorks, SoloLearn, SPSS, STATA, Tableau, Terminal, Vectorworks, WebGoat, Webwork
35
Figure 5. Weighted word cloud based on staff responses: ‘Example of a digital tool or app you find really
useful in your job role’ (Q17a)
36
1.2 Online interaction and online teaching

Students and staff who teach were asked related questions about whether and how often they took part
in specific interactive online teaching and learning activities, e.g., using online polling or quizzes in class
and engaging online with others. Staff who teach also were asked how often they taught in a live online
environment such as a webinar. In both cases, respondents could specify ‘weekly or more’, ‘monthly or
less’ or ‘never’. Summary results are shown in Figures 6 and 7.
Students (Q17) Staff who teach (Q15, Q17)

• Regarding online interaction, 78% of students • Half of staff who teach said they never carried
worked online with others as part of their course, out live polls or quizzes in class; 40% conducted
at least occasionally: 38% did so weekly or more, online polls or quizzes occasionally (monthly or
40% did so monthly or less less) and 10% weekly or more
• Almost one-quarter of students had never • Over half of staff said they never discussed
worked online with others as part of their course teaching with peers in an online network or
(22%) forum (57%); 33% engaged in these networked
discussions occasionally (monthly or less) and
• 61% of students used polling devices or online
10% weekly or more
quizzes to give answers in class at least
occasionally; 21% did this weekly or more; • 70% of staff who teach said they never taught in
another 40% did so monthly or less a live online environment such as a webinar; 20%
taught live online occasionally (monthly or less)
• 39% of students had never used polling devices
and 9% frequently (weekly or more)
or online quizzes to give answers in class
• 52%6.of
Figure students had
Responses fromnever used(online
students an educational
interaction)
game or simulation for learning; 31% did so
As part of your course, how often do you...? (Q17)
occasionally (monthly or less) and 17% did so
weekly or more Work online with others 22% 40% 38%
Use a polling device or online quiz to

39% 40% 21%
give answers
Figure 6. Responses from students (online in class
interaction)
Usecourse,
As part of your an educational
how oftengame or simulation
do you...? (Q17) 52% 31% 17%
for learning
Work online with others 22% 40% 38%
Use a polling device or online quiz to
39% 40% 21%
give answers in class
Use an educational game or simulation
52% 31% 17%
for learning
Figure 7. Responses from staff who teach (online interaction and online teaching)
In your teaching practice, how often do you…? (Q15)
Carry out live polls or quizzes in class 50% 40% 10%
Teach
Figure 7. Responses in astaff
from live online environment
who teach (online interaction and online70%
teaching) 20% 9%

Carry out live polls or quizzes in class 50% 40% 10%
Teach in a live online environment 70% 20% 9% 37
Discuss teaching with peers via an online
57% 33% 10%
network or forum
CarryExperience
Irish National Digital out live polls or Survey:
(INDEx) quizzes in class
Findings 50%
from students and 40%
staff who teach in higher education 10%
Teach in a live online environment 70% 20% 9%
Discuss teaching with peers via an online

57% 33% 10%
network or forum
• Students in some discipline areas were more likely to work online with others as part of their course,
at least occasionally: most likely were students in Computing (87%), Business/Administration/Law
(82%) and Engineering (82%); least likely were students in Arts/Humanities/Languages (67%)
• Postgraduate students were more likely than undergraduate students to work online with others
regularly (weekly or more) as part of their course (49% to 35%)
• International students were more likely than non-international students to work online with others
regularly (weekly or more) as part of their course (48% to 36%)
• Students in private colleges (46%) were more likely to work online with others regularly (weekly or
more) than students in THEIs, universities and other institutions (39%, 36%, 30%, respectively)
• Students in their institution for less than one year were more likely to have frequent opportunities to
use polling devices or online quizzes to give answers in class (28%) than students who were in their
institution for one to two years (18%), two to three years (14%), or more than three years (13%)
• Full-time students were more likely than part-time students to have frequent opportunities to use
polling devices in class (23% to 14%) and less likely to have never used them (37% to 53%)
• Among staff who identified as lecturers, the proportions who carried out live polls or quizzes,
discussed teaching with peers in online networks, and taught live online were nearly identical to
that of all staff who teach
• The staff role most likely to use online polling or quizzes in class were learning technologists, 23% of
whom reported that they used these weekly or more (compared to 10% of all staff who teach)
• Staff in private colleges were the most likely to teach live online in general: proportions of staff
who taught online at least occasionally in each sector were: 38% in private colleges and 29% in
universities, THEIs and other institutions
• Staff in THEIs were the most likely to teach live online regularly: proportions of staff who taught
online regularly (weekly or more) in each sector were: 13% in THEIs, 10% in private colleges, and 6%
in both universities and other institutions
• International benchmarking: Students in ANZ were more likely than students in Ireland or the UK
to work with their peers online weekly or more (50%, 38%, 31%, respectively) | Polling devices and
online quizzes were more likely to be used by students in class in ANZ than in the UK or Ireland
(73%, 62%, 61%, respectively) | Staff who teach in the UK were less likely to teach live online than
staff in Ireland; 74% of UK staff had never taught live online compared with 70% of staff who teach
in Ireland
• 78% of students worked online with others, at least occasionally, as part of their course; however, a
majority of staff did not regularly engage in online teaching or online peer discussion in relation to
their teaching
38
1.3 Online assessment and feedback

Students and staff who teach were asked related questions about their experiences of online assessment
and feedback. Students were asked if online assessments were delivered and managed well. Staff
who teach were asked if the system for online marking and giving feedback was easy for them to use.
Respondents could choose to agree, remain neutral or disagree. In addition, staff who teach were asked
about whether and how often they provided personalised feedback using a digital system. They were
given the options of replying ‘weekly or more’, ‘monthly or less’ or ‘never’. Summary results are shown in
Figures 8 and 9.
Students (Q19) Staff who teach (Q13, Q15)

• Just over half of all students agreed that online • Approximately one-third of staff who teach
assessments were delivered and managed well agreed that the online system for marking and
(56%); 8% disagreed; 36% were neutral giving feedback was easy to use (36%), another
22% of staff disagreed, and the most common
response was neutral (42%)
• When asked about using a digital system to give

personalised feedback, 46% of staff who teach
Figure 8. Responses from students (online assessment and feedback)
said that they did this occasionally (monthly or
How much do you agree that…? (Q19)
less); 18% did this regularly (weekly or more)
Online assessments are delivered 8%
• 36% 36%
of staff who teach never56%
gave personalised
and managed well
feedback online
Disagree Neutral Agree
Figure 8. Responses from students (online assessment and feedback)

Online assessments are delivered 8% 36% 56%

and managed well
Figure 9. Responses from staff who teach (online assessment and feedback)
The system for online marking and giving 22% 42% 36%
feedback is easy for me to use
Figure
In your 9. Responses
teaching fromhow
practice, staffoften
whodoteach (online
you…? assessment and feedback)
(Q15)
Use a digital system to give personalised feedback 36% 46% 18%
The system for online marking and giving 22% 42% 36%
feedback is easy for me to use
Use a digital system to give personalised feedback 36% 46% 18%

39
• Among staff who identified as lecturers: 36% agreed that the online system for marking and
giving feedback was easy to use (25% disagreed); 48% used a digital system to give personalised
feedback occasionally (monthly or less) and 19% did this regularly (weekly or more)
• International benchmarking: Students in Ireland were less likely to agree that online assessments
were delivered and managed well than students in the UK or ANZ (56%, 60%, 63%, respectively),
although there was little difference in the proportions of students who disagreed | Staff who teach
in Ireland were less likely to use a digital system to give personalised feedback than UK staff (36%
and 22%, respectively, responded they ‘never’ did this) | Staff who teach in Ireland were less likely to
agree that the online system for marking and giving feedback was easy for them to use compared
with staff teaching in the UK (36% and 42%, respectively)
• Although not directly comparable, the student perspective of the quality of online assessment
delivery and management was more positive than the staff perspective on the ease of use of
online marking and feedback systems (56% to 36%)
40
1.4 Creating digital media

Students and staff who teach were asked how often they created work in digital formats other than
text/Word or PowerPoint. Students also were asked how often they created a digital record or portfolio
of their learning. In both cases, respondents could specify ‘weekly or more’, ‘monthly or less’ or ‘never’.
Summary results are shown in Figures 10 and 11.
Students (Q17) Staff who teach (Q15)

• As part of their course experience, 40% of • As part of their teaching practice, 26% of staff
students produced work in digital formats other who teach regularly (weekly or more) created
than Word and PowerPoint regularly (weekly or learning materials in digital formats other
more); another 31% did this occasionally (monthly than text or PowerPoint; a further 41% did this
or less) occasionally (monthly or less)
• 29% of students never produced work in digital • One-third of staff who teach never created
formats other than Word or PowerPoint as part learning materials in digital formats other than
of their course text or PowerPoint
• One-quarter
Figure 10. Responsesof students regularly
from students createddigital
(creating a media)
digital record or portfolio of their learning (weekly
or more); a further one-third did this occasionally
(monthly
Produceor less)
work in digital formats other than
Word/PowerPoint 29% 31% 40%
• Four out of ten students had never created a
Create
digital digital
record record/portfolio
or portfolio of learning
of their learning (41%) 41% 33% 25%
Figure 10. Responses from students (creating digital media) Never Monthly or less Weekly or more
Produce work in digital formats other than

Word/PowerPoint 29% 31% 40%
Create digital record/portfolio of learning 41% 33% 25%
Figure 11. Responses from staff who teach (creating digital media)
Create learning materials in a digital

33% 41% 26%
format (not just text or PowerPoint)
Figure 11. Responses from staff who teach (creating digital media)
Create learning materials in a digital

33% 41% 26%
format (not just text or PowerPoint)
41
• Students in their institution for less than one year were more likely to have created a digital record
or portfolio of their learning weekly or more (28%) than students who were in their institution for
one to two years (24%), two to three years (23%), or more than three years (23%)
• Postgraduate students were more likely than undergraduate students to have created a digital
record or portfolio of their learning weekly or more (31% to 24%)
• Students in THEIs (45%) were more likely to produce work in digital formats other than Word
or PowerPoint compared with students in private colleges (39%), universities (36%) and other
institutions (30%)
• Part-time students were less likely than full-time students to produce work in digital formats other
than Word or PowerPoint: 36% of part-time students had never produced work in other formats,
compared with 28% of full-time students
• Among staff who identified as lecturers, the proportions who created and had never created
learning materials in digital formats other than text or PowerPoint were nearly identical to that of
all staff who teach
• International benchmarking: Students in ANZ were more likely to have created a digital record or
portfolio of their learning than students in the UK or Ireland (70%, 63%, 58%, respectively)
• A large proportion of both students (29%) and staff who teach (33%) had never created learning or
teaching materials, respectively, in digital formats other than text/Word or PowerPoint
42
1.5 Using the VLE

Students and staff who teach were asked how much they agreed with various statements about their
VLE. They could choose to agree, remain neutral or disagree. Summary results are shown in Figures 12
and 13.

• Nearly three-quarters of students relied on the • 69% of staff who teach relied on the VLE for their
VLE to do their coursework (71%) teaching
• Nearly two-thirds of students regularly accessed • Over half of staff who teach found it easy to
their VLE on a mobile device (64%) design and organise course materials on the VLE
(58%)
• Over half of students agreed that they could
easily find things on the VLE (58%) • 37% of staff who teach agreed that they
regularly used the VLE for student collaboration;
• Just under half of students would like the VLE
28% disagreed
to be used more by their tutors and instructors
(48%) • 36% of staff who teach agreed that the VLE
encouraged them to try different activities; 24%
• In a separate free text question on the survey,
disagreed
where students were asked to name a digital tool
Figure 12. Responses
or app from students
that they found (usingfor
really useful thelearning,
VLE) • One-quarter of staff regularly accessed the VLE
Howthe topdo
much choice waswith
you agree students’ own VLE, about
these statements with one- on a mobile device
your VLE? (Q18)
third of responses to this question specifying this
• As with students, staff who teach highlighted the
I rely on1.1)
(see Figure 4, Section it to do my coursework 8% 22% 71%
VLE as a really useful tool in their job role (see
I regularly access it on mobile device 14% Figure 5, 22%
Section 1.1) 64%
I can easily find things on the VLE 11% 31% 58%

Figure 12. Responses from students (using the VLE)
I would like it to be used more by
9% 43% 48%
my tutors/instructors
How much do you agree with these statements about your VLE? (Q18)
I rely on it to do my coursework 8% 22% Disagree 71%

Neutral Agree
I regularly access it on mobile device 14% 22% 64%
I can easily find things on the VLE 11% 31% 58%
I would like it to be used more by

9% 43% 48%
my tutors/instructors
Figure 13. Responses from staff who teach (using the VLE)
How much do you agree with these statements about your VLE? (Q12)
I rely on the VLE for my teaching 11% 20% 69%
It is easy to design/organise course materials on VLE 12% 30% 58%
I regularly use it for student collaboration 28% 34% 37%

Figure 13. Responses from staff who teach (using the VLE)
It encourages me to try different activities 36%
How much do you agree with these statements about your VLE? (Q12)24% 40%
I regularly access it on a mobile device 53% 22% 25%

I rely on the VLE for my teaching 11% 20% 69%
It is easy to design/organise course materials on VLE 12% 30%

Disagree 58%
Neutral Agree
43
I regularly use it for student collaboration 28% 34% 37%
• Across different types of institutions, student reliance on the VLE varied: proportions of students
who relied on the VLE to do their coursework were: 79% at other institutions, 76% at universities,
72% at private colleges and 63% at THEIs
• Higher proportions of undergraduate than postgraduate students (66% to 56%), full-time than part-
time students (66% to 54%), and on-campus than online students (65% to 51%) reported regularly
accessing their VLE on a mobile device
• A smaller proportion of mature students than younger students reported regularly accessing their
VLE on a mobile device (58% to 67%)
• Among staff who identified as lecturers: 73% relied on the VLE for their teaching, 61% found it
easy to design and organise course materials on the VLE, 38% regularly used the VLE for student
collaboration, 35% agreed that the VLE encouraged them to try different activities, and 25%
regularly accessed the VLE on a mobile device
• International benchmarking: Students in ANZ were more likely to rely on the VLE to do their
coursework than students in the UK or Ireland (86%, 72%, 71%, respectively) | Students in Ireland
were more likely to regularly access the VLE on a mobile device compared with students in the UK
or ANZ (64%, 61%, 53%, respectively) | Staff who teach in Ireland were more likely to regularly use
the VLE for student collaboration than UK staff (37% and 27%, respectively) | Staff who teach in
Ireland were more likely than UK staff to regularly access the VLE using a mobile device (25% and
18%, respectively)
• There was a considerable disparity between student and staff use of the VLE on mobile devices:
64% of students, compared with 25% of staff who teach, regularly accessed their VLE on a mobile
device
44
Theme One: Concluding comments
1.6 Theme One: Concluding comments

The online world, with its associated tools and apps, has become the backdrop for much of the higher
education student learning experience. According to students and staff who teach, the VLE remains a
central pillar of teaching and learning in higher education. Cited most often by students as a digital tool
they found useful for learning and also cited by many staff as a digital tool they found useful in their
role, the VLE deserves much focus. This finding supports previous research on use of the VLE in higher
education in Ireland (e.g., Farrell, Raftery & Harding38, 2018; Raftery & Rizquez, 201839). Detailed INDEx
findings on how and why students and staff access the VLE will be helpful in ensuring this key resource
is optimised for student learning. A particularly noteworthy finding that may impact on learning design
is the high proportion of students who access the VLE on mobile devices, compared with a much lower
proportion of staff who teach. INDEx findings also highlight that the VLE must not be our only focus with
respect to digital learning. Students engage in a diverse range of digital learning practices and use many
digital tools and apps to create their own personal learning environments. A key message for staff and
institutions is that the VLE is essential, but it is important to acknowledge students’ use of a diverse range
of learning and collaboration tools and, where possible and appropriate, to support students in assessing
and making the most of these.
Pedagogies underpinning teaching and learning in a digital world were also illuminated through the
INDEx findings. We now have a rich picture of the digital activities that students find most useful for their
learning, the degree to which students and staff who teach leverage the organisational, collaborative and
creative potential of digital technologies and how technology-enhanced assessment is experienced across
our institutions. Findings focused on the ways and degree to which staff support their own engagement
with digital pedagogies, when combined with findings regarding the digital tools and activities students
find useful for their learning, will be interesting both to the community of staff who teach and those who
support their valuable work.
An example of this relates to collaboration and interactivity. Collaborative and interactive pedagogical
practices are widely recognised as important for enhanced student learning and for student success
beyond higher education. With digital pervading teaching and learning practices, it is not surprising
that collaborative and interactive digital activities and tools, such as polling/online quizzes, are also
valued by students. INDEx findings revealed mixed results, however, regarding the extent to which staff
made use of interactive technologies in their teaching. This may be worth considering in more detail at
institutional level to determine the level of and motivation for engagement by staff with digital interactive
and collaborative opportunities. Open-ended responses from students regarding the ways in which such
activities and tools are valued may be of interest to staff as they consider learning design and digital
pedagogies.
Collectively, the survey findings regarding Theme One point to areas where digital capabilities for students
and for staff who teach can most usefully be enhanced. The effects of recent institutional closures, with
many more staff and students moving to learning and teaching online, will have exposed learners and
teachers to new digital tools, pedagogies and ways of interacting. Many of the high proportion of staff
who had never before taught online will since have embarked on this new practice, resulting in new
learning experiences for themselves and their students. These experiences are likely to have engendered
new perspectives that will be worthy of exploration in combination with the INDEx findings.
38 See: Farrelly, T., Raftery, D., & Harding, N. (2018). Exploring lecturer engagement with the VLE: Findings from a multi-
college staff survey. Irish Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 3(2), 11-23. https://doi.org/10.22554/ijtel.v3i2.41
39 See: Raftery, D., & Rizquez, A. (2018). Engaging students through the VLE: Comparing like with like using the #VLEIreland
student survey. Irish Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 3(2), 24-34. https://doi.org/10.22554/ijtel.v3i2.42
45
46
Theme Two.
Digital Infrastructure
Findings related to the second theme describe the experiences of

students and staff who teach with respect to the digital infrastructure
of the higher education institutions within which they learn and teach.
These findings are discussed in the following five sections:
2.1 Basics of digital infrastructure

2.2 Access to digital resources
2.3 Students’ own devices
2.4 Assistive technologies
2.5 Theme Two: Concluding comments
47
2.1 Basics of digital infrastructure

Two key aspects of digital infrastructure are reliable wifi and digitally-enabled spaces for teaching
and learning. Students and staff who teach were asked whether they had reliable access to wifi at
their institution whenever they needed it and whether teaching spaces were well designed for digital
technology use. In addition, staff who teach were asked about the access, ease of use and reliability of
specific facilities for digital teaching. They could choose to agree, remain neutral or disagree. Summary
results are shown in Figures 14, 15 and 16.
Students (Q13, Q19) Staff who teach (Q11, Q13)

