Introduction
To prepare for the rapidly changing twenty-first century workplace, students must learn how to use and leverage technology (Morgan, Sibson, and Jackson 2022). Digital competencies go beyond simply navigating technology to include strategically creating and sharing knowledge and interacting with others online responsibly (Bond et al. 2018; López-Meneses et al. 2020). While this generation of students has grown up with technology (Northey et al. 2015), educators may be misguided in thinking that students come to class equipped with essential digital competencies, such as confidence in learning new digital tools (Swaak 2022), as well as the skills to recognize credible sources and disseminate digital content (Morgan, Sibson, and Jackson 2022). Intentional integration of technology in the classroom is necessary to cultivate digital literacy and cognitive skills (Schrum 2022).
This article explores the digital skills and competencies that graduate students acquired while designing asynchronous learning activities using Google Sites. While this assignment was conducted in a history of higher education course, the digital skills are relevant and applicable across disciplines.
Literature Review
Scholars agree that students must develop sophisticated digital competencies beyond those typically taught in institutions of higher education (Bedenlier et al. 2020; Morgan, Sibson, and Jackson 2022; Schrum 2022). Digital skills encompass a range of competencies and behaviors such as: data literacy, including accessing, identifying, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing information (López-Meneses et al. 2020; Morgan, Sibson, and Jackson 2022); communication and collaboration, including using, integrating, and reflecting on digital tools (López-Meneses et al. 2020; Morgan, Sibson, and Jackson 2022), and digital content creation, such as leveraging digital skills to create new knowledge or “remix” existing content to construct new perspectives (Iordache, Baelden, and Mariën 2016; López-Meneses et al. 2020). Using these skills, students learn to pivot from their familiar roles as content consumers to become knowledge producers (Keralis, Jacobs, and Weirick Johnson 2021; Pedersen and Hobye 2020).
As technology becomes ever more ubiquitous, scholars urge clarity in the definition of digital literacy in higher education (Morgan, Sibson, and Jackson 2022). Students’ comfort engaging with technology in their private lives does not automatically translate into digital skills for academic learning (Burke 2022; Morgan, Sibson, and Jackson 2022; Northey et al. 2015; Swaak 2022). This creates a gap as institutions assume students are prepared for learning in the digital age, or believe they are not responsible for teaching these skills (Burke 2022; Swaak 2022).
Integrating technology-based activities into the classroom provides an opportunity to address this digital gap among students. Scholars found a digital storytelling assignment “promote[d] awareness of digital research, digital knowledge production, and the capacity to engage with multimodal sources in new ways” (Schrum and Bogdewiecz 2021, 8) and taught students how to “adapt digital skills and tools by doing—attempting, practicing, rethinking, and refining content and skills in a supportive environment” (Schrum 2022, 7). This supportive environment is crucial as students’ agility and confidence in developing new digital skills requires a safe space for learning technology, including knowing how, when, and where to ask for help (Burke 2022; Iordache, Baelden, and Mariën 2016). Through this process of learning digital skills, students develop resilience and confidence in using technology for academic and professional purposes, as well as skills in reflecting on, identifying, and improving their own gaps (Iordache, Baelden, and Mariën 2016).
Knowing how to use and leverage technology is a necessity for graduates entering the workforce (Morgan, Sibson, and Jackson 2022). The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) identifies “technology” as one of eight career readiness competencies, defining it as the ability to “understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals” (NACE 2021, 9). Desirable skills include the ability to adapt to new technologies, select appropriate technologies, and use technology to efficiently meet goals (NACE 2021). The “explicit teaching” of these digital competencies, however, is often lacking in professional and graduate education programs, despite the focus on competency-based education models (Smith, Kahlke, and Judd 2020, 5).
This work addresses a gap in the research on digital literacy and use of educational technology in higher education at the graduate level (Bedenlier et al. 2020; Bond et al. 2020). It also contributes to the literature on developing student digital skills by exploring how students build digital skills while creating asynchronous content for peers.
