Project 1: Investigating students' digital needs

This 10-week internship project focused on understanding:

• how students use digital tools to support their learning
• how they wish they could use digital tools to support their learning, and
• what they need from the University to bridge this gap.

Our team of student partners worked with University staff to propose and carry out a qualitative research project that could address this information gap, with a focus on understanding students’ experiences using digital tools and developing their digital skills. 

Project background 

The University is currently undergoing a major digital transformation of its processes, culture and technology. This Digital Transformation programme focuses, in part, on modernising students’ learning experiences with easy-to-use, reliable, joined-up technology and equipping students with the skills to live, learn and work in a digitally saturated world. This programme is working in parallel with a range of digital initiatives and projects aimed at enhancing students’ digitally supported teaching experiences.

To carry out these initiatives most effectively, the University needs to understand how students currently use digital tools to support their learning, how they wish they could use digital tools to support their learning, and what they need from the University to bridge this gap.  

Project details

The internship project focused on proposing and carrying out a qualitative research project that could address the above information gap, with a focus on understanding students’ experiences using digital tools and developing their digital skills.  

At each stage of the research project, our team of students worked in partnership with staff from the Centre for Teaching and Learning, the Digital Transformation programme, and various academic divisions and professional services. They shared responsibility for the project outcomes with staff, working as partners to co-design the research questions, data collection methods and data analysis process so that the research project would meet institutional aims, aligns with ongoing work, and recognises project constraints.  

Throughout the internship, our team of students were supported by staff in the Centre for Teaching and Learning to develop their research and professional skills in line with their own professional development aims. This included taking part in workshops on theories of change, being supported to take on tasks that they want to gain experience in, and attending external learning events, among many other activities.  

At the end of the internship, our project team produced a short report of their research findings, targeted outputs that aim to share their findings to the University, and a set of recommendations for future action that the University should take to improve students’ digitally enhanced experiences. These outputs will guide and contribute to the ongoing work of the Centre for Teaching and Learning and the Digital Transformation programme.

Student partners

Follow the links below to find out more about our 2023 student experience interns working on this project:

Charlotte (Charlie) Baxter	Dylan Holmes Cowan	Xiaoran (Rachel) Hu
Samira Mohammed Ibn Moro	Carmelo Radici	Yining (Evelyn) Tang

Student reflections 

The internship gave me invaluable practical experience that helped me hone my skills, exercise judgement, and make meaningful contributions to the project's objectives. This work experience will help me immensely as I advance in my chosen profession. Another aspect of my internship that I found extremely beneficial was the opportunity to build a professional network. I had the opportunity to interact with co-workers and industry professionals. These contacts will be helpful in my future endeavours, whether for career advice, potential job opportunities, or collaborations. Aside from professional development, my internship experience benefitted my personal development. I learned how to manage my time better, improved my communication and digital skills, and gained a better understanding of workplace dynamics. In any career, these soft skills are just as important as technical knowledge.

Samira Mohammed Ibn Moro, 2023 student intern 

I was very surprised and happy to learn that it genuinely felt like you were working with [staff as] ‘equals,’ despite the long and impressive CVs and experience of those you were working with. I was amazed at how many doctors and professors we were working with, but was even more amazed at the fact that everyone was so friendly and welcoming and helpful to the interns. 

Carmelo Radici, 2023 student intern

Definitely my understanding of digital skills/tools, higher education, and my qualitative and quantitative research skills grew massively over the course of the internship. It was nice to see first hand the effort the CTL is putting into improving student experiences, and this has contributed to a greater sense of mattering to Oxford. I’d say that even though I don’t know what path my career will take, I’m sure the research experience will come in useful, as well as the interpersonal skills such as the ability to communicate effectively with others (I’ve sent a lot of emails!), and the ability to fit well into a team.

Dylan Holmes Cowan, 2023 student intern

Prior to this internship, I completed five degrees in different disciplines in China, Australia and the UK. After switching between so many disciplines, I finally connected the dots and found my life's passion for edtech or learning technologies. Although I still have many things to learn about this field, this internship has managed to get me a job in this field - Digital Education Assistant at CTL. It was a good starting point for me and I am committed to this field. Through this internship I also managed to help other colleagues from CTL to structure their project on ChatGPT and to attend the one-day ALT conference - I had my first ever conference experience and tried my best to network. I am not sure when my journey will end, but I am sure that the CTL internship programme is undoubtedly my starting point to embrace this wonderful journey.

Yining (Evelyn) Tang, 2023 student intern 

I found being able to present our project to be useful and it made me more comfortable doing that kind of thing. I also enjoyed doing the quantitative analysis a lot, and it made me feel more confident in doing this and reinforced my interest in a possible career involving data analysis or machine learning models. I also thought it was interesting learning more about how the university works, making me look a bit into a career working in a higher education institution. Though I still don’t know what career I want, the internship has made me want to start looking into possible jobs. Overall, I found the work very interesting and really enjoyed the internship.

Charlotte (Charlie) Baxter, 2023 student intern 

This internship has been very beneficial for my personal and professional development. The following is a sketch of the main benefits: 

1. Collaboration. This internship has taught me how to collaborate with others through not only working with different staff, but also, perhaps more so, through collaborating on a daily basis with other interns. It has trained me to be patient and flexible with differences in working styles and consider others’ perspectives carefully. It also helped me to be more confident about the contributions that I am able to make to the project and as part of a team. 

2. Skills. I have had the opportunity to learn and practice skills for quantitative analysis (Excel, Python), through working with other interns who are good at it. It has also sharpened my ability to communicate well – greater awareness with regards to what to communicate to whom and when. Plenty of practices helped me to be more skilled at giving presentations, including making more readable slides. It gave me the opportunity to practice data collection skills like participant recruitment and doing interviews.  

3. Project management. Observing how staff manages this project provided valuable insights into effective project management. What was particularly insightful was the timeline chart and the document that outlines weekly tasks and the staff to provide support.  

Xiaoran (Rachel) Hu, 2023 student intern