• 77% of students said they had access to reliable • Reliable wifi was accessible to 79% of staff who
wifi teach
• 49% of students agreed that teaching spaces • 35% of staff who teach disagreed that
were well designed for the technologies they teaching spaces were well designed for digital
used; 14% disagreed technologies; 29% agreed
• Half of staff who teach agreed that audio visual

equipment was reliable and easy to use (51%);
17% disagreed
• 39% of staff who teach agreed that digital media

production facilities were available if they needed
them; 23% disagreed
Figure 14. Responses from students and staff who teach (access to reliable wifi)
Do you have access to reliable wifi at your institution whenever you need it? (Students Q13, Staff Q11)
77% 79%
Students have access Staff who teach have access
Figure 15. Responses from students and staff who teach (digitally-enabled teaching spaces)
How much do you agree that teaching spaces are well designed for digital technology use? (Students Q19, Staff Q13)
Students 14% 37% 49%
Staff Who Teach 35% 36% 29%
Figure 16. Responses from staff who teach (digital infrastructure for teaching)
How much do you agree that...? (Q13)
48
Audio visual equipment is reliable and easy to use 17% 32% 51%
How much do you agree that teaching spaces are well designed for digital technology use? (Students Q19, Staff Q13)
Students 14% 37% 49%
Staff Who Teach Theme Two: Digital Infrastructure

35% 36% 29%
Figure 16. Responses from staff who teach (digital infrastructure for teaching)
Audio visual equipment is reliable and easy to use 17% 32% 51%
Digital media production facilities are available

23% 38% 39%
if I need them
• Students in other institutions (85%) and universities (83%) responded most positively about having
access to reliable wifi, compared with students in private colleges (72%) and THEIs (71%)
• Staff in THEIs (71%) were less likely to have reliable wifi than staff in private colleges (82%),
universities (86%) and other institutions (87%)
• Students in their institution for less than one year were more likely to agree that teaching spaces
were well designed for the technologies they use (56%) than students who were in their institution
for one to two years (47%), two to three years (41%), or more than three years (38%)
• There was variability among staff who teach in different institution types about the adequacy of
teaching spaces for teaching with digital technologies – 45% of staff in private colleges and 43%
in other institutions agreed that teaching spaces were well designed for digital technologies, while
28% of staff who teach in universities and 24% of staff who teach in THEIs agreed; there were no
observable differences in student views across the sectors
• International benchmarking: Students in Ireland were somewhat less likely to have access to
reliable wifi than students in the UK and ANZ (77%, 82%, 84%, respectively) | Staff who teach in
Ireland were more likely to agree that audio visual equipment was reliable and easy to use than
staff who teach in the UK (51% and 43%, respectively)
• Comparable proportions of students and staff had access to reliable wifi (77% and 79%), meaning
that one-fifth of students and staff who teach did not have access to reliable wifi
• Staff were markedly more dissatisfied than students with the design of teaching spaces for digital
technology use (35% to 14%)
49
2.2 Access to digital resources

Students and staff require access to a range of digital resources for different purposes at different
times. Students and staff who teach were asked about their access to specific sets of digital resources.

• Most students said that they had access to online • A majority of staff who teach had access to
course materials whenever they needed them e-books and e-journals (78%), file storage and
(84%) back-up (77%), and a VLE (75%) whenever they
needed them
• Two-thirds of students said that they had access
to e-books and e-journals whenever they needed • Half of staff who teach said they had access
them (65%) to their own social media at their institution
whenever they needed it
• Fewer than half of all students said that they had
access to file storage and back-up whenever they • 29% of staff who teach said they had access to
needed them (44%) lecture capture whenever they needed it
• One-quarter of students said that they had

Figure 17. Responses from students (access to digital resources)
access to recorded lectures whenever they
Which of these
needed do you
them have access to at your institution whenever you need them? (Q13)
(25%)
Online course materials 84%

Figure 17. Responses from students (access to digital resources)
Which of these do you have access to atand
e-books youre-journals
institution whenever you need them? (Q13) 65%
Online
File course
storage andmaterials
back-up 44% 84%
e-books and e-journals

Recorded lectures 25% 65%
File storage and back-up 44%
Recorded lectures 25%
Figure 18. Responses from staff who teach (access to digital resources)
Which of these do you have access to at your institution whenever you need them? (Q11)
e-books and e-journals 78%

Figure 18. Responses from staff who teach (access to digital resources)
Which of these do you haveFile
access to at your
storage andinstitution
back-up whenever you need them? (Q11) 77%
e-books
A virtual and
learning e-journals
environment 78%
75%
File My
storage
own and back-up
social media 50% 77%
A virtual learning environment

Lecture capture 75%
29%
My own social media 50%
Lecture capture 29%
50
Theme Two: Digital Infrastructure
• Across different types of institutions, access to digital resources ‘whenever needed’ varied: students
at other institutions and universities reported the highest level of access to online course materials
(99% and 88%, respectively); students at other institutions reported the highest level of access to
e-books and e-journals (86%); students at THEIs reported the highest level of access to file storage
and back-up (50%)
• Students at private colleges reported the highest level of access to recorded lectures (42%);
students at THEIs had the lowest (21%)
• Responses from staff also varied by institution type: staff who teach at other institutions reported
the highest level of access to the VLE (84%), e-books and e-journals (89%) and file storage and
back-up (86%) whenever they needed it; staff who teach at universities reported the highest level of
access to lecture capture (36%) and access to their own social media (58%)
• International benchmarking: Students in the UK were twice as likely to have access to recorded
lectures when they needed them as students in Ireland (49% and 25%, respectively) | Staff
teaching in the UK were more than twice as likely to have access to lecture capture (65% and 29%,
respectively) | Staff teaching in the UK were more likely than those teaching in Ireland to have
access to e-books and e-journals when they needed it (90% and 78%, respectively)
• Low proportions of students and staff who teach said they had access to recorded lectures (25%)
and lecture capture (29%), respectively, whenever they needed these
• Two questions regarding access to digital resources were identical on the student and staff surveys,
and in both cases students responded less positively than staff – lower proportions of students than
staff who teach said that they had access to e-books and e-journals (65% to 78%) and access to
file storage/back-up (44% to 77%)
51
2.3 Students’ own devices

As a means of understanding which devices students had access to away from campus, students were
asked which personally-owned devices they used to support their learning, choosing from the following
list: desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet/iPad, smartphone and printer. Students also were asked
if their institution supported them to use their own digital devices. They could choose to agree, remain
neutral or disagree. Summary results are shown in Figure 19.
Students (Q11, Q14)

• Nine out of ten students owned and used a
laptop computer to support their learning (92%)
• Eight out of ten students owned and used a

smartphone (82%)
• Half of all students owned and used a printer (50%)
• Smaller proportions of students reported owning

and using a desktop computer (26%) and tablet/
iPad (22%)
• With respect to using their own digital devices at

their institution, 73% of all students agreed that
their institution supported this; 4% disagreed
Figure 19. Responses from students (personally-owned devices)

Which of these personally-owned devices do you use to support your learning? (Q11)
92%
82%
50%
26% 22%
Laptop computer Smartphone Printer Desktop computer Tablet/iPad
This institution supports me to use my own digital devices (Q14)
4% 24% 73%
52
• The most common personally-owned device reported by students as used for learning was a laptop
• 4 out of 5 reported that they owned and used a smartphone, with some variability across institution
type: 86% at universities, 84% at other institutions, 80% at THEIs and 77% at private colleges
• A greater proportion of mature students than younger students owned and used a tablet/iPad (28%
to 19%) but fewer owned and used a smartphone (79% to 84%)
• Approximately three out of four students reported that their institutions supported them to use their
own digital devices, with some variability across institution type: 77% at universities, 76% at private
colleges, 73% at other institutions and 66% at THEIs
• International benchmarking: Similar numbers of students in Ireland and the UK owned and used
laptops, smartphones, printers and desktop computers, however fewer students in Ireland than in
the UK used tablets/iPads (22% and 33%, respectively)
53
2.4 Assistive technologies

Students were asked three questions regarding assistive technologies. First they were asked whether they
used assistive technologies to meet their learning needs (e.g., screen readers, voice recognition, switches).
They could choose to answer ‘Yes, vital to my learning needs’, ‘Yes, optional choice’ or ‘No’. Students who
answered affirmatively were asked two further questions: whether their institution provided them with
support with assistive technologies, and then to provide an example of an assistive technology, app
or adaptation that they found useful. Staff who teach also were asked whether they personally used
assistive technologies. They could choose to answer ‘Yes, vital to my work’, ‘Yes, optional choice’ or ‘No’.
Staff who answered affirmatively were asked whether their institution provided them with support with
assistive technologies. Summary results are shown in Figures 20, 21, 22 and 23.
For analysis of these results, the National Forum consulted AHEAD, Ireland’s independent non-profit
organisation working to create inclusive environments in education and employment for people with
disabilities. AHEAD’s expertise in the area of disability and inclusivity enabled a deeper analysis of
this data than would otherwise have been possible. Firstly, it was noted that the examples of assistive
technologies provided by students were diverse, including technologies both within and outside of
the established definition of assistive technologies40. AHEAD suggested that some respondents may
have broadly interpreted ‘assistive technologies’, i.e., as any technologies which assisted them, thus
overrepresenting this population in the survey results. AHEAD concluded, however: “There are still useful
and interesting findings arising from the analysis, in particular when comparing the reported assistive
technology use of different cohorts and comparing them to the internationally benchmarked data.” Survey
findings are reported below for students and staff who teach. The Further Observations and Student/Staff
Comparisons provide additional analysis by AHEAD, allowing the findings to be contextualised.
Students (Q8, Q9) Staff who teach (Q7, Q8, Q19)

• 18% of students reported that they used • 14% of staff who teach reported that they used
assistive technologies: 9% reported that assistive assistive technologies: 5% reported that assistive
technologies were vital to meet their learning technologies were vital to their work and a
needs and a further 9% reported using assistive further 9% used assistive technologies as an
technologies as an optional choice optional choice
• Of all students who reported that they used • Of all staff who teach who reported that they
assistive technologies, 70% said that their used assistive technologies, 64% said their
institution provided them with support institution provided them with support
• Students who used assistive technologies • Twice as many staff disagreed than agreed that
were asked to give an example of any assistive they were informed about their responsibilities
technologies, apps or adaptations that they with regard to assistive and adaptive
found useful (Q10); a total of 4,533 students technologies (35% and 17%)
answered this question (18% of respondents);
• International benchmarking: Reported assistive
Figure 23 shows a weighted word cloud of
technology use amongst staff who teach in
the top 42 terms and Table 9 summarises the
Ireland was similar to reported use by UK staff
analysis of these responses by AHEAD.
(14% and 15%, respectively) | A slightly higher
• International benchmarking: Reported assistive proportion of staff who teach in Ireland reported
technology use amongst students in Ireland was that they received institutional support with
similar to reported use by students in the UK assistive technologies compared with staff who
and slightly higher than in ANZ (18%, 19%, 15%, teach in the UK (64% and 60%, respectively)
respectively) | A slightly higher proportion of
students in Ireland than in the UK reported that
they received institutional support with assistive
technologies (70% and 67%, respectively)
54 40 AHEAD definition of assistive technologies: technologies aimed at improving the functional capabilities of people with
disabilities, or mainstream technologies with assistive features
Figure 20. Responses from students and staff who teach (use of assistive technologies)
5%
9%
9%
9% No
Yes, optional choice
Yes, vital
82% 86%
Students: Staff who teach:

Do you use any assistive technologies Do you personally use any assistive
to meet your learning needs? (Q8) technologies? (Q7)
Figure 21. Responses from students and staff who teach who use assistive technologies
(support from institution)
If YES to previous question, has your institution provided you with any support with assistive technologies?
70% 30% 64% 36%
Yes No Yes No
Students (Q9) Staff Who Teach (Q8)
Figure 22. Responses from staff who teach (guidance re assistive technologies)
How much do you agree that you are informed about your responsibilities with regard to...? (Q19)
Assistive and adaptive technologies 35% 48% 17%
55
• Students in private colleges (23%) were more likely to report that they used assistive technologies,
compared with students in THEIs (18%), universities (16%) and other institutions (16%)
Analysis by AHEAD: Higher use of assistive technologies in private colleges may be explained by
students in private colleges not being eligible for the Fund for Students with Disabilities (which
funds paid personal supports for students with disabilities)
• Students studying on access, preparatory or foundation courses for higher education were twice as
likely to report assistive technology use (33%) as students on undergraduate courses (17%)
Analysis by AHEAD: This may be due to the inclusion of learning technology use on the curriculum
of access and foundation courses as part of digital literacy/ information technology modules and
the high rates of participation of students with disabilities on these courses
• The proportion of full-time students reporting that they used assistive technologies was higher than
that of part-time students (19% and 12%, respectively)
Analysis by AHEAD: This may be related to the Fund for Students with Disabilities (which funds
paid personal supports for students with disabilities) only recently being made available to part-
time students; limited out of hours access to institutional services that support the use of assistive
technologies (such as disability and learning support services) for part-time students, studying at
weekends and in the evening, is also likely to be a factor
• The highest usage of assistive technology by discipline area was reported by students in Business/
Administration/Law (22%) and Services41 (22%); the lowest usage was reported by students in
Natural Sciences/Mathematics (13%)
• Mature students were more likely to report assistive technology usage than younger students (21%
and 16%, respectively)
• The highest percentage of reported assistive technology usage amongst students was reported in
the 22-24 and 25-29 age ranges (22% and 24%, respectively); the lowest reported usage was in
the 18 and 30+ age ranges (both 15%)
• International students were more than twice as likely to report assistive technology use as non-
international students (36% and 13%, respectively)
• The less time staff had worked in a teaching role, the more likely they were to report assistive
technology use, e.g., 18% of staff who had worked in a teaching role for less than one year reported
using assistive technologies, compared with 14% who had worked in a teaching role for 10 years or
more
Analysis by AHEAD: One possible explanation for this is the increased likelihood that staff newer
to teaching are more likely to have engaged with professional development covering learning
technologies more recently than other staff
• Use of assistive technologies also varied by role: staff reporting the most assistive technology
usage were instructional designers (23%), learning technologists (21%) and tutors (20%); staff
reporting the least usage were lecturers (13%) and library staff (8%)
41 ‘Services’ includes Travel, Tourism, Sports, Leisure, Community, Culinary Arts, Beauty, Occupational and Transport.
56
• 9% of students reported that assistive technologies were vital to meet their learning needs, 5% of
staff who teach reported that assistive technologies were vital to their work, yet only 17% of staff
who teach agreed that they were informed about their responsibilities with regard to assistive and
adaptive technologies (and 35% of staff disagreed that they were informed)
• Across every institution type, reported student usage of assistive technologies was higher than
reported usage by staff who teach
Figure 23. Analysis by AHEAD: Weighted word cloud of specialised assistive technologies, features
or adaptations used by students, based on responses to: ‘Example of an assistive technology, app or
adaptation you found useful’ (Q10)
57
Table 9. Analysis by AHEAD: Top assistive technologies/adaptations and key features of most commonly
used assistive technology devices listed by students (Q10a)
All responses coded Three categories of student responses:

into three categories for 1. Specialised assistive technologies (or adaptations or technologies
analysis: strongly associated with assistive features) (24%)
2. Mainstream technologies with potentially assistive features (53%)
3. Other technologies with no obvious assistive features / Non-relevant

response (23%)
Analysis focused on first Top four technologies or adaptations listed by students within Category 1:
category to discover the
• Texthelp Read and Write (15%)
most common specialised
assistive technologies used • Voice recorder / dictaphone (13%)
by students:
• Livescribe pen (12%)
• Grammarly (8%)
Ten subcategories used Subcategories used to analyse key assistive features of each assistive
to analyse key assistive technology or adaptation
features of each assistive
• Audio recording / Notetaking (32%)
technology/adaptation:
• Literacy support42 (18%)
• Read aloud / Text to speech (16%)
• Speech to text / Speech control (10%)
• Mind mapping (6%)
• Magnification / Visual adaptation (6%)
• Screen reading aids (4%)
• Audio aids (1%)
• Scanning / Optical character recognition (OCR) (1%)
Key assistive features Key features of three most commonly used devices:
of most commonly used
• Audio recording / Notetaking features
Category 1 technologies/
adaptations identified: • Literacy support features
• Read aloud / Speech to text features
42 Literacy support includes advanced spelling and grammar, screen masking and screen overlay.
58
Theme Two: Concluding comments
2.5 Theme Two: Concluding comments

Digital infrastructure is foundational for digital teaching and learning practices. Access to reliable wifi,
digitally-enabled teaching and learning spaces, digital resources, lecture recordings, digital media
production facilities and assistive technologies all provide means by which student learning and
staff practice and professional development can be optimised. Ideally, the physical higher education
environment and related resources and facilities should support, as seamlessly as possible, digital
teaching and learning.
Theme Two findings provide insights into how those who teach and learn view the suitability of teaching
spaces for effective digital technology use and the degree to which key digital resources and facilities are
available to them. These findings will be especially useful to consider in light of what has been learned in
Theme One about the digital tools and activities valued by students and staff for teaching and learning
and the findings presented in Theme Five regarding suggestions students and staff have for how their
experience of digital teaching and learning could be improved. Access to lecture recordings is one of the
few areas of the survey where there were large differences between Ireland and the UK; students in the
UK were twice as likely to have access to recorded lectures and UK staff were more than twice as likely
to have access to lecture capture. As will be seen in Theme Five, access to lecture recordings is one of the
most commonly requested resources by students in Irish higher education.
Findings related to teaching and learning spaces and access to digital resources may be most valuable
when considered in the institutional context, where actual provision can be compared with related student
and staff responses, and any disparities can be explored. For example, where students and staff who
teach were asked identical questions about access to digital resources, lower proportions of students than
staff said that they had access to e-books, e-journals, file storage and back-up. Students and staff who
teach are likely to have equal access to these digital resources at each institution; this finding points to a
possible lack of awareness on the part of students, and a need for enhanced communication and support
for both students and staff who teach regarding access to and use of important digital resources.
Theme Two findings also include robust data on the range of devices owned and used by students to
support their learning, and the degree to which institutions support the use of personal digital devices.
To foster equity and parity of experience, attention is needed to ensure that students have access to
the devices, software and network access they require for learning. This need has been brought into
sharp focus during the present time of institutional closures, with students relying on personal access to
technology in order to take part in learning and assessment.
Findings regarding student and staff use of assistive technologies provide useful, actionable information
for individual institutions and for the sector. Nationally and across every institution type, the reported
usage of assistive technologies was higher by students than by staff who teach: one in ten students
reported that assistive technologies were vital to meet their learning needs; one in twenty staff who
teach reported that assistive technologies were vital to their work. Despite this considerable usage,
particularly by students, fewer than one in five staff who teach agreed that they were informed about
their responsibilities regarding assistive technologies. The detailed analysis of these findings, informed by
AHEAD, provides an important resource for all institutions and for the sector.
Of all the aspects of digital infrastructure, reliable wifi is arguably the most important. Indeed, this is
confirmed by responses from students and staff who teach when asked about their suggestions for
institutional improvements, described in Theme Five. INDEx Survey findings showed that access to reliable
wifi was available to most students and staff who teach, but that this access is still a concern for more
than one in five students and staff. Although this varies across contexts, improving access to reliable wifi
must be a priority.
59
Key findings from previous research reinforce and provide useful explanatory detail to supplement
the data emerging from the INDEx Survey. The National Forum review of technological infrastructure
conducted in collaboration with IT managers and chief information officers across 25 institutions in
2017, for example, explains that while significant progress has been made in increasing the reach and
reliability of wifi within institutions, one persistent barrier to complete coverage is the challenge posed
by older buildings, where the wireless range is inhibited by the physical infrastructure43. This review also
contains other useful supplementary information of relevance to the detailed findings of the INDEx Survey,
including information on IT security, data storage, hardware, software and open access approaches,
as well as senior management perspectives on top priorities for digital infrastructure. Among the key
insights from this review, it was noted that strategies for developing digital infrastructure tended to be
more emergent than deliberate. The INDEx Survey provides an evidence base which can facilitate the
ongoing collaborative development of deliberate institutional and national digital infrastructure strategies
requested by senior management across institutions.
43 See here: https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/irelands-higher-education-technical-infrastructure-a-review-of-

current-context-with-implications-for-teaching-and-learning-enhancement/
60
Theme Three.
Digital Skills
Development and Support
Findings related to the third theme describe the experiences of
students and staff who teach with respect to digital skills development
and support within institutions. These findings are discussed in the
following five sections:
3.1 Guidance regarding digital skills needed

3.2 Digital skills development
3.3 Digital workplace readiness
3.4 Sources of support
3.5 Theme Three: Concluding comments
61
3.1 Guidance regarding digital skills needed

Students and staff who teach were asked related questions about the guidance they received from their
institutions about the digital skills they required. Students were asked if they had received guidance
about what digital skills they would need prior to starting their course. Staff who teach were asked if they
received guidance about the digital skills they needed as teachers. Respondents could choose to agree,
remain neutral or disagree. Summary results are shown in Figures 24 and 25.