Method
Between 2020 and 2021, Schrum, Catalano, and another instructor taught five semester-long history of higher education courses at two large, public R-1 institutions in the Mid-Atlantic incorporating the same asynchronous learning activity as a core assignment. As a graduate assistant, Abbot provided additional digital support each semester and Loughry was a student during the first semester of the assignment implementation. Students individually created 20-minute asynchronous learning activities on the historical roots of current issues facing higher education today. Students selected topics based on their academic and professional interests and conducted research using primary and secondary sources. Instructors selected Google Sites as the platform for these activities because this platform provided an accessible option for students, many of whom had never created a website (Keralis, Jacobs, and Johnson 2021).
The graduate students in these courses typically work or aspire to work as higher education professionals. They represented a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and comfort levels with technology. The instructors therefore used various methods to meet students at their level of digital literacy while providing a safe space to explore and strengthen digital skills. The assignment was purposefully scaffolded, allowing instructors to provide meaningful structure and interaction throughout the process (Keralis, Jacobs, and Weirick Johnson 2021). This included assigning learning activities from previous semesters and discussing strengths and weaknesses as a class. Students received continuous and prompt feedback on each step of the assignment from instructors and peers, including conversations about digital tools, and practiced in class (idea and resource sharing), exchanging drafts with peers. Instructors met individually with each student and provided extensive feedback on learning activity drafts. Abbot hosted Google Sites workshops and open workshop sessions to provide additional technology support and was available to meet individually with students. At the end of the semester, students completed at least four peer digital activities (two from each institution). Learning activities incorporated interactive elements, some of which allowed students to engage with comments from other learners (such as Padlets and Jamboards). Students submitted written reflections on their experience creating digital asynchronous learning activities.
Data was collected after grades were submitted in accordance with ethics standards at both institutions and all student names are pseudonyms. Across the five courses, thirty-four students shared their coursework for this research and twenty-four students participated in interviews. Abbot conducted all student interviews. Schrum, Abbot, and Catalano iteratively developed a shared codebook through inductive coding. Loughry, Schrum, and Abbot coded all thirty-four student reflections and twenty-four student interviews to identify themes leading to the following findings.
Findings
Echoing the technology gaps others have identified (Morgan, Sibson and Jackson 2022; Swaak 2022), students initially expressed mixed emotions regarding the digital nature of the assignment. Some students, such as Jade, were excited. Others felt hesitant (Jet; Spinel), intimidated (Emerald; Lazuli), anxious (Heliodor), or nervous (Fluorite) about creating a digital learning activity. Beryl noticed that some of her peers felt “reluctant to get started because they weren’t sure how to use the technology.” One student questioned whether creating a Google Site was “relevant” to a higher education history course (Christine). By the end of the assignment, however, findings suggest that students had strengthened both their digital skills and their capacity for learning new skills.
Digital skills
Problem solving
Working through hesitation and anxiety about the project required problem solving, a mindset that helps students adjust to learning and developing skills in digital environments (Iordache, Baelden, and Mariën 2016). The intentional scaffolding and regular feedback created a safe space for exploration and growth as students gained confidence. Emerald “was intimidated by building a website or a Google Site for the class,” but found smaller assignments that encouraged exploration and play with digital tools, such as Canva, Kahoot, and Jamboard, more manageable. Tourmaline “appreciated that the project milestones were broken down into multiple due dates. This really helped to ensure the project moved along as it should. Having multiple opportunities to obtain peer and instructor feedback was very beneficial.”
Problem solving builds on resilience, persistence, and confidence (Iordache, Baelden, and Mariën 2016), which helped students work through the challenges and roadblocks they encountered while designing their activities. Beryl “learned that I have to be open to continuously modifying my own plan until I’ve captured the essence of the activity,” signifying an awareness of how to adapt and pivot to persevere. Fluorite utilized problem solving skills to identify an appropriate technology: “The tools I found were not easy for me to understand and navigate which in turn would have been difficult for the user. I switched my tactics and used a checkbox grid on Google Forms.” Teardrop reflected on his discovery that “I didn’t know what I needed until I was in the middle of it and that was a little late,” but came to appreciate the importance of “ask[ing] for help when you need it.”