• One-quarter of all students agreed that they • One-third of staff who teach agreed that they
were advised about what digital skills they would received guidance about the digital skills they
need before they started their course (26%) needed as teachers (34%)
• 42% of students disagreed, i.e., said they did not • One-quarter of staff who teach disagreed, i.e.,
receive guidance about what digital skills they said they did not receive guidance about what
would need on their course digital skills they needed as a teacher (23%)
Figure 24. Responses from students (guidance re digital skills needed)

Before I started my course I was told what 42% 32% 26%

digital skills I would need
Figure 25. Responses from staff who teach (guidance re digital skills needed)
How much do you agree that your institution provides you with…? (Q18)
Guidance about the digital skills you 23% 43% 34%

need as a teacher
• Across all discipline areas, Computing students were most informed about the digital skills they
required: 42% agreed that they were advised about what digital skills they would need before they
started their course; the proportion for all other discipline areas was between 30% and 17%
• Higher proportions of online than on-campus students (48% to 23%), part-time than full-time
students (40% to 23%), and postgraduate than undergraduate students (36% to 23%) agreed that
they were informed about what digital skills they would need before they started their course
• 38% of students in private colleges agreed that they were informed about what digital skills they
would need before starting their course, compared with 28% of students in THEIs, 23% at other
institutions and 21% at universities
• International benchmarking: In all four countries, many students disagreed that they were advised
about what digital skills they would need before they started their course, but proportionally more
students in Ireland disagreed that they had received guidance, compared with students in the UK
and ANZ (42%, 36%, 33%)
• Findings from staff who teach and students indicated gaps in the digital guidance they had
received from their institution, with just 34% and 26% reporting that they had received guidance
62 regarding the digital skills they required for teaching and learning, respectively
Theme Three: Digital Skills Development and Support
3.2 Digital skills development

There are various ways that higher education institutions support the digital skills development of
students and staff who teach. Students and staff who teach were asked if they had opportunities at
their institution to develop their digital skills. Staff who teach also were asked whether their institution
supported their digital teaching by providing time and support to innovate or reward/recognition for
developing the digital aspects of their role. Respondents could choose to agree, remain neutral or
disagree. In addition, students and staff who teach were asked to identify whether they had access to
internet-based skills training at their institution whenever they needed it. Summary results are shown in
Figures 26 and 27.

• 38% of students agreed that they had regular • 41% of staff who teach agreed that their
opportunities to review and update their digital institution provided them with regular
skills; 23% disagreed opportunities to develop their digital skills; 22%
disagreed
• One-quarter of students said they had access to
internet-based skills training at their institution • 50% of staff who teach disagreed that their
whenever they needed it (24%) institution provided them with reward/recognition
when they developed digital aspects of their role;
10% agreed
• 48% of staff who teach disagreed that their

institution provided them with time and support
to innovate; 16% agreed
• 47% of staff who teach said they had access to

internet-based skills training at their institution
whenever they needed it
Figure 26. Responses from students and staff who teach (digital skills development)
How much do you agree that...? (Student Q20)
I have regular opportunities to review and update 23% 38% 38%

my digital skills
How much do you agree that your institution provides you with…? (Staff Q18)
Regular opportunities to develop your digital skills 22% 37% 41%
Time and support to innovate 48% 36% 16%
Reward/recognition when you develop digital 10%

50% 40%
aspects of your role
Figure 27. Responses from students and staff who teach (internet-based skills training)
Do you have access to internet-based skills training at your institution whenever you need it?
(Students Q13, Staff Q11)
24% 47%
63
Students have access Staff who teach have access
• There was variation across institution type in students’ responses regarding opportunities to
develop their digital skills: 31% of students at other institutions, 28% of university students, 19% of
THEI students and 18% of private college students said they did not have regular opportunities to
review and update their digital skills
• Students in their institution for less than one year were more likely to agree that they had regular
opportunities to review and update their digital skills (42%) than students who were in their
• For staff who teach, there was little variation across institution type regarding institutional provision
of opportunities to develop their digital skills and reward/recognition for developing the digital
aspects of their role, however, staff who teach at private colleges and other institutions were more
likely to report having time and support to innovate (24% and 23%, respectively) than staff who
teach at THEIs and universities (15% and 14%, respectively)
• Regarding institutional provision of time and support to innovate for staff who teach, there was
wide variability across roles, ranging from instructional designers (50% of whom agreed) to
lecturers (13% of whom agreed)
• International benchmarking: Staff who teach in Ireland were more likely than UK staff to say they
had regular opportunities to develop their digital skills (41% and 34%, respectively) | Staff who
teach in the UK were more likely than staff who teach in Ireland to say they were not given time and
support to innovate (57% and 48%, respectively) | About half of all staff in the UK and Ireland said
their institution did not provide them with reward/recognition when developing the digital aspects
of their role
• Nearly one-quarter of students and staff reported that they did not have regular opportunities
to develop their digital skills (23% and 22%, respectively), while more than one-third of students
and staff agreed that they had regular digital skills development opportunities (38% and 41%,
respectively)
64
3.3 Digital workplace readiness

A particular aim of many higher education programmes (and reflected in the graduate attributes of
many) is digital workplace readiness. Students were asked about the importance of digital skills to their
chosen career and whether their course prepares them for the digital workplace. Students and staff were
asked related questions about the currency and industry relevance of the software used on their courses.
Respondents could choose to agree, remain neutral or disagree. Summary results are shown in Figures 28
and 29.
Students (Q19, Q20) Staff who teach (Q13)

• Three-quarters of students agreed that digital • 40% of staff who teach agreed that the software
skills were important in their chosen career (74%); available to teach with was industry standard
only 5% disagreed and up-to-date; 19% disagreed; 41% were
neutral
• 59% of students agreed that the software on
their course was industry standard and up-to-
date; 9% disagreed
Figure 28. Responses from students (digital workplace readiness)
• 46% of students agreed that their course
How much do you agree that...? (Q19, Q20)
prepared them for the digital workplace; 18%
disagreed
Digital skills are important in my chosen career 5% 22% 74%
TheResponses
Figure 28. software from
used students
on my course is workplace
(digital industry readiness)
9% 33% 59%
standard and up-to-date
My course prepares me for the digital workplace 18% 36% 46%
Digital skills are important in my chosen career 5% 22% 74%
The software used on my course is industry Disagree Neutral Agree

9% 33% 59%
standard and up-to-date
My course prepares me for the digital workplace 18% 36% 46%
Figure 29. Responses from staff who teach (digital workplace readiness)
The software available to teach with is industry
standard and up-to-date 19% 41% 40%
Figure 29. Responses from staff who teach (digital workplace readiness)
How much do you agree that...? (Q13) Disagree Neutral Agree
The software available to teach with is industry

standard and up-to-date 19% 41% 40%
65
• In every discipline area, the proportion of students who agreed with the statement ‘Digital skills are
important in my chosen career’ was over 55%:
–– Students most likely to agree were in Computing (92%), Engineering/ Manufacturing/

Architecture/Construction (86%) and Business/Administration/Law (79%)
–– Students least likely to agree were in Social/Behavioural Sciences (60%), Health (58%) and
Agriculture/Fisheries/Veterinary (56%)
• Nationally, there was a disparity in students’ responses to two related questions: whether digital
skills were important in their chosen career (74% agreed) and whether their course prepared them
for the digital workplace (46% agreed); the disparity was most marked in the discipline areas of
Natural Sciences/Mathematics, Business/Administration/Law, and Education
• Postgraduate students were more likely than undergraduate students to agree that digital skills
are important in their future career (81% to 72%) and that their course prepared them for the digital
workplace (49% to 45%)
• Students in THEIs were most likely to agree that their course prepared them for the digital
workplace (53%), compared with students in private colleges (49%), other institutions (42%) and
universities (39%)
• The more time students had spent in their institution, the less likely they were to agree that their
course prepared them for the digital workplace:
–– Students in their institution for less than one year were more likely to agree that their course
prepared them for the digital workplace (50%) than students who were in their institution for
one to two years (46%), two to three years (41%), or more than three years (37%)
–– Students in their institution for less than one year were more likely to agree that software on
their course was industry standard and up-to-date (65%) than students who were in their
• With respect to digital workplace readiness, responses from students and staff who teach can be
compared for just one question, i.e., whether the software available for teaching and learning on
their course is industry-standard and up-to-date; fewer than half of all students and staff agreed
(46% and 40%, respectively)
• As with student/staff responses for the survey question about digital readiness of teaching spaces
(Section 2.1), staff were more dissatisfied than students with the quality and currency of software
available on their courses
66
3.4 Sources of support

Students and staff who teach were asked equivalent questions regarding their sources of support for
using digital technology. Students were asked who supported them most to use digital technologies in
their learning; staff who teach were asked who supported them most to use digital technologies in their
teaching. Summary results are shown in Figures 30 and 31.

• Students’ most likely source of digital support for • For staff who teach, the most likely source of
learning by far was lecturers on their courses; digital support for teaching was ‘online videos
42% said lecturers supported them most to use and resources’; over one-third of staff selected
digital technology in their learning this option (37%)
• The next most likely source of digital support was • The next most likely sources of digital support
‘other students’, selected by 26% of students for teaching were ‘teaching colleagues’, selected
by 31% of staff who teach, and ‘support staff’,
• After lecturers and fellow students, 20% of
selected by 28%
students selected ‘online videos/resources’ and
9% ‘friends and family’ as their main sources of • Finally, 4% of staff who teach selected ‘friends
digital support for learning and family’ as their most likely source of digital
support for teaching
• The least likely support option was ‘other support
staff’, cited by only 3% of students as their most
relied-upon source of support regarding digital
technology for learning
Figure 30. Responses from students (sources of support)

Who supports you most to use digital technology in your learning? (Q15)
Lecturers on my course 42%
Other students 26%
Online videos and resources 20%
Friends and family 9%
Other support staff 3%
Figure 31. Responses from staff who teach (sources of support)

Who supports you most to use digital technologies in your teaching? (Q10)
Online videos and resources 37%
Teaching colleagues 31%
Support staff 28%
Friends and family 4%
67
• While students across all institution types relied mostly on their lecturers for help in using digital
technology in their learning; this was most true for students in THEIs where 47% said their lecturers
were their most likely source of support, followed by students in other institutions, private colleges
and universities (40%, 40%, 38%, respectively)
• Although both part-time and full-time students relied mostly on their lecturers for support (41% and
42%), the next most likely sources of support for part-time students were online videos/resources
and then other students (27% and 18%, respectively); for full-time students the next most likely
sources of support were reversed, i.e., other students and then online videos/resources (27% and
19%, respectively)
• Newer students (in their institution for less than one year) were more likely than experienced
students (in their institution for more than three years) to rely primarily on lecturers for support with
digital technologies (45% to 36%) and less likely than experienced students to rely primarily on their
peers (22% to 31%)
• Staff support came from online videos/resources, colleagues and support staff, with no appreciable
differences across institution types
• International benchmarking: Students in ANZ were much more likely to use video and online
resources to support their learning compared with students in the UK and Ireland (40%, 23%, 20%,
respectively)
• For both students and staff, reliance on immediate sources of support for use of digital technologies
was clear; for most students this was their lecturers, followed by peers; for staff who teach this was
a range of sources, both online (videos and resources) and in-person (colleagues and support staff)
68
Theme Three: Concluding comments
3.5 Theme Three: Concluding comments

The importance of digital skills and digital competence for higher education students and staff is widely
acknowledged. Beyond technological infrastructure and resources, students and staff who teach also
require support in developing the confidence and skills to appropriately and effectively use digital
technologies within their pedagogical contexts. Ideally, such support begins with guidance on the
requisite digital skills needed for a given course or teaching role. For students, it then carries through their
years of study and prepares them for their digital lives beyond higher education. For staff who teach, this
support is at its best when it is ongoing, both formal and informal, context- and discipline-appropriate,
and takes place in an environment in which the value of engaging in digital skills development is reflected
in institutional decision-making and rewards structures.
INDEx findings shed light on a need to increase the focus and value placed on digital skills development
and support and to ensure that existing supports are well communicated. Fewer than half of all students
and staff who teach reported that they had opportunities at their institution to develop their digital skills,
with little variation across institution type. In addition, findings suggest that many staff are not recognised
or rewarded for developing the digital aspects of their role and many are also lacking the time and
support to innovate. While these findings are in line with or slightly better than international benchmarks,
they make clear the need for continuing and enhancing institutional and sectoral commitment to
developing digital capabilities of students and staff, including structures that ensure that staff have the
capacity, support and incentive to engage in digital development and innovation.
The acknowledgement by a large majority of students that digital skills are important to their chosen
careers is in line with the focus on digital skills reflected in many institutional graduate attributes and
in key national policy documents, such as the National Skills Strategy. With regard to digital workplace
readiness, INDEx findings in Theme Three provide a broad sense of how students view their preparedness
for the digital workplace and particular detail on student and staff views regarding the software
available at their institutions. Findings from other themes are also relevant here. Findings from Theme
One, for example, regarding the degree to which students collaborate online or engage with a variety
of digital media in their learning have high relevance for digital workplace readiness. As with findings in
several other areas, detailed analysis of INDEx data within institutions, and within specific disciplines/
departments, will be helpful in designing, adapting and implementing initiatives to address any identified
gap with regard to digital workplace readiness.
Another interesting finding from Theme Three centred on the supports students and staff who teach
rely on in optimizing their engagement with digital technologies; students look to those who teach
them as their main source of support. The extent to which staff who teach see themselves in this role is
unknown, but awareness of this finding is illuminating. While in some cases, staff who teach may play a
digital support role, in others, they may play a useful ‘triage’ role, referring students to specific resources
(including other staff) that may be helpful. Knowledge of students’ support expectations is important for
individual staff and especially for institutions. Although student and staff responses varied, the findings
regarding support for use of digital technologies for teaching and learning are clear in two respects. Both
students and staff rely on immediate sources of support and person-to-person contact. With respect
to enhancing support resources for students, a key factor is that these be immediately accessible, both
to meet students’ needs and so that the load on staff who teach is not unmanageable. With respect to
support and professional development for staff, INDEx findings highlight the importance of peer networks
in building digital capabilities, an important focus for all professional development and support initiatives.
69
70
Theme Four.
Digital Environment
and Culture
Findings related to the fourth theme describe the experiences of
students and staff who teach with respect to the digital environment
and culture within institutions. These findings are discussed in the
following four sections:
4.1 Student wellbeing and student data protection

4.2 Staff information regarding digital responsibilities
4.3 Student and staff roles in digital decision-making
4.4 Theme Four: Concluding comments
71
4.1 Student wellbeing and student data protection

Students were asked a series of questions about how their institution protected and managed their
personal data and specific aspects of their health, safety and wellbeing. Students could choose to agree,
remain neutral or disagree. Summary results are shown in Figure 32.
Students (Q14, Q19)

• Just over one-half of students (52%) agreed that
their institution protected their data privacy; 4%
disagreed; 44% were neutral
• There was a fairly even split in student responses

to the statement ‘I am told how my personal data
is stored and used’: 30% agreed, 32% disagreed
and 38% were neutral
• Almost one-half of students (47%) agreed that

they could access institution health and wellbeing
services online; 11% disagreed; 42% were neutral
• 40% of students agreed that their institution

helped them to stay safe online, 11% disagreed,
and the most common response was neutral
(49%)
• 37% of students agreed they could participate

in student union/club/society activities online;
one-fifth of students disagreed (21%); 43% were
neutral
Figure 32. Responses from students (student data privacy and student wellbeing)
This institution protects my data privacy 4% 44% 52%
I am told how my personal data is stored and used 32% 38% 30%
I can access institution health and 11% 42% 47%

wellbeing services online
This institution helps me stay safe online 11% 49% 40%
I can participate in student union / club / society

21% 43% 37%
activities online
72
Theme Four: Digital Environment and Culture
• Newer students (in their institution for less than one year) were more likely than experienced
students (in their institution for more than three years) to agree that the institution helped them to
stay safe online (44% to 34%) and protected their data privacy (55% to 48%)
• 35% of students in private colleges agreed that they were told how their personal data was
stored and used, compared with 33% of students in THEIs, 30% in other institutions and 26% at
universities
• Students at universities were least likely to agree that their institution protected their data privacy
(47%) compared with students at THEIs, private colleges and other institutions (56%, 57%, 57%,
respectively)
• International benchmarking: Fewer than half of students in all four countries agreed that their
institution helped them to stay safe online (Ireland 40%, UK 43%, ANZ 48%) | Students in ANZ
were more likely to agreed that they could access institution health and wellbeing services online
than students in the UK and Ireland (57%, 52%, 47%, respectively) | Students in the UK and Ireland
were more likely to agree that were told how their personal data is stored and used compared with
students in ANZ (31%, 30%, 24%)
73
4.2 Staff information regarding digital responsibilities

Staff who teach were asked whether they were informed about their responsibilities regarding a range of
digital activities. Staff could choose to agree, remain neutral or disagree. Summary results are shown in
Figure 33.
Staff who teach (Q19)

• Approximately half of all staff who teach
agreed that they were informed about their
responsibilities with regard to managing learner
data securely (52%); 18% disagreed
• 37% of staff who teach agreed that they were

informed about their responsibilities regarding
digital copyright and licensing; one-quarter
disagreed (25%)
• Regarding health and wellbeing, nearly half

of staff who teach disagreed that they were
informed about their responsibilities with respect
to their own health and wellbeing in the digital
workplace (46%); 15% agreed that they were
informed
• Regarding students’ online safety, nearly half

of staff who teach disagreed that they were
informed about their responsibilities regarding
ensuring students behave safely online (45%);
15% agreed that they were informed
Figure 33. Responses from staff who teach (information re digital responsibilities)
How much do you agree that you are informed about your responsibilities with regard to…? (Q19)
Managing learner data securely 18% 30% 52%
Digital copyright and licensing 25% 38% 37%
Your health and wellbeing in the digital workplace 46% 39% 15%
Ensuring students behave safely online 45% 40% 15%
74
• Responses varied somewhat by institution type: staff teaching at other institutions and private
colleges were more likely to agree that they were informed about their responsibilities with regard
to managing learner data securely (70% and 67%, respectively) than staff teaching at THEIs and
universities (53% and 44%, respectively)
• Staff teaching at private colleges and other institutions also were more likely to agree that they
were informed about their responsibilities regarding digital copyright and licensing (47% and 46%,
respectively) than staff teaching at THEIs and universities (38% and 33%, respectively)
• Nearly half of staff who teach at universities, THEIs and other institutions disagreed that they were
informed about their responsibilities with respect to their own health and wellbeing in the digital
workplace (49%, 46% and 44%, respectively), compared with about one-third of staff at private
colleges (35%)
• Similarly, nearly half of staff who teach at universities and THEIs disagreed that they were informed
about their responsibilities regarding ensuring students’ online safety (49% and 46%, respectively),
compared with 41% of staff who teach at other institutions and 32% of staff who teach at private
colleges
• The staff role reporting that they were least informed about their responsibilities regarding ensuring
students’ online safety was lecturers: 50% disagreed that they were informed; 12% agreed
• International benchmarking: Staff teaching in the UK were more likely than those teaching in
Ireland to agree that they were informed about their responsibilities regarding digital copyright
and licensing (48% and 37%, respectively) and managing learner data securely (59% and 52%,
respectively)
STUDENT/STAFF COMPARISONS [FOR SECTIONS 4.1 AND 4.2]
• Comparisons between student and staff responses in Sections 4.1 and 4.2 provide important
information for individual institutions and for the sector
• Regarding data protection and privacy, 52% of students agreed that institutions protected their
data privacy and 52% of staff who teach agreed that they were informed of their responsibilities re
managing learner data securely
• Regarding staff and student health and wellbeing, just under half of all students (47%) agreed that
they could access institution health and wellbeing services online, while fewer than 1 in 6 staff who
teach (15%) agreed that they were informed about their responsibilities with respect to their own
health and wellbeing in the digital workplace
• Regarding students’ online safety, 40% of students agreed that their institution helped them to
stay safe online, while just 15% of staff who teach agreed that they were informed about their
responsibilities regarding ensuring students’ online safety
75
4.3 Student and staff roles in digital decision-making

Students and staff who teach were asked whether their institution provided them with opportunities to
be involved in decisions about digital services. They could choose to agree, remain neutral or disagree.

• 30% of students disagreed, and 27% agreed, that • 44% of staff who teach disagreed, and 14%
learners were given the chance to be involved agreed, that their institution provided them with
in decisions about digital services; 43% were the opportunity to be involved in decisions about
neutral digital services; 42% were neutral
Figure 34. Responses from students (role in digital decision-making)

Learners are given the chance to be involved in

30% 43% 27%
decisions about digital services
Figure 35. Responses from staff who teach (role in digital decision-making)
How much do you agree that your institution provides you with…? (Q18)
Opportunity to be involved in decisions

about digital services 44% 42% 14%
• Overall, a minority of students agreed that they were given the chance to be involved in decisions
about digital services at their institutions, however, there were some differences among students:
– A somewhat greater proportion of students in private colleges (32%) and THEIs (31%) agreed
that they were given the chance to be involved in decisions about digital services, compared
with students at other institutions (25%) and universities (24%)
– Male students were more likely than female students to agree that they were given the chance
to be involved in decisions about digital services (32% to 24%)
– Proportionally more students in their institution for less than one year agreed that they were
given the chance to be involved in digital decisions (32%) than students who were in their
76
• A very small minority of staff who teach agreed that they were given the chance to be involved in
decisions about digital services at their institutions, however, there were some differences among
staff:
– Staff who teach at private colleges were somewhat more likely to be involved in decisions
about digital services (22%) compared with staff who teach at other institutions (16%) and at
universities and THEIs (both 13%)
– Involvement in decisions about digital services varied by role: staff agreeing most that they
were involved in these decisions were learning technologists (40%), academic deans (38%) and
instructional designers (36%); staff agreeing least were technicians (16%), tutors (13%) and
lecturers (11%)
• Across the sector, a majority of students and a large majority of staff who teach said they did not
have the opportunity to be involved in decisions about digital services at their institutions.
77
4.4 Theme Four: Concluding comments

Digital environment and digital culture are important aspects of organisational digital capabilities
and potential enablers of digital practices. Digital environment and culture describe how an institution
supports the development of digitally capable people (students and staff) through its institutional
strategies, policies, leadership, style of communication, and engagement with students and staff. Within
the scope of digital environment and culture, the INDEx Survey considered student and staff wellbeing,
student data protection, staff information regarding digital responsibilities, and student and staff roles in
digital decision-making.
Acknowledging the importance of student data privacy and protection, the INDEx Survey asked both
students and staff about their experiences in this area. With just half of students agreeing that their
institution protected their data privacy, fewer than a third agreeing that they were informed about how
their personal data was stored and used, and half of all staff who teach agreeing that they were informed
about their responsibilities with regard to managing learner data securely, the INDEx findings suggest
that additional work is required on this issue. Considering the importance of institutions’ GDPR obligations
and concerns about personal data privacy more broadly44, it is important to ensure students’ data privacy
and protection, to communicate clearly to the institutional community regarding related protective
measures that are in place, and to equip staff with the necessary knowledge and resources.
Students were somewhat positive about their ability to access health and wellbeing services online
and to participate in student union/club/society activities online. Online safety is an area of concern for
individuals within and beyond institutions, and for institutions themselves with regard to their duty of care
for both students and staff. This is a topic which attracted mixed responses among students and staff
who teach regarding students being supported to stay safe online and staff being informed about their
responsibilities with respect to ensuring students’ online safety and their own health and wellbeing in the
digital workplace. Although the figures are largely in line with international benchmarks in the UK and
ANZ, working to address these findings regarding students’ and staff experiences of online safety and
wellbeing is an ongoing and complex task for all, but vitally important.
The INDEx finding that a majority of students and a large majority of staff who teach reported not
having the opportunity to be involved in decisions about digital services at their institution highlights
the importance of such opportunities being both available and effectively communicated. A review of
digital policies conducted across Irish higher education institutions in 2017 found that the digital policy
landscape was somewhat fragmented45. The National Forum has since proactively addressed this
concern, supporting institutions to develop enabling digital policies; this ongoing work will be further
enhanced by the incorporation of insights from the INDEx findings. A key characteristic of enabling digital
policies is that they incorporate opportunities for discussion and debate with all stakeholders. Given the
significant influence policies can have on an institutional environment and culture, and thus the digital
capabilities of all who learn and teach within the institution, this consultative approach is key to ensuring
awareness of and input into policies among those who will be most affected by their implementation.
Issues such as digital wellbeing, data protection, digital responsibilities and involvement in digital
decision-making are mutual concerns for students and staff who teach and they can be addressed
collaboratively. This may serve to foster a co-creative digital culture and an environment where the digital
rights and wellbeing of all are protected.
44 See: Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power. Profile
Books.
45 See: https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/a-review-of-the-existing-higher-education-policy-landscape-for-
78 digital-teaching-and-learning-in-ireland-2/
Theme Five.
Attitudes to Digital
Findings related to the fifth theme describe attitudes to the use of

digital technologies, digital resources and learning of students and
staff who teach, as well as their ratings of their institutions with
respect to digital provision and digital support. The findings are
discussed in the following four sections:
5.1 Attitudes to use of digital technologies

5.2 Student preferences regarding digital resources & learning
5.3 Student/staff ratings of digital at institution
5.4 Theme Five: Concluding comments
79
5.1 Attitudes to use of digital technologies

Students were asked to respond to four different statements about their attitudes towards digital
technologies and learning on their course. They could choose to agree, remain neutral or disagree.
Students and staff who teach were asked how much they would like digital technologies to be used on
their course and in their teaching practice, respectively. They could reply ‘less than they are now’, ‘the
same as they are now’ or ‘more than they are now’. Finally, staff who teach were asked about their
approach to adopting new technologies for teaching, identifying to what extent they were early, mid or
late adopters. Summary results are shown in Figures 36 and 37.

• Students were largely positive about the use • 13% of staff who teach considered themselves
of digital technologies on their course; very ‘usually among the first’ to adopt new
few (under 4%) disagreed with any of the four technologies for teaching, while a further 47%
statements considered themselves to be early adopters
where they saw clear benefits
• 77% agreed that they were more independent in
their learning and 75% agreed that they could fit • Thus, 60% of staff who teach considered
learning into their lives more easily when digital themselves to be early adopters of new
technologies were used on their course technologies for teaching, but three-quarters of
these considered themselves to be so only where
• 70% agreed that they understood things better
they saw clear benefits
and 69% agreed that they enjoyed learning more
when digital technologies were used on their • A further 31% of staff who teach said they
course tended to adopt new technologies at the pace of
their peers; 9% tended to adopt new technologies
• When asked how much they would like digital
after their peers
technologies to be used on their course, students
were nearly equally divided between ‘more than • When asked how much they would like digital
they are now’ (48%) and ‘the same as they are technologies to be used in their teaching practice,
now’ (49%); 3% responded ‘less than they are 68% of staff who teach said ‘more than they are
now’ now’, 29% ‘the same as they are now’, and 3%
‘less than they are now’
Figure 36. Responses from students and staff who teach (attitudes to use of digital technologies)
When digital technologies are used on my course... (Student Q24)
I am more independent in my learning 3% 20% 77%
I can fit learning into my life more easily 4% 21% 75%
I understand things better 3% 27% 70%
I enjoy learning more 4% 28% 69%
Which best describes your approach to adopting new technologies for teaching? (Staff who teach Q9)
I am usually among the first to

13%
adopt new technologies
I tend to be an early adopter where I
see clear benefits 47%
I tend to adopt new technologies at

the pace of my peers 31%
I tend to adopt new technologies after my peers 9%
80
I tend to be an early adopter where I
see clear benefits 47%
I tend to adopt new technologies at

the pace of my peers 31%
Theme Five: Attitudes to Digital
I tend to adopt new technologies after my peers 9%
Figure 37. Responses from students and staff who teach (attitudes to use of digital technologies)
How much would you like digital technologies to be used on your course? (Students Q28)
3% 49% 48%
Ideally, how much would you like digital technologies to be used in your teaching practice? (Staff who teach Q16)
3% 29% 68%
Less than they are now Same as they are now More than they are now
• Students’ largely positive assessment regarding the use of digital technologies for learning were
consistent across all cohorts of students and for students across all institution types; the only
observed difference was that a higher proportion of part-time students than full-time students
agreed that the use of digital technologies enabled them to fit learning into their lives more easily
(81% to 74%)
• Nearly all students, nationally and across all categories and institution types, would like digital
technologies to be used ‘more than’ or ‘the same as’ they are now, only a tiny minority would like
digital technologies to be used less than they are now; these findings will be particularly useful at
institution (and discipline) level, where students’ responses can be compared with current usage of
digital technologies for learning
• A greater proportion of full-time than part-time students would like digital technologies to be used
more than they are now (49% to 39%)
• Staff approaches to adopting new technologies for teaching varied by role: staff agreeing most that
they were early adopters46 were learning technologists (93%), technicians (78%) and instructional
designers (72%); staff agreeing least were lecturers (60%), tutors (59%) and library staff (55%)
• International benchmarking: Students in Ireland and the UK were more likely than students in
ANZ to say they understood things better (70%, 69%, 63%, respectively) and enjoyed learning
more (69%, 68%, 61%) when digital technologies were used on their course | Students in Ireland
were more likely than students in the UK and ANZ to say they would like digital technologies to
be used on their course more than they are now (48%, 44%, 31%, respectively) | Staff who teach
in Ireland were more than twice as likely as staff who teach in the UK to say they would like
digital technologies to be used in their teaching practice more than they are now (68% and 33%,
respectively) | Staff who teach in Ireland and the UK had nearly identical responses regarding their
approaches to adopting new technologies for teaching
• Nearly all students and staff who teach would like digital technologies to be used for teaching and
learning: students were equally divided between ‘more than’ and ‘the same as’ they are now, while
over twice as many staff said ‘more than’ (68%) as compared with ‘the same as’ they are now
(29%)
46 Categorisation of early adopter here includes staff who replied ‘I am usually among the first to adopt new technologies’
and ‘I tend to be an early adopter when I see clear benefits’ (Q9) 81
5.2 Student preferences regarding digital resources and

learning
Students were asked to identify which digital resources and which computer devices would be most useful
to them as learners. Students also were asked about their preferences regarding mobile device use in
class. In addition to questions about digital resources and devices, students were asked to identify their
preferences regarding individual and/or group learning. Summary results are shown in Figures 38, 39 and 40.
Students (Q23, Q25, Q26, Q27, Q28)

• Students were asked to identify, from a list of
digital resources, which would be most useful
to them as a learner: the top choice by far was
‘practice questions available online’, selected by
41% of students
• The second choice as a useful digital resource

was ‘course-related videos’ (selected by 20% of
students), followed by ‘interactive polls/quizzes
in class’ (selected by 18%), ‘references and
readings’ (selected by 12%) and ‘working online
with other students’ (selected by 9%)
• When asked about which digital devices would

be most useful to them as learners, there was
a fairly even split in student responses: of three
options provided, 37% selected ‘more computers
in computer rooms’, 36% selected ‘more laptops/
tablets available in class’, and 27% selected ‘more
laptops/tablets available on long-term loan’
• When asked their preferences regarding

students’ mobile device use in class, students
were asked to select from three options: 47%
thought mobile device use should be allowed at
any time and 48% preferred that mobile device
use be limited to class activities; 6% of students
preferred no mobile device use in class at all
• Finally, students were asked their preferred mode

of learning in general, i.e., learning on their own,
learning in groups or a combination of the two:
44% of students preferred working on their own,
4% preferred working in groups, and the majority
(52%) preferred a combination of individual and
group work
82
Figure 38. Responses from students (preferences re digital resources)

Which of these would be most useful to you as a learner? More… (Q23)
... practice questions available online 41%
... course-related videos 20%
... interactive polls/quizzes in class 18%
... references and readings 12%
... time working online with other students 9%
Which of these would be most useful to you? (Q26)
36% 27%
37%
More computers in More laptops/tablets More laptops/tablets

computer rooms available in class on long-term loan
Figure 39. Responses from students (preferences re mobile device use)

In class, would you prefer students to be allowed to use their own mobile devices… (Q27)
6% 48% 47%
None of the time Only to carry out class activities At any time
Figure 40: Responses from students (preferences re learning)

Which best describes your preferences as a learner? (Q25)
44% 52% 4%
I prefer to learn on my own I like a mix of individual I prefer to learn in a group

and group work
83
• Preferences for digital resources varied considerably among students:
- While students across all institution types chose ‘practice questions available online’ as their top
choice, the proportion of students choosing this varied somewhat: 45% at universities and other
institutions, 38% at THEIs and 32% at private colleges
- The top three choices for undergraduate students were online practice questions, course-related
videos and interactive polls/quizzes in class (44%, 19%, 19%, respectively); the top three choices
for postgraduate students were online practice questions, course-related videos and references/
readings (27%, 27%, 21%, respectively)
- The top three choices for mature students were online practice questions, course-related videos
and references/readings (32%, 26%, 17%, respectively); the top three choices for younger
students were online practice questions, interactive polls/quizzes in class and course-related
videos (45%, 20%, 17%, respectively)
• Context is also important in considering students’ responses to questions about which digital
devices would be most useful to them as learners:
- THEI and university students’ top choice was ‘more computers in computer rooms’ while the
most common response from students in other institutions and private colleges was ‘more
laptops and tablets available in class’
- Undergraduate students’ top choice was ‘more computers in computer rooms’ while
postgraduate students’ top choice was ‘more laptops and tablets available in class’
- Full-time students’ top choice was ‘more computers in computer rooms’ while part-time
students’ top choice was ‘more laptops and tablets available on long-term loan’
• Regarding mobile device use in class, there was a nearly even split nationally between students
who preferred that devices be allowed at any time (47%) and those who preferred that their use
be limited to class activities (48%); amongst all categories of students there also was an even split,
with the exception of part-time students and mature students: part-time students preferred class-
only use to any-time use of mobile devices (52% to 39%); likewise, mature students preferred class-
only use to any-time use of mobile devices, and in the same proportions (52% to 39%)
• Regarding their preferred mode of learning (i.e., on their own, in groups or a combination), all
categories of students marginally preferred a combination of individual/group learning with
the exception of online students, who marginally preferred learning on their own to combined
individual/group learning (49% to 47%)
• Students who most preferred a combination of individual/group learning were part-time students,
mature students, blended learning students, and students in private colleges
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5.3 Student and staff assessment of digital at institution

At the end of each survey, students and staff who teach were asked to rate the quality of their institution’s
digital provision, i.e., software, hardware and learning environment. Students also were asked to rate the
quality of digital teaching and learning on their course. Staff who teach were asked to rate the support
they received from their institution to develop the digital aspects of their role. Summary results are shown
in Figures 41, 42 and 43.