Learning how to successfully solve problems allowed students to gain confidence in their digital skills and capabilities. Heliodor concluded, “I believe I’d be more efficient [and] comfortable” creating another digital project after this experience. Sapphire was initially “a little overwhelmed” until she began “playing around with it.” She described herself as “quick with computer stuff. It did take a couple minutes,” but she told herself, “‘Oh, you can do this.’” Sapphire felt overwhelmed, but the scaffolded opportunities to experiment in a supportive environment allowed her to regain her confidence. Leaving space for experimentation allowed students to learn by doing and to develop confidence alongside skills.
Using digital tools
Students in these courses used digital tools to facilitate learning in an asynchronous environment (López-Meneses et al. 2020; Morgan, Sibson, and Jackson 2022). Turquoise recalled thinking consciously about “how a user would interact with the page and how to attract and keep their attention.” Malachite intentionally designed the activity “so the learner could complete it entirely independently and get something out of it, even with no feedback.” Tanzanite felt that this process incentivized careful evaluation of digital resources: “The project required me to familiarize myself with educational tools while integrating technology to increase learning outcomes.”
Students used digital tools to prompt discussion and reflection among peers (see Figure 3). Spinel determined that she could “engage with other students” through the use of Jamboard while Christine integrated Padlet to make her site more interactive. Opal used a Google Form to facilitate reflection, but after exploring peer projects, wished that she had done something more interactive, such as “utilizing [tools] like Jamboard or Padlet [that] would allow for more insight on the topic from other points of view rather than just mine.”
Google Sites was the one required digital tool. At the end of the semester, many students reflected that learning to create a website on Google Sites was feasible in the context of the course. Tourmaline called it “super easy,” and Quartz described it as “user friendly.” Others, especially those who had never created a website, found it more difficult. Jasper saw this as a positive, “One of the huge things I learned during this assignment was technology related. I had never created a website using Google Sites and enjoyed the challenge of developing the learning activity on this medium.” Garnet appreciated the skills at the end of the course, but felt less confident during the process, reflecting that “the most challenging learning curve I experienced from creating this learning activity was learning how to use Google Sites and create navigation that made sense.”
A key digital skill for students is assessing the affordances of each tool and determining which tool to use to reach a specific goal. Heliodor recalled his frustration: “I think sometimes I assumed that certain things would be obvious. I wanted to do a timeline, but I didn’t know what friggin tool to use.” Once that decision was made, students learned to navigate the nuances of the tool, including the limits of freemium pricing, learning to embed content into Google Sites, and navigating sharing settings to make content available for classmates. In addition, Google’s settings are designed to balance privacy and sharing. Creating a learning activity for peers requires a conceptual understanding of this as well as knowledge of how to change settings to meet assignment requirements. Several students found this challenging as they learned to navigate Google Sites, Google Forms, Jamboards, and Google Slides (see Figure 4). Other students discovered that while some tools, such as YouTube and Padlet, were easily embedded in Google Sites, others, such as Jamboard, were not.
Students indicated that digital tools helped them learn how to communicate effectively in asynchronous spaces. Christine shared, “I learned things about myself, and my desire to communicate better and in more diverse ways, like Google Sites. It helped me when [instructor] stated that it is on the creator of the tool to make it user friendly.” By using digital tools for educational purposes, Kyanite learned how to “bring my thoughts and put them into a virtual learning module.” Students gained practical digital skills by intentionally selecting and using tools in an educational space to meet learning goals.
Creating digital content
Students used various approaches to help peers construct knowledge through their learning activities. Amber, Beryl, Jade, and Willa followed a “choose your own adventure” model (see Figure 5). Amber offered two sets of primary and secondary sources to explore, providing agency and choice to the learner. Beryl’s “starting idea was almost like if you went to a museum and you were given a card of an identity and you follow that throughout your experience.” Meanwhile, Alejandra wanted peers to begin “connecting the dots between past and present” as they moved throughout the activity. Bixbite and Jade mirrored their activities after engaging classroom discussions they had experienced. Fluorite, Garnet, Jasper, Opal, and Ruby introduced primary sources chronologically. Garnet shared:
Once I settled on the primary sources, it did take me a while to look at how to build on each source as a learner moves through them. I thought, “I’ll do it chronologically so the learner moves through from the oldest to the newest.”