• Students were largely positive about their • Staff who teach were somewhat positive about
institution’s digital provision: 80% gave an above the quality of their institution’s digital provision:
average rating, 15% gave an average rating, and 64% gave an above average rating, 25% gave an
5% gave a below average rating average rating, and 12% gave a below average
rating
• Students also were largely positive about the
quality of digital teaching and learning on their • Staff who teach gave mixed responses when
course: 71% gave an above average rating, 21% rating the support they received from their
gave an average rating, and 7% gave a below institution to develop the digital aspects of their
average rating role: 46% gave an above average rating, 33%
gave an average rating, and 22% gave a below
average rating
Figure 41. Responses from students and staff who teach (digital at institution)
Overall, how would you rate the quality of this institution’s digital provision
(software, hardware, learning environment)? (Students Q16, Staff Q14))
80%
64%
25%
15%
12%
5%
Below average Average Above average
Student Staff
Figure 42. Responses from students (digital teaching and learning on course)
Overall, how would you rate the quality of digital teaching and learning on your course? (Q21)
7% 21% 71%
Figure 43. Responses from staff who teach (digital support from institution)
Overall, how would you rate the support you receive from your institution to develop
the digital aspects of your role? (Q20)
22% 33% 46%
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• The quality of their institution’s digital provision (software, hardware and learning environment)
was rated as above average by 82% of university students, 79% of private college students, 78% of
students at other institutions, and 76% of students at THEIs
• The quality of their institution’s digital provision was rated more highly by students in the institution
less than one year (86%) than by students in the institution for one to two years (78%), two to three
years (70%), or more than three years (70%)
• Staff who teach in private colleges were more likely to rate as above average the support they
received from their institution to develop the digital aspects of their role (58%), compared with staff
who teach in other institutions (52%), THEIs (45%) and universities (43%)
• International benchmarking: Collectively, students in Ireland, compared with students in the UK

and ANZ, gave a less favourable rating to the quality of their institutions’ digital provision (80%,
86%, 90%, respectively) and to the quality of digital teaching and learning on their courses (71%,
75%, 77%, respectively) | Collectively, staff who teach in Ireland gave a more favourable rating to
the quality of their institutions’ digital provision than staff in the UK (64% and 58% giving above
average ratings, respectively)
Optional free text questions

In addition to the rating questions described above, students and staff who teach were asked optional
free text questions to enable them to suggest improvements to digital teaching and learning at their
institution47:
• Students were asked to describe one thing their institution could do, or do better, to improve their
experience of digital teaching and learning (Q22); a total of 13,495 students completed this question
(53% of all respondents). While this free text question was designed to yield specific actionable
information for participating institutions, a broad consideration of all students’ responses nationally
provides a useful overview for the sector; Table 10 shows the main areas of student responses
• Four main areas for improvement were identified by students: (i) better, reliable wifi; (ii) universal,
effective and consistent use of the VLE by staff who teach; (iii) availability of lecture recordings; and
(iv) widespread availability of working, up-to-date computer hardware and software for learning and
assessment
• Staff who teach were asked to describe one thing the institution should do, or do better, to support
them in their use of technology for teaching (Q21); a total of 2,892 staff who teach completed this
question (65% of all respondents). As with the related student question, this free text question was
designed to yield specific information for participating institutions, however a broad consideration of all
staff responses nationally provides a useful overview; Table 11 shows the main areas of staff responses
• Three main areas for improvement were identified by staff who teach: (i) more and dedicated time to
develop digital teaching and learning; (ii) improved digital infrastructure; and (iii) additional support and
professional development
47 Note on qualitative analysis method for free text questions: In each case, a word search was carried out on the top ten
terms to gather meaning in context; further searches were conducted to identify key areas identified by students and staff
who teach.
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Table 10. Main areas of student responses: ‘One thing the institution could do, or do better, to improve your
experience of digital teaching and learning’ (Q22)
The majority of student responses were in these four areas:
Wifi The greatest number of consistent responses for any one issue were in relation
to wifi. Overwhelmingly, students would like better, faster, more stable, good
quality, reliable wifi.
Use of the VLE Many responses referring to ‘lectures’, ‘lecturers’ and specific VLEs focused
specifically on lecturers’ use of the VLE. Among these responses, students
asked that the VLE be used by all lecturers. Students would like the VLE to be
used effectively and consistently across all modules. Timeliness of uploads to
the VLE was requested by many, e.g., posting learning materials to the VLE
before class or soon afterward. Students also would like courses in the VLE
to be structured to facilitate navigation, particularly where there are many
learning and assessment resources posted. And according to some students,
some valuable features of the VLE are underused by lecturers, e.g., calendar and
announcements.
Lecture recordings Students would like lectures to be recorded. While many responses simply stated
‘record lectures’ or ‘lecture recordings’, some students provided context to explain
their need for lecture recordings, e.g., as working students, mature students,
students living far from the institution, students with caring responsibilities,
students who want to review lectures – while some said that lecture recordings
should simply be available to all.
Hardware/software Many responses related to broken, slow and/or outdated computer equipment
(laptops, workstations) and software. Overall, students requested more up-to-
date computers, and greater availability of computers and printers, in various
locations (e.g., computer rooms, labs library) as well as up-to-date software.
While the four areas above accounted for the majority of student responses, additional clusters of
responses from students highlighted the following issues:
Physical spaces Students would like well-designed, comfortable and digitally-enabled teaching
and learning spaces, both to prioritise health and wellbeing and to facilitate
learning. Items highlighted for improvement include additional comfortable
seating, good lighting, and easy accessibility of electrical sockets in all
classrooms and libraries.
Teaching and Several students requested more interactivity in teaching, in both lectures and
learning online (e.g., interactive games, polling). Students would like learning/teaching
materials in forms beyond Word, PowerPoint and YouTube. And a few students
suggested that digital submissions, not printed, be standard for all submitted
work.
Digital skills Some students explicitly highlighted the need to support students and staff
who teach in developing their digital skills, knowledge and confidence. Students
need to develop digital skills, use of tools, and a greater awareness of the tools
available to them (e.g., some students were unaware of the software/resources
available to them or how to use them properly). Classes for students should start
in year one and continue regularly. Students also requested that staff who teach
have better training in how to use the VLE and other tools (e.g., AV equipment).
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Table 11. Main areas of responses from staff who teach: ‘One thing the institution should do, or do better, to
support you in your use of technology for teaching’ (Q21)
The majority of responses from staff who teach were in these 3 areas:
Time The most-cited suggestion across all staff responses was to address the lack of
time for digital innovation and developing digital teaching and learning. Effective
use of technology for teaching requires that staff have time for: learning about
digital tools and approaches, applying digital tools to teaching in their own
discipline/context, developing digital resources, and enhancing pedagogical
approaches for digital learning. Staff described multiple barriers to getting the
time required for this work, most notably large and increasing workloads (i.e.,
teaching, assessment and related administrative work). Staff recommended that
management demonstrate their recognition of the time commitment required by
addressing workload issues and by ensuring dedicated time for digital learning
and development. A related issue was timing, with many staff requesting more
digital training/support and sessions available at multiple times to accommodate
various teaching schedules
Digital Staff outlined many improvements to digital infrastructure that would support
infrastructure their use of technology in teaching. As with students, this included access to
reliable wifi in all teaching spaces. In addition, staff suggested eliminating
barriers such as: overly-restrictive firewalls, unavailable/unreliable hardware
(e.g., presentation systems), hardware incompatibilities (e.g., Apple devices, VGA/
HDMI connectors) and inconsistent tech setup across different teaching rooms/
facilities. Staff also requested that it be easier to record lectures, upload recorded
lectures and enable closed captioning, and requested functional media labs for
use by staff and students and better software for online teaching. Finally, several
staff explicitly requested that institutions consult with staff who teach when
making decisions about new technology tools and platforms, i.e., “ask staff”.
Support and Staff requested more support and professional development in multiple areas
professional including: how and why to include technology to improve learning; effective/
development consistent use of the VLE; designing/delivering online teaching and learning
(e.g., webinars); creating videos; new educational technologies; digital skills; and
digital literacy. In addition, many simply requested more training and in a greater
variety of formats, e.g., in-person, recorded, online, hands-on, one-on-one, small
groups, and most importantly, as needed. Lunchtime seminars, while useful for
some, are impossible to attend for many who teach, so multiple engagement
options are necessary. A few staff acknowledged that good support/training
exists at their institution (e.g., in centres for teaching and learning) but said there
were too few resources and that more are needed.
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A smaller number of clusters of responses from staff who teach highlighted the following two issues:
Reward and In addition to the need for dedicated time to develop digital teaching and
recognition learning, as noted above, some staff acknowledged the importance of reward
and recognition. These were noted as especially important for early adopters of
technology for teaching, who provide encouragement and models for their peers,
and for staff who are not on permanent contracts and typically do not get paid
for time spent on class preparation.
Digital strategy and In addition to practical support, some staff highlighted the need for a clearly
policies defined institutional strategy regarding digital teaching and learning, based
on widespread consultation across the institution. Consultation with a diverse
range of students and staff is important to be sure that the digital services
complement and support their needs. In addition, some staff also highlighted the
need for clear and accessible digital policies regarding e.g., the use of assistive
technologies, student data management and protection, digital copyright,
students’ online safety, and student/staff digital wellbeing48.
48 These issues are explored elsewhere this report: see Sections 2.4, 4.1 and 4.2.
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5.4 Theme Five: Concluding comments

The findings of Theme Five, relating to attitudes to digital, demonstrate the importance of the previous
four themes. The views of students, reflecting the high value they place on the use of digital technologies
in their education, illustrate why it is worth enhancing digital teaching and learning practices, digital
infrastructure, digital skills and competences and the institution’s digital environment and culture. Digital
matters to students; most students agreed that when digital technologies were used on their course, they
understood things better, enjoyed learning more, were more independent in their learning and could fit
learning into their life more easily. It is perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that a large proportion of both
students and staff indicated that they would like to see digital technologies used more than they are now
in teaching and learning.
Diving into more detail about students’ preferences regarding digital learning, there are connections
with other themes. The findings in Theme Five provide detail on which digital resources and which
computer devices students rate as most useful to them as learners; these findings will be useful to explore
in combination with findings related to infrastructure in Theme Two. The fact that almost one third of
students would like more laptops/tablets available on long-term loan, for example, is relevant when
considering student use of personal devices. Similarly, students’ preferences regarding mobile device
use in class and collaborative learning will be useful to explore in combination with findings related to
teaching and learning practices in Theme One.
Overall reflections on current institutional digital provision and supports were largely positive, with the
majority of students rating both general digital provision and the quality of digital teaching and learning
in their institution as above average. The majority of staff who teach also rated the digital provision within
their institution as above average, although staff gave mixed responses when rating the support they
received from their institution to develop the digital aspects of their role. An explanation for this lower
rating among staff may relate to the findings described in Theme Three where only a minority of staff
indicated that they were given time and support to innovate or were recognised/rewarded for attending to
the digital aspects of their role.
While, these general questions are useful as high-level indicators of attitudes towards provision and
support, the open-ended responses in Theme Five provide a wide-reaching source of explanatory data
that is helpful in understanding responses across all themes in the survey. There is potential among these
responses, focused on what students and staff suggest institutions could do to enhance current provision,
to gain much deeper insights to inform action.
Digital infrastructure and resources loomed large in the priorities of students, who were most likely to
suggest enhancements related to reliable wifi, consistent use of the VLE by staff who teach, availability
of lecture recordings and availability of working, up-to-date computer hardware and software. Additional
responses gave detail on the importance of digitally-enabled teaching and learning spaces, more
interactivity in teaching and more use of digital media, and supporting students and staff who teach in
developing their digital skills, knowledge and confidence. Staff, on the other hand, emphasised addressing
the severe deficit of time for digital learning, development and pedagogical innovation as their top priority;
large and increasing workloads were seen to constrain opportunities for development. Staff also sought
improved digital infrastructure and additional support and professional development in the areas of
digital skills, digital literacies and the use of educational technologies. Some staff responses reinforced
the importance of reward and recognition for digital innovation, and clear institutional strategies for
digital teaching and learning, and related digital policies, all based on widespread consultation across the
institution.
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Theme Five: Concluding comments
INDEx findings in Theme Five provide a rich resource for all engaged in leading and delivering higher
education in Ireland. As with the findings from other themes, they will benefit from further analysis and
discussion within programme teams, discipline units, institutions, representative bodies and at national
policy level. These findings will be considered in the context of all other findings from the INDEx Survey in
the next and final chapter of the report.
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Summary of Key Findings
Summary of Key
Findings
Importance of digital to student learning in Irish higher education
A majority of students agreed that when digital technologies are used on their course, they understand
life more easily. Indeed, half of students indicated that they would like digital technologies to be used
on their course more than they are now. Almost three-quarters of students rated the overall quality of
digital teaching and learning on their course as above average. Interestingly, given student reporting of
the benefits of digital technologies, over two-thirds of staff who teach also indicated that they would like
digital technologies to be used in their teaching practice more than they are at present.
Supporting student and staff digital capabilities

Four in ten students said they had regular opportunities to review and update their digital skills.
When asked to describe what their institution could do to improve their experience of digital teaching
and learning, students requested more interactivity in teaching, in both lectures and online, and
emphasised the need for ongoing support for themselves and the staff who teach them in developing
digital skills, knowledge and confidence. It is clear that the digital capabilities of students and staff who
teach are interdependent and that participatory, co-creative digital pedagogies are valued by students.
Indeed, students cited lecturers on their course as their primary support in using digital technology in their
learning.
The vast majority of staff who teach engaged in development of their digital teaching skills either formally
or informally and more than a third reported that their institution regularly provided opportunities for them
to develop their digital skills. There was a relatively even split between the sources of support staff most
relied on to use digital technology in their teaching: online videos and resources, teaching colleagues, and
support staff. Close to half of all staff who teach rated as above average the support they received from
their institution to develop the digital aspects of their role. When asked to describe what their institution
could do to support them in their use of technology for teaching, the most popular response from staff
who teach was more and dedicated time to develop digital teaching and learning. This was reinforced by
separate findings that half of all staff who teach did not feel that their institution provided them with time
and support to innovate or reward/recognition when they developed the digital aspects of their role.
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A new understanding of which digital tools and activities are valued

We have never before had such robust national data telling us which digital tools and digital teaching and
learning activities students and staff use and value. For example, we know that the digital tool found most
useful by students and staff is the VLE, and that universal, effective and consistent use of the VLE and
provision of lecture recordings were two of students’ top requests for improving their experience of digital
teaching and learning. Regarding digital activities, the course-related digital activity most students found
useful was polling/quizzing. This new knowledge about what is valued can be combined with related
findings regarding support and provision to inform future decision-making. At the time of the INDEx
Survey, for example, one-quarter of students reported having access to lecture recordings and just under
a third of staff who teach reported having access to lecture capture; two-thirds of students reported
having access to polling/quizzing on their course, while half of all staff who teach had never carried out
live polls or quizzes in class.
Access to wifi, devices and digitally-enabled teaching and learning

spaces
Overall, four in five students and two-thirds of staff who teach rated the quality of their institution’s
digital provision (software, hardware, learning environment) as above average. Although access to
reliable institutional wifi was available to most students and staff who teach, one in five student and staff
respondents reported that they lacked such access. When asked how their institution could improve their
stable wifi.
Student device ownership and use for learning was high overall, but it was not universal. Eight out of
ten students used a personally-owned smartphone to support their learning, with one-third of students
reporting that they regularly accessed the VLE on a mobile device. While nine out of ten students owned
and used a laptop, over one-quarter of students indicated that they would find it useful to have more
laptops/tablets on long-term loan. These findings suggest caution in assuming that all student devices
are equally suitable or reliable, particularly during the current period of institutional closures with students
relying on access to personal devices, software and wifi in order to take part in learning and assessment.
Nearly half of all students but just under a third of staff agreed that teaching spaces were well-designed
for digital technologies. Priorities for students, in addition to access to reliable wifi, included adequate
access to reliable, up-to-date computers, devices and printers (in classrooms, lecture halls, computer
labs, libraries, etc.) and access to adequate power and seating to support learning and wellbeing. Staff
who teach described a variety of ways that teaching spaces could better support their use of digital
technologies for teaching, mostly by facilitating seamless use of devices and technologies across different
teaching spaces. As infrastructure and needs vary across institutions and discipline areas, it will be
important to explore the specific needs of students and staff within each institution.
Online teaching and learning

Until the recent sudden shift to remote/online learning, teaching and learning in a live online environment
was largely considered the purview of those who taught or were enrolled in online programmes, or those
who support them. At the time of the INDEx Survey, 70% of staff who teach had never taught in a live
online environment; looking at the benchmarking data, this compares with 74% in the UK. This proportion
will have changed dramatically since March 2020. Many who had never taught or learned online now
have done so and understanding their experiences and how their attitudes and expectations with regard
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to online teaching and learning have been affected will be essential in order to make sure that the
evidence of the INDEx Survey and of recent experience both inform future decision-making.
Supporting the needs of all students

One in ten students reported that assistive technologies were vital to meet their learning needs. Students’
largely positive assessments re digital teaching and learning were consistent across almost all cohorts of
students. Some differences in engagement and attitudes were evident, however, and these may point to
differing needs that can be taken into account in ensuring equitable provision and support for all students.
For example, full-time students were more likely to want digital technology to be used more for learning;
postgraduate students were more likely to have created an e-portfolio; online students were less likely
to access the VLE on a mobile device; mature students were more likely to use assistive technologies;
and international students were more likely to regularly work online with others as part of their course. In
addition, students in their institution for less than one year were more likely to have used polling/quizzing,
to have had opportunities to update their digital skills, and to be involved in digital decision-making.
Digital workplace readiness

The importance of digital skills and digital competence for higher education students is widely
acknowledged, but INDEx findings shed further light on this. Three-quarters of all students agreed that
digital skills are important for their chosen career; while there were some disciplinary differences, a
majority of students in all discipline areas agreed. In contrast with this perceived need, however, fewer
than half of all students believed that their course prepared them for the digital workplace. Detailed
analysis and discussion of INDEx data within institutions, and within specific disciplines/departments, will
be helpful in designing, adapting and implementing initiatives to address these gaps. Examples of findings
that relate to workplace readiness and may be worth interrogating at institutional and programme level
are the degree to which students collaborate online, produce work in digital formats other than Word/
PowerPoint, or feel that the software used on their course is industry standard and up-to-date.
Importance of professional identity to staff engagement, experiences

and expectations
The INDEx Survey definition of staff who teach was ‘all staff who teach and all who support teaching and
learning’. Staff respondents encompassed a range of roles including, for example, lecturer, academic dean,
education developer, instructional designer, learning technologist, library staff, manager, technician and
tutor. The findings indicate that professional identity may be relevant to engagement, experiences and
expectations related to digital technologies, with responses varying somewhat across roles. For example,
findings indicate that: lecturers are close to the overall average for all staff who teach in practices such as
use of polling/quizzing, creating learning materials using digital media, and teaching live online; librarians
and managers are most likely to have time to innovate; learning technologists and deans are most likely to
have an opportunity to be involved in decisions about digital services; and managers are most likely to be
informed about their responsibilities re students’ online safety.
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Digital policies
Underpinning digital capabilities and pedagogical practices are the digital strategies, environment,
culture and policies within each institution. It is these organisational digital capabilities that motivate,
enable and support the individual digital capabilities and digital practices of students and staff. While
each institution may have a range of policies in place regarding digital teaching and learning, many
students and staff indicated that they were unaware of these policies or the related guidelines. Only half
of all students said their institution protected their data privacy and just over a quarter said they were
informed about how their personal data was stored and used, while half of staff respondents said they
were informed about their responsibilities with regard to managing learner data securely. Four in ten
students said their institution helped them to stay safe online, while fewer than two in ten staff said they
were informed about their responsibilities with respect to ensuring students’ online safety. Additional
findings indicate further areas where awareness of existing policy-related guidelines was low, e.g., use
of assistive technologies, copyright and licensing. These findings indicate a need to increase student and
staff awareness of and engagement with policy development and implementation.
Digital decision-making
INDEx findings show that almost one-third of students and nearly half of all staff who teach reported
they did not have the opportunity to be involved in decisions about digital services at their institution. It
is not possible to ascertain from this data if this is because respondents did not have such opportunities
or were unaware of the opportunities available to them. However, in their responses regarding how
their institution could better support their use of technology for teaching, several staff requested that
institutions consult with staff when making decisions about new technology, tools and platforms.
Reflection on these student and staff findings from an institutional perspective may help individual
institutions to enhance communications and engagement with respect to current and future digital
decisions. Engaging and partnering with students and staff can ensure that digital strategies, policies and
initiatives will complement and support the diverse needs of students and staff across the institution.
Differences across institution types

In the main, INDEx findings were largely similar across all institution types, although there were some
differences. For example, students at THEIs were most likely to agree that their course prepared them for
the digital workplace; staff at THEIs were most likely to have taught live online. Students at universities
gave the highest ratings for their institution’s overall digital provision; university staff were most likely to
have access to lecture capture. Students at private colleges had the highest access to recorded lectures
and staff who teach at private colleges were most likely to be involved in digital decisions. At other
institutions, students and staff were most likely to say they had access to reliable wifi and students
reported the highest access to digital resources.
Differences between countries

Australia and New Zealand (for students only). Overall, the generally similar expectations and experiences
in the four countries highlight the structural and cultural similarities across these higher education sectors.
Differences were observed in a few areas. For example, compared with students in the UK, Australia and
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New Zealand, students in Ireland were more likely to access the VLE on a mobile device and less likely to
have access to recorded lectures. Students in Australia and New Zealand were more likely to have created
a digital record or portfolio of their learning than students in the UK or Ireland. Compared with staff who
teach in the UK, staff who teach in Ireland were more likely to use the VLE for student collaboration and
have regular opportunities to develop their digital skills, but only half as likely to have access to lecture
capture.
A unique characteristic of the INDEx Survey was its combined focus, nationally, on both students
and staff who teach. Across the findings, the multiple interdependencies between students and
staff who teach were evident, most notably with respect to digital capabilities. Students and
staff often make assumptions about one another’s digital capabilities, for example, students
relying primarily on lecturers for support in using technology for learning, and staff assuming
that students are aware of and know how to use (and make the most of) various digital tools.
Critically, the digital capabilities of staff who teach enable them to use digital technologies to
enhance pedagogic practice as well as to support learners to actively develop their own digital
capabilities. Developing the digital capabilities of students and staff must be viewed as an
interdependent endeavour, informed by the evidence of research and practice and supported by
knowledgeable decision-making regarding institutional supports and provisions.
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Concluding Remarks
Concluding Remarks
Across all countries and contexts, higher education institutions are confronted with the question of how to
adapt and shape higher education in an increasingly digital, networked world. At a time of unprecedented
global challenge, the importance of confident, supported engagement with digital technology has become
clear. The aim of the INDEx Survey was to highlight what makes a difference to students and staff
who teach in Irish higher education, providing an evidence base to inform decision-making and future
enhancement of digital teaching and learning. The INDEx findings provide a comprehensive and nuanced
understanding of the digital engagement, experiences and expectations of students and staff who teach,
and are an important benchmark for our sector.
Looking back to see a way forward…

In looking to the future, where uncertainty is inevitable, understanding where you have been will
guide choices of where you go next. The Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World, developed
collaboratively by the sector during the first two years of the National Forum, provided a sense of
direction with respect to the enhancement of digital teaching and learning in Irish higher education. The
shared vision for building digital capacity that emerged from the Roadmap49 remains salient. It led to
the establishment and implementation of the INDEx Survey and will be an important touchstone as we
continue to interrogate the survey findings and look to the future.
Vision Endorsed by the Sector in 2015
The Irish higher education sector will be characterised by providing a higher education learning
experience and environment in which:
• There is a culture that fully embraces digital learning and digital innovation and its contribution
to realising transformative goals articulated in the National Strategy for Higher Education to
2030
• Digital platforms, resources and tools are utilised to enhance teaching, learning and
assessment, to connect teachers and students, and to increase the level and quality of
learning-related communication
• Digital literacy and digital skills for teaching and learning are developed, supported and fully
embedded
• Students will have access to a range of technological supports and resources to enhance their
learning in a manner that enables them to become lifelong learners in the digital world
• Teachers will be fully enabled to use digital technologies/resources where appropriate, in order
to enhance student learning within their disciplines
49 National Forum (2015) Teaching and Learning in Irish Higher Education: A Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World
2015-2017, p. vi https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/teaching-and-learning-in-irish-higher-education-a- 99
roadmap-for-enhancement-in-a-digital-world-2015-2017/
• Institutions collaborate with each other, and with the schools and further education sectors in
order to build digital capacity for teaching and learning, with students as key partners in the
process
• Institutions collaborate effectively at the international level in both research and practice
relating to technology-enhanced learning, for example through the Erasmus+ and Horizon
2020 initiatives, enabling Irish higher education institutions to partner in a global landscape,
building connections and developing a reputation internationally for innovation, digital fluency
and cooperation
Building on a solid foundation…

Overall, the INDEx Survey stands as an important benchmark for Irish higher education, recorded at a key
moment in time. Ireland is the only country with national data representative of all students and staff who
subsequently experienced the sudden shift to online teaching and learning resulting from the COVID-19
pandemic. The data reflect a sector in which digital technology was considered valuable for learning, and
both students and staff who teach were eager for more use of digital technology and additional support
to develop their digital skills. The potential, both latent and manifest, which allowed the higher education
community to move to teaching and learning online and to transfer, re-purpose and re-imagine existing
knowledge and experience reflects the significant Government investment in teaching and learning
over the past several years and the sustained efforts of institutions and all those who support staff and
students.
A recent overview of developments in building digital capacity and capabilities across the sector in the
years since the establishment of the National Forum provides a comprehensive picture of the significant
advances that have resulted from the extensive investment of the time and energy of students and
staff, as well as public finances50. Similarly, a review of the impact of large-scale collaborative projects
conducted by teams of staff and students across the sector since 2014 revealed that staff confidence
in engaging with digital technology had been enhanced and a more sophisticated understanding
of the application of digital technology to teaching and learning had emerged51. Work ongoing on a
number of projects funded recently by the National Forum and other projects funded under the HEA’s
2018 Innovation and Transformation Fund52 also did much to underpin Ireland’s robust response to the
unexpected move to online learning.
INDEx findings reinforce the importance of existing resources, tools and frameworks for developing
student and staff digital skills, literacies and competences. Projects funded through the first three rounds
of the National Forum’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund resulted in the development of 19
digital platforms/tools for enhanced teaching and learning and over 600 other resources, many of which
are now embedded in programmes and VLEs across the sector. The National Digital Skills Framework53
and the digital domain of the National Professional Development Framework54 provide the impetus and
50 National Forum (2018) Building Digital Capacity in Higher Education 2013-2018 https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/
publication/building-digital-capacity-in-irish-higher-education-2013-18-national-developments-and-key-perspectives/
51 National Forum (2020) Learning about Impact and Looking to the Future: Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund
Projects 2014-18 https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/learning-about-impact-and-looking-to-the-future-
teaching-and-learning-enhancement-fund-projects-2014-18/
52 Examples include the Irish Universities Association ‘Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning’ project (IUADigED) https://
www.iua.ie/ourwork/learning-teaching/digital-learning/ and the Connaught Ulster Alliance ‘Innovative Opportunities
Transforming Education’ project (iNOTE) https://digitaled.ie/
53 All Aboard Digital Skills Framework https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/our-priorities/digital-transformation/national-
digital-skills-framework/
54 National Professional Development Framework for all Staff Who Teach in Higher Education https://www.
teachingandlearning.ie/publication/national-professional-development-framework-for-all-staff-who-teach-in-higher-
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education/
Concluding Remarks
structure for students and staff to continually interrogate their knowledge, skills and understandings
related to digital technologies; these have been informed by the European DigComp and DigCompEdu
frameworks that are also in use across Irish higher education institutions.
The experiences and perspectives of close to 30,000 students and staff now available through the
INDEx findings add to extensive existing evidence from Irish higher education including overviews of
the technological infrastructure, digital policies, institutional use of data, staff use of technology, the
professional lives and work of learning technologists, use of open educational resources, and staff
engagement with technology-enhanced assessment55. While many future enhancements to digital
teaching and learning may require additional investment and resources, several INDEx findings highlight
a foundational need also: to increase awareness and engagement so that existing potential can be
leveraged. Sharing and discussing INDEx findings with students and staff in the first instance will be
useful in building collective understanding of the broad spectrum of digital experiences within each
institution. Students may find value in seeing their own experiences reflected in a larger context, perhaps
realising that some of their needs and concerns are shared. Staff who teach may find value in exploring
the digital experiences and expectations of students, and considering how these relate to the students
whom they teach. Teaching and learning staff may find value in exploring the digital experiences of
students and staff, both institutionally and nationally, as part of their ongoing work to engage with and
address these needs. And senior leaders and decision-makers can review INDEx findings to deepen their
awareness of the digital experiences and needs of students and staff who teach – vital information for
prioritising resources and leading change.
Building the future together…

Key strengths of the INDEx Survey include its breadth in terms of the range and diversity of students
and staff who participated, its reach across the sector, its consideration of digital capabilities in different
domains, both individual and institutional, and its enabling of national and international benchmarking.
INDEx findings reflect a higher education community that has progressed significantly with respect to
engagement with digital technologies since the Digital Roadmap was first developed. None of this would
have been possible without the foundations that had been laid for effective community and collaborative
working, including willingness to collaborate, experience of collaborative project management and
implementation, the availability of the infrastructure for collaboration, and commitment to collaboration.
From initial contact with registrars and policy partners to the convening of a national steering group,
through all steps involved in collectively mobilising students and staff to encourage participation in the
survey among their colleagues and peers, collaboration was crucial.
There is work to be done at every level of higher education in raising awareness of, and engagement
with, existing provision and supports and in addressing identified gaps. The sense of shared purpose
and cross-cutting ambition that underpinned the INDEx Survey will now need to carry through to the
realisation of the potential of its findings. A rich picture of the needs and priorities of students and staff
who teach with respect to the digital dimension of their lives in education is available to us. It supplements
existing evidence and comes at a time when the potential and the commitment of the sector to work
together for the good of all students has never been more evident. We need to determine, together, how
we can channel this energy and leverage existing potential to identify specific areas where focused effort
may accomplish relevant, specific, positive outcomes for all students and staff.
55 See www.teachingandlearning.ie/publications
101
With much of the Digital Roadmap purposefully navigated, and this new evidence base of the digital
engagement, experiences and expectations of students and staff now available, Irish higher education is
primed to consider a re-articulated vision for digital teaching and learning. We can move from the original
Digital Roadmap to a mapping of enhanced pathways to student success underpinned by robust digital
infrastructures, policies and pedagogical approaches. Collaboration, responsiveness and adaptability
to institutional contexts will be prioritised as we re-articulate a national vision for digital teaching and
learning56. This will require openness at institutional and system levels, meaningful partnership between
students and staff, and structures that enable ongoing communication and problem-solving, at local and
national levels, as the digital terrain continues to evolve.
Since the closure of all higher education institutions in March 2020, staff and students across the
sector have made enormous efforts to continue teaching and learning remotely and online. This has
been accomplished in the context of a continuing global health crisis and myriad individual and family
challenges. While the exact contours of our future are not yet known, capable and critical engagement
with digital technology remains central to our mission in higher education. Now particularly, we recognise
that ‘digital’ does not only relate to those with ‘digital’ in their titles and is not just an individual endeavour.
Student-staff partnership and equitable, holistic approaches will help us to move towards becoming truly
digitally capable institutions and a digitally capable sector – helping students and staff to thrive as they
live, learn and work in a rapidly changing and increasingly digital world: building our future together.
56 National Forum Strategy 2019-21 https://www.teachingandlearning.ie/publication/strategy-2019-2021-leading-

enhancement-and-innovation-in-teaching-and-learning/
102
Actionable Next Steps
Actionable Next Steps
At system level
• Support gathering and dissemination of lessons learned following COVID-19. The unique national
evidence base now available through the INDEx findings should be combined with the evidence of
the experience of learners, teachers and leaders who have gained new perspectives, considered new
approaches and shifted thinking with regard to teaching and learning in recent months. There is a need
for a targeted national response to support the teaching and learning needs of institutions as they
recover from the unforeseen effects of this crisis.
• Ensure that INDEx findings inform developments emanating from other related national work in the
area of higher education, such as the development of the Digital Transformation Framework, the
realisation of the potential of the Innovation and Transformation Fund and the Human Capital Initiative,
and actions related to digital transformation and digital connectivity arising from the Charter for Irish
Universities57 and the recent report of the Technological Universities Research Network58.
• Ensure INDEx findings inform the work of other relevant sectors of Government so that related
infrastructure and shared services availed of by institutions, and their students and staff, can be
optimised. The roll-out of the National Broadband Plan, for example, may impact on wifi in higher
education institutions in the longer term.
• View INDEx findings in the context of other national reviews and datasets, such as previous National
Forum reviews of digital policies and infrastructure and relevant aspects of the annual StudentSurvey.ie
findings, to ensure a broad evidence base is drawn upon in national decision-making.
• Consider differences, or notable findings, within the comparative institutional data and what these may
mean for equitable provision and supports at system level, to ensure the success of all higher education
students across Ireland.
• Consider international INDEx Survey benchmark findings and engage in open dialogue with key
policy and system representatives in benchmark countries to ensure a sharing of valuable lessons and
practices across borders.
• Ensure that performance frameworks, and national decision-making processes take cognisance of
INDEx findings and serve to support institutions in carrying out the institutional steps listed below.
57 See here: https://www.iua.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/IUA_Charter_2018_v16.pdf

58 See here: https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/connectedness-collaboration-through-connectivity.
pdf
103
At institutional level
• Interrogate further, differences in engagement, experiences and expectations of different student
cohorts and what these mean for ensuring equitable provision and support for all. Through all digital
decisions – infrastructure, learning design, teaching, policies, etc. – it is vital to seek to understand equity
and inclusivity needs and how these can be addressed.
• Ensure dedicated time, and recognition/reward, to support staff who teach as they engage in formal
and informal professional development related to the digital aspects of their roles. This action will come
to the fore in determining workload models and criteria for staff promotions.
• In addition to considering the national findings from open-ended questions, explore institutional
open-ended responses regarding suggestions from staff and students to inform optimal engagement
with digital technology in teaching and learning. Existing processes and structures for staff-student
partnerships, such as the National Student Engagement Programme59, may be useful in supporting
constructive conversations on INDEx findings at institutional level.
• Ensure senior leaders and decision makers demonstrate and communicate, through their actions and
decisions, their awareness of INDEx findings and the importance of a sustained, integrated approach to
building digital capabilities for students, staff and the institution as a whole.
• Encourage, enable and capture systematic reflection from students, staff and decision makers about the
recent rapid shift to remote/online teaching and learning. Such data gathering will honour the efforts in
this space and will ensure that future decision-making can be based on both evidence from the INDEx
Survey and evidence from experience.
• Consider the efficacy of institutional communication and engagement strategies in ensuring awareness
among staff and students of existing opportunities, resources, policies and supports with respect to
digital with a view to maximising the potential of current provision. Compare current provision with
awareness of provision in the INDEx findings to inform targeted adjustments to such strategies.
• Take cognisance of INDEx findings within quality assurance and enhancement processes. The findings
may be especially informative for quality review conversations and associated reporting.
• Continue to strive towards maximal wifi reliability and access for all in the institutional community and
continue to examine and respond to the needs of students in respect of access to digital devices to
support their learning.
• Consider the detailed data with regard to how and why students and staff access the institutional
VLE and how the potential of the VLE can be maximised for student learning in light of the analysis of
findings.
• Explore the digital tools and activities valued by students and staff who teach and consider how
related supports and provision can be enhanced within the institution. Also, explore further within the
institutional community why such tools and activities are valued so that this knowledge can inform
further enhancements.
• Further interrogate differences in engagement, experiences and expectations among staff who teach in
different roles and consider and discuss what differences in findings between roles within the institution
may indicate with regard to communications, structures, approaches and priorities around digital.
• Develop/review/update policies to support digital teaching and learning. Important policy areas include:
lecture recording, student data management and protection, use of assistive technologies, open access
and open education, students’ online safety, and student and staff digital wellbeing. Policy review and
development should emerge from open, active and widespread consultation across the institution and
student/staff partnership. Consider also how institutional digital strategies, policies and initiatives fit
within, and can be integrated into, broader teaching, learning and other policies and strategies.
59 See www.studentengagement.ie
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Appendices
Appendices
Appendix 1. Report authors and sectoral partnership
Report authors
Report compiled by Catherine Cronin and Katherine McBride, in collaboration with the National Forum
team
Sectoral partnership
As the national body responsible for leading and advising on the enhancement of teaching and learning
in Irish higher education, the National Forum was uniquely placed to initiate and coordinate the INDEx
Survey. The National Forum has always worked closely with those who teach, learn and shape policy
and practice across Irish higher education. The INDEx Survey builds on a body of work that has been
coordinated and led by the National Forum in the areas of digital education, technology enhanced
learning and building digital capacity60. The National Forum consulted with its Board and with National
Forum Associates as well as with the following key stakeholders in order to undertake the INDEx Survey:
• The INDEx Steering Group of staff and students, including institutional leads from each participating
institution, worked with the National Forum to agree survey objectives, questions and procedures and to
coordinate promotion, analysis and communication of findings.
• Student partnership was central to the INDEx Survey from its inception. Collaboration with the Union
of Students of Ireland (USI), institutional students’ unions and other student representatives, and the
National Forum’s Student Associate Interns was vital in encouraging engagement with the survey.
This collaboration will continue in order to effectively communicate and respond to INDEx findings at
institutional and national levels.
• The Digital Education Advisory Group worked closely with the National Forum from the idea through
analysis phases of the INDEx Survey to provide valuable feedback and insights, particularly in providing
context regarding digital and higher education issues and key considerations.
• The Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education and Skills endorsed and supported
this national initiative.
• Countless individuals across all 32 institutions participated in the INDEx Survey by completing the
survey and/or encouraging engagement by others. Our sincere thanks to all who helped to make the
survey a success at their institutions, including registrars, human resources departments, staff in
teaching and learning centres, and of course, students and staff who teach.
• Dara Ryder and his team from AHEAD provided expert advice and assistance in analysing INDEx
results with respect to use of assistive technologies by students and staff who teach.
60 See National Forum (2018) Building Digital Capacity in Irish Higher Education 2013-18 https://www.teachingandlearning. 105
ie/publication/building-digital-capacity-in-irish-higher-education-2013-18-national-developments-and-key-perspectives/
• Organisers of Ireland’s annual student survey, StudentSurvey.ie, were helpful in sharing their national
survey experience. The findings of StudentSurvey.ie and the INDEx Student Survey are complementary;
institutions can consider these findings together in order to obtain a rich picture of students’ overall
engagement and digital experience.
• We kindly acknowledge the support of the steering groups of the Enhancing Digital Teaching and
Learning (IUADigEd) and Innovative Opportunities Transforming Education (iNOTE) projects, both
funded through the HEA Innovation and Transformation Fund, as well as the Digital Experience Insights
team at Jisc, and Helen Beetham, during the survey and analysis periods.
106
Appendices
Appendix 2. Participating institutions