Topaz preferred a narrative approach, “My first question is what story do I want to tell to keep . . . [students] engaged from the beginning to the end of the process and actually get something out of it.” In these examples, students discussed their emerging ability to create, remix, and synthesize content to construct new knowledge (Iordache, Baelden, and Mariën 2016; López-Meneses et al. 2020).
Students’ including branched storytelling or timelines (see Figures 5, 6, and 7) demonstrated intentionality in their content creation—not just in the primary sources they used or digital tools featured, but in how they pieced them together to deliver a cohesive, strategic message. In doing so, students constructed new meaning and learned to express themselves through digital means (López-Meneses et al. 2020). Some students recognized this in peer activities, noting how individual personalities of the creators were sometimes visible (Peridot; Zicron).
Lessons from completing peer learning activities
At the end of the course, students completed learning activities created by peers. The instructor assigned two activities and students selected two more. For each activity, students provided feedback via Google form. Throughout this process, students learned digital skills and pedagogical strategies. Christine shared:
I actually got a comment from another student on my site that said, “When I saw yours, it made me rethink what I did.” And I was like, “Oh good, that’s interesting.” Because I think we all did that—we kind of look and say, “Oh, I should have done that” with somebody else’s site.
Other students shared this sentiment, commenting favorably on peers’ integration of digital tools or the design and flow of peer activities. They reflected on structures and tools they wished they had used in their own activities. Jasper, for example, reflected on the technical aspects of creating content for asynchronous learning:
I also learned a ton from the other student activities. From a progression standpoint, I tried to keep the user experience of the activity very linear, with a clear progression cue at the bottom of each page. I did this, assuming it would be easier for the user to transition through the activity. However, I appreciated other students’ learning activities with non-linear navigation and also more interactivity, with videos and multiple pathways of navigation through their websites and activities. I would definitely add these to my site for the future and have a much better appreciation for how dynamic synchronous and asynchronous online learning can (and should) be.
Beryl had a similar experience:
Completing others’ learning activities taught me how differently we all viewed this assignment. I was really curious how my classmates would structure their sites and I was eager to participate in their activities because I wanted to compare and contrast the thought process to my own. I definitely thought many times “Ah, I wish I had done that!” because I loved elements that others brought to their activities that I never thought about (e.g., voice recordings that led into a processing question).
While many students made positive comments about student-generated content, some experienced challenges. Amber and Heliodor encountered permission issues that disrupted the flow of the activity. Others noted that some activities were hard to navigate (Ruby) or felt tedious (Teardrop). This reflection lead Garnet, among others, to acknowledge the importance of a well-designed activity:
[It] was also a good lesson in how a confusing site really impacts the experience for the learner. Even if the content is well done and the issue is compelling, the look and feel of the site can create a negative experience.
Through designing, facilitating, and completing peer asynchronous learning activities, students developed skills and awareness of key digital literacies that can be applied across academic and professional settings.
Future application of digital skills
Participants clearly anticipated future “practical applications” (Peridot) for their new skills. Emerald said that this experience “make[s] digital assignments in the future a lot easier to manage.” Zircon noted, “when students get to interact with one platform and if they’re comfortable with it, the chances of doing something similar is there because they have that experience already.” Based on their experiences in this course, both Emerald and Zircon decided to reuse Google Sites:
it’s like almost an automatic decision for me to use Google Site again for another class. And I think the reason is already having that skill established, because I have already put some time to learn how to use Google Site . . . I think it has a lot to do with having the knowledge already established and also the confidence to use it. (Zircon)
Heliodor felt sure that he would “be more efficient [and] comfortable” creating another project and discussed his growing appreciation for digital content delivery:
Doing the other activities, I learned how the construction of a given activity, including both its sequencing/choice of materials and activities, as well as its very presentation, can serve to influence the extent to which the intended knowledges are really delivered to the learner . . . that is something I can extrapolate out to other work I will do.