UNIVERSITIES OTHER INSTITUTIONS
Dublin City University Marino Institute of Education
Maynooth University Mary Immaculate College, Limerick
National University of Ireland Galway National College of Art and Design
Trinity College Dublin Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
University College Cork St. Angela’s College, Sligo
University College Dublin
University of Limerick PRIVATE COLLEGES
Carlow College, St. Patrick’s
TECHNOLOGICAL HIGHER EDUCATION CCT College
INSTITUTIONS Dublin Business School
Athlone Institute of Technology Griffith College
Cork Institute of Technology Hibernia College
Dundalk Institute of Technology Irish College of Humanities and Applied Sciences
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology National College of Ireland
Institute of Art, Design and Technology St. Nicholas Montessori Society of Ireland
Institute of Technology Carlow
Institute of Technology Sligo
Institute of Technology Tralee
Letterkenny Institute of Technology
Limerick Institute of Technology
Technological University Dublin
Waterford Institute of Technology
107
Appendix 3. Thematic coding framework

INDEx Student Survey questions INDEx Staff Survey questions
Demographics
Demographics 2. Years at institution 2. Years in teaching role

3. Level of course 3. Years at institution
4. Part-time/full-time 4. Role
4.1 Mode of study 5. Discipline
4.2 Mature 6. Gender
4.3 International
5. Discipline
6. Age
7. Gender
Theme One. Digital Teaching and Learning Practices
1.1 Digital learning 12.1-5 Using digital tools for learning 17.1 Search online for digital resources
activities and tools 12.a Examples of useful digital tools/apps 17.3 Read re: developments in digital
17.1 Find info online (on course) education
17.a Example of useful digital activity (on 17.4 Develop digital teaching skills (formal/
course) informal)
17.a Example of useful digital tools/apps
1.2 Online interaction and 17.2 Work with others online (on course) 15.1 Carry out polling/online quizzes (in class)
online teaching 17.3 Use edu game/simulation (on course) 15.2 Teach live online
17.4 Use polling/online quiz (on course) 17.2 Discuss teaching with peers online
1.3 Online assessment 19.1 Online assessments delivered/managed 13.5 Online marking/feedback system is easy
and feedback well to use
15.4 Give personalised feedback on digital
system
1.4 Creating digital media 17.5. Create digital portfolio of learning (on 15.3 Create learning materials as digital media
course)
17.6 Produce digital media (on course)
1.5 Using the VLE 18.1 Easily find things on VLE 12.1 Rely on VLE for teaching
18.2 Rely on VLE for learning 12.3 Regularly use VLE for student
18.3 Access VLE on mobile device collaboration
18.4 Would like VLE to be used more 12.5 Access VLE on mobile device
12.2 Easy to design/organise course on VLE
12.4 VLE encourages me to try different
activities
Theme Two. Digital Infrastructure
2.1 Basics of digital 13.1 Access to reliable wifi 11.1 Access to reliable wifi
infrastructure 19.2 Teaching spaces well designed for tech 13.2 Teaching spaces well designed for tech
2.2 Access to digital 13.2-5 Access to digital resources 11.2-5, 11.7 Access to digital resources
resources 13.1 AV equipment reliable & easy to use
13.4 Digital media production facilities
available
2.3 Students’ own 11. Devices used for learning

devices 14.1 Students supported to use own devices
2.4 Assistive technologies 8. Use assistive tech for learning 7. Use assistive tech
9. Assistive tech use supported/enabled 8. Assistive tech use supported/enabled
10. Examples of useful assistive tech/apps 19.3 Staff informed re: assistive tech
responsibilities
108
Section Header
INDEx Student Survey questions INDEx Staff Survey questions
Theme Three. Digital Skills Development and Support
3.1 Guidance re: digital 20.1 Students informed re: digital skills needed 18.1 Staff receive guidance re: digital skills
skills needed needed
3.2 Digital skills 13.6 Access to internet-based skills training 11.6 Access to internet-based skills training
development 20.2 Regular opportunities to develop digital 18.2 Regular opportunities to develop digital
skills skills
18.3 Staff have time/support to innovate
18.4 Staff rewarded for digital development
3.3 Digital workplace 19.3 Software is industry standard & up-to- 13.3 Software is industry standard & up-to-
readiness date date
20.3 Digital skills important for career
20.4 Course prepares students for workplace
3.4 Sources of support 15. Sources of support for digital tech for 10. Sources of support for digital tech for
learning teaching
Theme Four. Digital Environment and Culture
4.1 Student wellbeing 14.2 Student can access health/wellbeing

and student data services online
protection 14.3 Students can participate in SU activities
online
14.4 Online safety assurance for students
14.5 Student data privacy protection
19.4 Students informed re: personal data use
4.2 Staff information re: 19.1 Staff informed re: learner data
digital responsibilities responsibilities
19.2 Staff informed re: copyright & licensing
19.4 Staff informed re: online safety
responsibilities
19.5 Staff informed re: own health/wellbeing
4.3 Student and staff 20.5 Students involved in digital decisions 18.5 Staff involved in digital decisions
roles in digital
decision-making
Theme Five. Attitudes to Digital
5.1 Attitudes to use of 24. Student attitudes to digital used for 9. Approach to adopting new tech
digital technologies learning 16. Staff attitude re: use of digital tech in
28. Students would like digital tech in learning teaching
5.2 Student preferences 23. Identifying useful digital learning resources

re: digital resources 25. Students preference re: ind/group learning
and learning 26. Students preference re: digital device/
computers
27. Students preference re: mobile device use
5.3 Student and staff 16. Student rating re: digital at institution 14. Staff rating re: digital at institution
assessment of digital 21. Student rating re: digital T+L on course 20. Staff rating re: digital support from
at institution 22. What should institution do to improve institution
digital T+L 17.1 Example of useful digital tools/apps
109
Appendix 4. Definitions used in the INDEx Report
Term Definition
BLENDED LEARNING Defined within the INDEx Survey as “integration of classroom
face-to-face learning experiences with online learning
experiences”
DISCIPLINE AREA In most cases the INDEx Report uses the same terminology as
used in StudentSurvey.ie. However, where the Student Survey
uses ‘field of study’ the INDEx Report uses ‘discipline area’,
enabling us to use the same term for both students and staff
who teach. We have used the same groupings for discipline
areas as for field of study, i.e., European ISCED codes61
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT Defined within the INDEx Survey: “you are considered to be
an international student if you are not an Irish citizen but you
are lawfully in the State primarily to receive education and
training”
MATURE STUDENT Defined within the INDEx Survey: “you are considered to be a
mature student if you are at least 23 years of age on January
1 of the year you enter your course”
STAFF WHO TEACH The INDEx Survey was open to all who teach and all who
support teaching and learning in Irish higher education, e.g.,
lecturers, tutors, librarians, educational developers, learning
technologists, instructional designers, academic deans, etc.
STUDENT The INDEx Survey was open to all students enrolled on taught
programmes of study, both undergraduate and postgraduate
in a higher education institution in Ireland, aged 18 and over
61 See here: https://ec.europa.eu/education/international-standard-classification-of-education-isced_en
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Appendices
Appendix 5. Student Survey: Summary results

Other Private
National Universities THEIs UK AUS/NZ
Institutions Colleges
2. How many years have you studied at this institution?
Less than 1 year 48% 50% 43% 52% 58% 46%
1 to 2 years 21% 20% 22% 19% 24% 25%
2 to 3 years 16% 14% 19% 14% 12% 18%
More than 3 years 15% 16% 16% 15% 6% 11%
3. What level is the course you're studying?

Access/prep/foundation 1% 1% 1% 2% 2% 4%
course
Undergraduate 80% 77% 91% 84% 56% 72%
Postgraduate taught 19% 23% 9% 14% 42% 23%
4. Are you studying full or part-time?
Full-time 86% 91% 87% 83% 66%
Part-time 14% 9% 13% 17% 34%
4.a What is your mode of studying?
On-campus 71% 74% 73% 60% 60%
Blended 25% 23% 22% 38% 36%
Online 4% 3% 5% 1% 4%
4.b. Are you a mature student?
Yes 32% 25% 30% 28% 69%
No 68% 75% 70% 72% 31%
4.c. Are you an international student?
Yes 19% 18% 13% 21% 36%
No 81% 82% 87% 79% 64%
5. In what area is your programme of study?

Agriculture, Fisheries and 2% 2% 2% 0% 0%
Veterinary
Arts, Humanities and 16% 22% 11% 14% 7%
Languages
Business, Administration 20% 18% 21% 0% 31%
and Law
Computing, ICT 12% 7% 16% 0% 26%
Education 8% 5% 3% 45% 20%

Engineering, Manufacturing, 10% 9% 14% 0% 1%
Architecture and Construction
Health 11% 13% 9% 35% 1%
Natural Sciences and 10% 15% 9% 0% 0%
Mathematics
Other 4% 2% 5% 5% 6%
Service 2% 0% 5% 0% 0%
Social and Behavioural 6% 7% 4% 1% 6%
Sciences
6. How old are you?
18 14% 18% 13% 18% 3% 11%
19 to 21 41% 44% 44% 44% 17% 46%
22 to 24 16% 16% 16% 12% 21% 17%
25 to 29 10% 8% 8% 7% 24% 10%
30 plus 18% 13% 19% 20% 36% 16%
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Other Private
7. What gender do you identify as?
Female 59% 64% 53% 77% 56% 63% 64%
Male 40% 35% 46% 22% 43% 36% 35%
Other 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
8. Do you use any assistive technologies to meet your learning needs?

Yes, vital to meet my learning 9% 7% 9% 7% 13% 10% 6%
needs
Yes, optional choice 9% 9% 9% 9% 10% 9% 9%
No 82% 84% 82% 84% 77% 81% 85%
9. If YES, has your institution provided you with any support with assistive technologies?
Yes 70% 68% 68% 75% 75% 67%
No 30% 32% 32% 25% 25% 33%
10. Please give an example of any assistive technologies, apps or adaptations that you’ve found useful. (see Qualitative Qs)
11. Which of these personally-owned devices do you use to support your learning? (Tick all that apply)
Laptop computer 92% 95% 88% 91% 95% 93%
Smartphone 82% 86% 80% 84% 77% 86%
Printer 50% 51% 49% 64% 47% 52%
Desktop computer 26% 20% 34% 17% 25% 28%
Tablet/iPad 22% 21% 21% 27% 25% 33%
None of the above 1% 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
12. In your own learning time, how often do you use digital tools or apps to...
12.1 Manage links or references
Weekly or more 63% 63% 62% 62% 70% 64% 70%
Monthly or less 25% 25% 26% 27% 21% 26% 23%
Never 12% 12% 12% 11% 8% 10% 6%
12.2 Organise your study time
Weekly or more 48% 49% 44% 45% 56% 52% 54%
Monthly or less 26% 24% 29% 26% 23% 25% 24%
Never 27% 27% 27% 30% 22% 23% 22%
12.3 Make notes or recordings
Weekly or more 66% 67% 63% 68% 68% 69% 68%
Monthly or less 21% 20% 23% 18% 20% 19% 20%
Never 14% 13% 14% 14% 12% 12% 12%
12.4 Look for additional resources not recommended by your lecturer
Weekly or more 67% 71% 62% 71% 72% 72% 72%
Monthly or less 25% 23% 29% 23% 22% 23% 25%
Never 7% 6% 9% 6% 6% 5% 4%
12.5 Access lecture notes or recorded lectures
Weekly or more 89% 91% 87% 92% 87% 85% 84%
Monthly or less 8% 6% 10% 6% 10% 11% 12%
Never 3% 2% 3% 2% 3% 4% 4%
12.a Please give an example of a digital tool or app you find really useful for learning: (see Qualitative Qs)
13. Which of these do you have access to at your institution whenever you need them? (Tick all that apply)
Online course materials 84% 88% 80% 99% 82% 89% 90%
Reliable WiFi 77% 83% 71% 85% 72% 82% 84%
e-books and e-journals 65% 70% 58% 86% 65% 79% 78%
File storage and back-up 44% 42% 50% 40% 29% 44% 40%
Recorded lectures
112 25% 24% 20% 29% 42% 49%
Appendices
Other Private
Internet-based skills training 24% 24% 22% 29% 26% 16%
None of the above 2% 1% 3% 1% 1% 1%
14. How much do you agree with the following statements?
14.1 This institution supports me to use my own digital devices
Agree 73% 77% 66% 73% 76% 70% 80%
Neutral 24% 21% 29% 24% 21% 26% 18%
Disagree 4% 3% 5% 4% 3% 4% 2%
14.2 I can access institution health and wellbeing services online
Agree 47% 50% 45% 46% 45% 52% 57%
Neutral 42% 40% 43% 39% 44% 40% 38%
Disagree 11% 10% 12% 15% 11% 7% 5%
14.3 I can participate in student union / club / society activities online
Agree 37% 38% 35% 41% 35% 41% 46%
Neutral 43% 43% 44% 36% 43% 45% 45%
Disagree 21% 19% 21% 23% 22% 13% 9%
14.4 This institution helps me stay safe online
Agree 40% 38% 41% 41% 43% 43% 48%
Neutral 49% 51% 48% 47% 46% 49% 47%
Disagree 11% 12% 11% 12% 11% 8% 6%
14.5 This institution protects my data privacy
Agree 52% 47% 56% 57% 57% 54% 50%
Neutral 44% 48% 40% 39% 40% 43% 47%
Disagree 4% 5% 4% 4% 3% 3% 3%
15. Who supports you most to use digital technology in your learning?
Friends and family 9% 8% 9% 9% 9% 9% 13%
Lecturers on my course 42% 38% 47% 40% 40% 37% 7%
Online videos and resources 20% 22% 17% 20% 24% 23% 40%
Other students 26% 27% 25% 27% 23% 26% 31%
Other support staff 3% 3% 3% 4% 5% 5% 9%
16. Overall, how would you rate the quality of this institution’s digital provision (software, hardware, learning environment)?
Best imaginable 4% 3% 4% 5% 4% 3% 4%
Excellent 32% 34% 29% 32% 32% 38% 43%
Good 44% 45% 43% 41% 43% 45% 43%
Average 15% 13% 17% 16% 15% 11% 9%
Awful 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 2% 1%
Poor 4% 3% 6% 4% 4% 1% 0%
Worst imaginable 0% 0% 1% 1% 0% 0% 0%
17. As part of your course, how often do you…
17.1 Find information online
Weekly or more 93% 95% 91% 94% 94% 94% 96%
Monthly or less 6% 5% 9% 5% 6% 5% 4%
Never 1% 0% 1% 1% 0% 1% 0%
17.2 Work online with others
Weekly or more 38% 36% 39% 30% 46% 31% 50%
Monthly or less 40% 41% 39% 45% 36% 45% 39%
Never 22% 24% 22% 25% 18% 24% 11%
17.3 Use an educational game or simulation for learning

113
Weekly or more 17% 15% 16% 19% 21% 14% 20%
Other Private
Monthly or less 31% 32% 31% 36% 31% 31% 38%
Never 52% 53% 53% 46% 48% 55% 42%
17.4 Use a polling device or online quiz to give answers in class
Weekly or more 21% 24% 18% 22% 20% 17% 31%
Monthly or less 40% 41% 39% 47% 37% 45% 42%
Never 39% 35% 43% 31% 44% 38% 27%
17.5 Create a digital record / portfolio of your learning
Weekly or more 25% 25% 26% 23% 26% 28% 34%
Monthly or less 33% 32% 34% 37% 35% 35% 36%
Never 41% 43% 40% 40% 39% 38% 31%
17.6 Produce work in digital formats other than Word/PowerPoint
Weekly or more 40% 36% 45% 30% 39% 36% 41%
Monthly or less 31% 31% 31% 36% 32% 33% 36%
Never 29% 33% 24% 35% 29% 30% 23%
17.a Please give an example of a digital activity you have found really useful on your course: (see Qualitative Qs)
18.1 I can easily find things on the VLE
Agree 58% 61% 54% 63% 60% 57% 59%
Neutral 31% 29% 35% 27% 31% 31% 32%
Disagree 11% 10% 11% 11% 9% 11% 9%
18.2 I rely on it to do my coursework
Agree 71% 76% 63% 79% 72% 72% 86%
Neutral 22% 18% 27% 16% 22% 21% 11%
Disagree 8% 6% 10% 6% 6% 6% 3%
18.3 I regularly access it on a mobile device
Agree 64% 67% 61% 71% 59% 61% 53%
Neutral 22% 19% 25% 17% 25% 22% 25%
Disagree 14% 14% 14% 12% 15% 16% 22%
18.4 I would like it to be used more by my tutors/instructors
Agree 48% 48% 48% 46% 45% 41% 47%
Neutral 43% 42% 43% 45% 46% 49% 46%
Disagree 9% 9% 9% 9% 9% 10% 7%
19.1 Online assessments are delivered and managed well
Agree 56% 57% 55% 49% 56% 60% 63%
Neutral 36% 35% 37% 41% 36% 34% 32%
Disagree 8% 7% 8% 11% 9% 7% 6%
19.2 Teaching spaces are well designed for the technologies we use
Agree 49% 49% 48% 52% 53% 51% 54%
Neutral 37% 37% 39% 33% 37% 36% 36%
Disagree 14% 14% 13% 14% 11% 13% 10%
19.3 The software used on my course is industry standard and up-to-date
Agree 59% 60% 56% 64% 60% 60% 59%
Neutral 33% 32% 34% 29% 33% 33% 35%
Disagree 9% 8% 10% 7% 7% 7% 5%
114
Appendices
Other Private
19.4 I am told how my personal data is stored and used
Agree 30% 26% 33% 30% 35% 31% 24%
Neutral 38% 38% 38% 36% 41% 39% 38%
Disagree 32% 37% 29% 34% 24% 30% 38%
20. …and how much do you agree that…
20.1 Before I started my course I was told what digital skills I would need
Agree 26% 21% 28% 23% 38% 29% 30%
Neutral 32% 30% 35% 30% 34% 35% 37%
Disagree 42% 49% 38% 47% 27% 36% 33%
20.2 I have regular opportunities to review and update my digital skills
Agree 38% 35% 42% 33% 42% 37% 39%
Neutral 38% 38% 38% 36% 40% 39% 41%
Disagree 23% 28% 19% 31% 18% 24% 20%
20.3 Digital skills are important in my chosen career
Agree 74% 71% 74% 75% 81% 70% 74%
Neutral 22% 24% 21% 21% 16% 25% 23%
Disagree 5% 5% 4% 4% 3% 5% 4%
20.4 My course prepares me for the digital workplace
Agree 46% 39% 53% 42% 49% 42% 44%
Neutral 36% 39% 33% 39% 38% 39% 42%
Disagree 18% 22% 14% 19% 13% 19% 15%
20.5 Learners are given the chance to be involved in decisions about digital services
Agree 27% 24% 31% 25% 32% 29% 30%
Neutral 43% 42% 45% 41% 41% 45% 46%
Disagree 30% 34% 25% 34% 27% 27% 24%
21. Overall, how would you rate the quality of digital teaching and learning on your course?
Best imaginable 3% 3% 4% 3% 4% 3% 3%
Excellent 24% 23% 25% 25% 27% 27% 29%
Good 44% 44% 43% 46% 44% 45% 45%
Average 21% 22% 20% 19% 18% 19% 18%
Poor 6% 7% 6% 6% 5% 5% 4%
Awful 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
Worst imaginable 0% 0% 0% 0% 1% 0% 0%
22. What one thing should the institution do/do better to improve your experience of digital teaching and learning? (see Qualitative Qs)
23. Which of these would be most useful to you as a learner? More …
... course-related videos 20% 19% 20% 19% 25% 23%

... interactive polls/quizzes 18% 17% 21% 14% 18% 15%
in class
... practice questions available 41% 45% 38% 45% 32% 35%
online
... references and readings 12% 12% 10% 15% 13% 20%
... time working online with 9% 7% 11% 7% 13% 8%
other students
24. When digital technologies are used on my course…
24.1 I understand things better
Agree 70% 71% 70% 67% 71% 69% 63%
Neutral 27% 26% 27% 28% 27% 28% 34%
Disagree 3% 3% 3% 4% 2% 3% 4%
115
Other Private
24.2 I enjoy learning more
Agree 69% 68% 70% 68% 70% 68% 61%
Neutral 28% 28% 27% 27% 27% 28% 34%
Disagree 4% 4% 3% 6% 3% 4% 5%
24.3 I am more independent in my learning
Agree 77% 79% 74% 77% 77% 75% 78%
Neutral 20% 18% 23% 20% 20% 22% 19%
Disagree 3% 3% 3% 4% 2% 3% 3%
24.4 I can fit learning into my life more easily
Agree 75% 76% 73% 74% 79% 76% 75%
Neutral 21% 20% 24% 20% 19% 21% 21%
Disagree 4% 4% 3% 5% 2% 3% 4%
25. Which best describes your preferences as a learner?
I prefer to learn on my own 44% 48% 42% 46% 36% 43% 39%
I like a mix of individual and 52% 50% 53% 50% 59% 54% 58%
group work
I prefer to learn in a group 4% 2% 5% 3% 5% 3% 3%
26. Which of these would be most useful to you?

More computers in computer 37% 36% 42% 29% 22% 43%
rooms
More laptops/tablets 36% 34% 36% 41% 44% 32%
available in class
More laptops/tablets on long- 27% 29% 22% 30% 34% 25%
term loan
27. In class, would you prefer students to be allowed to use their own mobile devices:
At any time 47% 48% 46% 42% 44% 48%

Only to carry out class 48% 46% 49% 51% 48% 47%
activities
None of the time 6% 6% 5% 7% 8% 6%
28. How much would you like digital technologies to be used on your course?
More than they are now 48% 45% 53% 40% 45% 44% 31%
The same as they are now 49% 52% 45% 56% 52% 53% 63%
Less than they are now 3% 3% 2% 4% 3% 2% 6%
Full dataset available at: www.teachingandlearning.ie/index/fulldata-students
116
Appendices
Appendix 6. Survey of Staff Who Teach: Summary results

Other Private
National Universities THEIs UK Teaching
2. How long have you worked in a teaching role?
Less than a year 6% 5% 7% 4% 6% 4%
1 to 3 years 11% 12% 10% 10% 13% 11%
4 to 9 years 19% 18% 18% 20% 24% 21%
Ten years or more 64% 65% 65% 66% 56% 63%
3. How long have you worked at this institution?
Less than a year 8% 8% 8% 9% 12% 8%
1 to 3 years 16% 16% 13% 22% 25% 19%
4 to 9 years 23% 23% 20% 22% 35% 29%
Ten years or more 53% 53% 60% 46% 28% 44%
4. What best describes your role?
Academic dean 2% 1% 1% 4% 2%
Educational developer 1% 1% 1% 3% 2%
Instructional designer 0% 1% 0% 0% 1%
Learning technologist 1% 2% 1% 2% 2%
Lecturer 71% 71% 78% 65% 49%
Library staff 4% 4% 4% 4% 4%
Manager 5% 4% 5% 7% 8%
Other 6% 7% 5% 8% 7%
Technician 3% 3% 4% 2% 1%
Tutor 6% 6% 2% 5% 24%
5. In what discipline or unit do you teach or support learning and teaching?

Agriculture, Fisheries and 1% 1% 2% 0% 0%
Veterinary
Arts, Humanities and Languages 15% 19% 12% 17% 14%
Business, Administration and 15% 12% 16% 2% 24%
Law
Computing, ICT 11% 8% 15% 1% 13%
Education 12% 9% 6% 30% 34%

Engineering, Manufacturing, 10% 7% 16% 0% 0%
Architecture and Construction
Health 11% 15% 6% 38% 0%
Natural Sciences and 11% 14% 12% 4% 1%
Mathematics
Services 2% 1% 4% 0% 1%
Social and Behavioural Sciences 6% 10% 4% 4% 6%
None of the above 6% 5% 7% 4% 7%
6. What gender do you identify as?
Female 53% 52% 51% 65% 60% 54%
Male 46% 46% 48% 35% 40% 45%
Other 1% 1% 1% 0% 0% 1%
7. Do you personally use any assistive technologies? (e.g. screen readers, voice recognition, switches)
Yes, vital to my work 5% 5% 5% 4% 7% 5%
Yes, optional choice 9% 8% 10% 12% 11% 10%
No 86% 87% 86% 85% 82% 86%
117
Other Private
8. If YES, has your institution provided you with any support with assistive technologies?
Yes 64% 64% 61% 64% 76% 60%
No 36% 36% 39% 36% 24% 40%
9. Which best describes your approach to adopting new technologies for teaching?
I am usually among the first to 13% 12% 14% 14% 12% 11%
adopt new technologies
I tend to be an early adopter 47% 50% 47% 48% 44% 48%
where I see clear benefits
I tend to adopt new technologies 31% 30% 30% 31% 34% 32%
at the pace of my peers
I tend to adopt new technologies 9% 8% 9% 7% 10% 10%
after my peers
10. Who supports you most to use digital technologies in your teaching?
Friends and family 4% 3% 3% 4% 8% 4%
Online videos and resources 37% 38% 37% 36% 34% 32%
Support staff 28% 29% 26% 29% 31% 31%
Teaching colleagues 31% 30% 33% 31% 28% 33%
11. Which of these do you have access to at your institution whenever you need them? (Tick all that apply)
A virtual learning environment 75% 80% 71% 84% 74% 85%
e-books and e-journals 78% 85% 73% 89% 69% 90%
File storage and back-up 77% 79% 79% 86% 58% 82%
Internet-based skills training 47% 49% 44% 56% 49% 35%
Lecture capture 29% 36% 21% 30% 34% 65%

My own social media (e.g. 50% 58% 45% 56% 40% 56%
Facebook, LinkedIn)
Reliable WiFi 79% 86% 71% 87% 82% 84%
12. How much do you agree with the following statements about your VLE (Virtual Learning Environment)?
12.1 I rely on the VLE for my teaching
Agree 69% 71% 66% 72% 69% 73%
Neutral 20% 18% 21% 21% 22% 17%
Disagree 11% 11% 13% 7% 9% 10%
12.2 It is easy to design and organise course materials
Agree 58% 56% 58% 62% 64% 48%
Neutral 30% 31% 30% 25% 28% 32%
Disagree 12% 13% 12% 13% 8% 20%
12.3 I regularly use it for student collaboration
Agree 37% 34% 38% 42% 43% 27%
Neutral 34% 33% 35% 31% 39% 32%
Disagree 28% 33% 27% 27% 19% 41%
12.4 It encourages me to try different activities
Agree 36% 33% 37% 39% 40% 24%
Neutral 40% 39% 42% 33% 43% 37%
Disagree 24% 29% 21% 29% 17% 39%
12.5 I regularly access it on a mobile device
Agree 25% 21% 27% 26% 31% 18%
Neutral 22% 19% 25% 20% 24% 19%
Disagree 53% 60% 48% 54% 45% 63%
118
Appendices
Other Private
13.1 Audio visual equipment is reliable and easy to use
Agree 51% 52% 47% 54% 58% 43%
Neutral 32% 30% 34% 33% 29% 37%
Disagree 17% 18% 19% 13% 13% 20%
13.2 Teaching spaces are well designed for digital technology use
Agree 29% 28% 24% 43% 45% 29%
Neutral 36% 37% 36% 29% 38% 41%
Disagree 35% 35% 41% 29% 17% 30%
13.3 The software available to teach with is industry standard and up-to-date
Agree 40% 37% 38% 45% 54% 35%
Neutral 41% 42% 42% 37% 37% 46%
Disagree 19% 21% 21% 18% 9% 19%
13.4 Digital media production facilities (e.g. video) are available if I need them
Agree 39% 39% 34% 51% 48% 39%
Neutral 38% 38% 40% 28% 35% 43%
Disagree 23% 22% 26% 21% 16% 18%
13.5 The system for online marking and giving feedback is easy for me to use
Agree 36% 35% 33% 31% 55% 42%
Neutral 42% 41% 45% 42% 35% 30%
Disagree 22% 24% 22% 26% 10% 28%
14. Overall, how would you rate the quality of this institution's digital provision (software, hardware, learning environment)?
Best imaginable 1% 0% 1% 0% 1% 0%
Excellent 19% 16% 16% 29% 33% 15%
Good 44% 46% 43% 37% 46% 43%
Average 25% 26% 27% 24% 16% 28%
Poor 10% 10% 11% 7% 3% 10%
Awful 2% 2% 3% 3% 1% 3%
Worst imaginable 0% 0% 1% 1% 0% 1%
15. In your teaching practice, how often do you:
15.1 Carry out live polls or quizzes in class
Weekly or more 10% 11% 9% 10% 8% 11%
Monthly or less 40% 39% 40% 38% 40% 44%
Never 50% 50% 50% 52% 53% 45%
15.2 Teach in a live online environment e.g. a webinar
Weekly or more 9% 6% 13% 6% 10% 3%
Monthly or less 20% 23% 16% 23% 28% 22%
Never 70% 71% 71% 71% 63% 74%
15.3 Create learning materials in a digital format (not just text or PowerPoint)
Weekly or more 26% 25% 28% 25% 23% 24%
Monthly or less 41% 44% 37% 42% 42% 45%
Never 33% 31% 35% 33% 35% 31%
15.4 Use a digital system to give personalised feedback
Weekly or more 18% 20% 18% 10% 16% 20%
Monthly or less 46% 47% 44% 43% 55% 58%
Never 36% 33% 38% 47% 29% 22%
119
Other Private
16. Ideally, how much would you like digital technologies to be used in your teaching practice?
More than they are now 68% 65% 71% 73% 63% 33%
Same as they are now 29% 31% 26% 26% 34% 62%
Less than they are now 3% 4% 3% 1% 3% 5%
17. How often do you do the following to support your teaching?
17.1 Search online for digital teaching resources
Weekly or more 49% 45% 51% 48% 52% 45%
Monthly or less 42% 46% 40% 40% 41% 45%
Never 9% 9% 9% 11% 7% 10%
17.2 Discuss teaching with peers via an online network or forum
Weekly or more 10% 9% 11% 9% 14% 11%
Monthly or less 33% 32% 32% 35% 37% 35%
Never 57% 59% 57% 56% 49% 54%
17.3 Read up on developments and issues relating to digital education
Weekly or more 18% 16% 17% 17% 25% 13%
Monthly or less 55% 55% 55% 55% 53% 56%
Never 27% 29% 27% 28% 22% 30%
17.4 Develop your digital teaching skills (formally or informally)
Weekly or more 20% 18% 21% 16% 21% 17%
Monthly or less 65% 68% 63% 69% 66% 69%
Never 15% 14% 16% 16% 13% 14%
17.a Please give an example of a digital tool or app you find really usefulin your job role: (see Qualitative Qs)
18. How much do you agree that your institution provides you with …
18.1 Guidance about the digital skills you need as a teacher
Agree 34% 32% 33% 34% 45% 27%
Neutral 43% 44% 44% 41% 38% 44%
Disagree 23% 23% 23% 25% 18% 30%
18.2 Regular opportunities to develop your digital skills
Agree 41% 41% 42% 40% 39% 34%
Neutral 37% 38% 36% 35% 40% 41%
Disagree 22% 21% 22% 25% 21% 25%
18.3 Time and support to innovate
Agree 16% 14% 15% 23% 24% 13%
Neutral 36% 34% 35% 37% 45% 31%
Disagree 48% 52% 50% 40% 30% 57%
18.4 Reward/recognition when you develop digital aspects of your role
Agree 10% 11% 9% 11% 13% 9%
Neutral 40% 38% 39% 44% 52% 39%
Disagree 50% 51% 53% 45% 35% 52%
18.5. Opportunity to be involved in decisions about digital services
Agree 14% 13% 13% 16% 22% 14%
Neutral 42% 41% 43% 41% 41% 40%
Disagree 44% 46% 44% 43% 38% 46%
120
Appendices
Other Private
19. How much do you agree that you are informed about your responsibilities with regard to:
19.1 Managing learner data securely
Agree 52% 44% 53% 70% 67% 59%
Neutral 30% 33% 31% 20% 24% 28%
Disagree 18% 23% 16% 10% 9% 13%
19.2 Digital copyright and licensing
Agree 37% 33% 38% 46% 47% 48%
Neutral 38% 38% 38% 35% 35% 37%
Disagree 25% 29% 24% 18% 18% 15%
19.3 Assistive and adaptive technologies
Agree 17% 14% 17% 12% 25% 16%
Neutral 48% 48% 48% 55% 49% 52%
Disagree 35% 38% 35% 33% 26% 31%
19.4 Ensuring students behave safely online
Agree 15% 13% 14% 18% 25% 18%
Neutral 40% 39% 40% 41% 43% 41%
Disagree 45% 49% 46% 41% 32% 40%
19.5 Your health and wellbeing in the digital workplace
Agree 15% 13% 15% 21% 22% 20%
Neutral 39% 38% 39% 36% 43% 40%
Disagree 46% 49% 46% 44% 35% 40%
20. Overall, how would you rate the support you receive from your institution to develop the digital aspects of your role?
Best imaginable 1% 1% 1% 0% 1% 1%
Excellent 11% 9% 10% 18% 18% 8%
Good 34% 33% 34% 34% 39% 32%
Average 33% 34% 32% 31% 28% 36%
Poor 18% 19% 19% 13% 11% 19%
Awful 3% 3% 4% 3% 2% 3%
Worst imaginable 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%
21. What one thing should the institution do - or do better - to support you in your use of technology for teaching? (see Qualitative Qs)
Full dataset available at: www.teachingandlearning.ie/index/fulldata-staff
121
National Forum for the Enhancement of
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
c/o 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
T +353 1 6090648
E admin@teachingandlearning.ie
W www.teachingandlearning.ie
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.12253091

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INDEx FINDINGS FROM STUDENTS AND

STAFF WHO TEACH IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Survey completed: December 2019

OVERVIEW Executive summary 9

Who responded to the survey 19

METHODOLOGY The INDEx Survey 20

Participants, response rates and representativeness 21

FINDINGS Five themes 26

A note on digital capabilities and digital competence 29

Structure of this chapter 30

Theme One: Digital Teaching and Learning Practices 31

1.1 Digital learning activities and tools 32

1.2 Online interaction and online teaching 37

1.3 Online assessment and feedback 39

1.4 Creating digital media 41

1.5 Using the VLE 43

1.6 Theme One: Concluding comments 45

Theme Two: Digital Infrastructure 47

2.1 Basics of digital infrastructure 48

2.2 Access to digital resources 50

2.3 Students’ own devices 52

2.4 Assistive technologies 54

2.5 Theme Two: Concluding comments 59

Theme Three: Digital Skills Development and Support 61

3.1 Guidance regarding digital skills needed 62

3.2 Digital skills development 63

3.3 Digital workplace readiness 65

3.4 Sources of support 67

3.5 Theme Three: Concluding comments 69

Theme Four: Digital Environment and Culture 71

4.1 Student wellbeing and student data protection 72

4.2 Staff information regarding digital responsibilities 74

4.3 Student and staff roles in digital decision-making 76

4.4 Theme Four: Concluding comments 78

Theme Five: Attitudes to Digital 79

5.1 Attitudes to use of digital technologies 80

5.2 Student preferences regarding digital resources and learning 82

5.3 Student and staff assessment of digital at institution 85

5.4 Theme Five: Concluding comments 90

CONCLUSION Summary of key findings 93

Actionable next steps 103

APPENDICES Appendix 1. Report authors and sectoral partnership 105

Appendix 2. Participating institutions 107

Appendix 3. Thematic coding framework 108

Appendix 4. Definitions used in the INDEx Report 110

Appendix 5. Student Survey: Summary results 111

Appendix 6. Survey of Staff Who Teach: Summary results 117

Mary Mitchell O’Connor

The INDEx Survey

Consolidated key findings

Supporting student and staff digital capabilities

A new understanding of which digital tools and activities are valued

Access to wifi, devices and digitally-enabled teaching and learning spaces

Online teaching and learning

Supporting the needs of all students

Digital workplace readiness

Importance of professional identity to staff engagement, experiences and expectations