Several students felt better prepared for academic work:
The most important thing that I learned while creating this learning activity was how to use the Google Sites platform . . . because [it] is an essential part of completing the portfolio requirements that I must do as a part of my doctoral program. (Coral)
Creating a Google Site project has allowed me to exercise and build new skills compared to writing a conventional final paper. As a student, I appreciate the opportunity to create a digital project to include in my PhD learning portfolio. (Zircon)
Students in graduate higher education programs work professionally with undergraduates throughout their careers. Garnet and Celeste both considered ways to use their new digital competencies:
Overall, this was a good experience and I feel I gained a lot of insight on how to create an asynchronous learning activity. I will teach [undergraduate course] again this spring, so I may have a chance to leverage this new skill. (Garnet)
The Google Sites activity, however, has helped me to better see the possibilities of student engagement. I could feasibly recreate the synchronous undergraduate course that I teach into an asynchronous format and still have it be organized, engaging, and palatable for students. (Celeste)
Students connected the skills they developed in this learning activity to future academic and professional settings, including incorporating digital skills into final projects or portfolios to showcase their work or to enhance student learning.
Limitations
While the Google suite has benefits for integrated classroom use, there are limitations for students who only access the internet via mobile device (Keralis, Jacobs, and Johnson 2021; Tate and Warschauer 2022). Instructors looking to eliminate this barrier could emphasize the use of tools with well-integrated smart phone apps, such as Canva and Padlet, or offer the option of alternative formats. Some institutions also offer technology loan programs or computer labs. In addition, students participated voluntarily which may indicate self-selection by those who had positive experiences with the assignment.
Discussion
This research indicates that by creating and facilitating asynchronous learning activities on Google Sites, graduate students developed and strengthened essential digital skills. Scholars have emphasized the “importance of leveraging technology” due to the “irreversible footprint of technology on the way people learn, absorb, and distribute information” (Northey et al. 2015, 171–78). In designing and facilitating this learning activity, students leveraged technology as a means for distributing knowledge and gained an understanding of “how technology may be hindering or helping the learner” (Garnet).
Higher education should provide opportunities to develop digital skills, including at the graduate or professional level. Through reflections and interviews, students in this course gained confidence and strengthened problem solving skills as they learned to “navigate change and be open to learning new technologies” (Iordache, Baelden, and Mariën 2016; NACE 2021, 9). They had to “quickly adapt to new or unfamiliar technologies” (NACE 2021, 9) as they explored the nuances of Google Sites, such as learning to share Jamboards or Google Slides. Students also had to think strategically about which digital tools or media formats would most accurately convey information, thus showcasing communication and collaboration skills by understanding and identifying appropriate technology for a specific purpose (López-Meneses et al. 2020; NACE 2021). Lastly, students engaged in digital content creation as they constructed new knowledge for peers (Iordache, Baelden, and Mariën 2016; López-Meneses et al. 2020; NACE 2021).
The instructors taught this assignment multiple times and learned from early iterations, adapting teaching strategies to further scaffold and support student development of digital skills. Schrum and Abbot created additional resources for students, such as how-to videos (see Figure 8), “dos and don’ts” for creating digital learning activities, a guide to using Google Forms, and a website highlighting engagement tools and strategies students could utilize for their learning activities. These resources were developed in response to observed student needs and point to the high level of scaffolding necessary at all levels.
The development of digital skills is especially important for students who currently work, or seek careers, in student affairs and higher education administration. The key professional organizations, College Student Educators International (ACPA) and Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), identify “technology” as a required competency, focusing “on the use of digital tools, resources, and technologies for the advancement of student learning, development, and success as well as the improved performance of student affairs professionals” (ACPA and NASPA 2016). These students will influence the future of higher education and it is promising to see students, such as Celeste and Coral, sharing plans for integrating digital skill development into undergraduate courses and student affairs settings.
Conclusion
This research contributes to our understanding of digital skill development in higher education at the graduate level (Bedenlier et al. 2020; Castañeda and Selwyn 2018). As digital skills and competencies are essential for today’s graduates (Iordache, Baelden, and Mariën 2016; López-Meneses et al. 2020), designing and facilitating an asynchronous digital learning activity provides space for students to develop digital skills, such as problem solving, utilizing digital tools, and content creation. While this course focused on the history of higher education, the approach can be adapted across disciplines to engage students in their own learning while developing key digital skills required of graduate students today and in the future.
