Guest article written by Patrick Merfert, Director of Demand Generation at VideoBlocks
Over the past decade, the production and consumption of digital media have grown dramatically, changing how we communicate, teach, learn, and work. As digital media and related technologies become central to everyday life, universities are increasingly focused on equipping students with digital literacy and preparing them for 21st-century careers. The conversation is no longer whether digital media belongs in higher education, but how best to integrate digital media resources and digital literacy competencies across curricula.
The 2016 State of Digital Media in Higher Education Survey, conducted by VideoBlocks EDU, explored critical topics for today’s campuses: digital literacy, access to digital media, classroom usage, and copyright compliance. The survey collected responses from more than 300 faculty members, administrators, and students representing over 200 universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, Brown University, University of California, Berkeley, Wake Forest, and New York University.
Key Findings
Digital media improves engagement. A large majority—91% of faculty and 76% of students—agree that including digital media in course materials increases student engagement. Despite this, only 20% of faculty report using digital media in every lecture, and 18% say they rarely or never use it in the classroom.
Access to resources is limited. Low adoption often stems from insufficient university-provided resources: 44% of faculty and 30% of students believe their institutions could offer better digital media resources to support teaching and learning.
Digital literacy perceptions diverge. There is a notable disconnect between students and faculty when it comes to perceived digital literacy. Forty-five percent of students consider themselves highly digitally literate, yet only 14% of faculty agree with that assessment. Conversely, about half of faculty rate themselves as highly literate, while just 23% of students share that view. This mismatch highlights differing expectations and perceptions about what constitutes digital competency.
Copyright knowledge and compliance are weak. Thirty-one percent of students rate themselves as very or extremely knowledgeable about Copyright/Fair Use policies, but only 5% of faculty concur that their students have that level of understanding. Meanwhile, 23% of faculty believe their students have little to no knowledge of copyright rules. Institutional enforcement is also inconsistent: 32% of faculty say their universities enforce digital copyright policies too little, and 21% of faculty respondents never verify copyright compliance in students’ work. On the student side, only 45% check their compliance half the time or less, and 13% admit to using copyright-protected media for coursework.
Primary frustrations differ by role. Faculty cite the biggest frustrations with digital media as learning how to use new tools—finding time to learn and encountering ineffective training. Students most often complain about lack of access: required digital media resources are frequently unavailable off-campus or restricted to a few on-campus computer labs.
Both faculty and students agree that digital media positively impacts learning outcomes and engagement. Usage for educational purposes has increased compared with previous years. Still, widespread adoption in classroom materials and student assignments is held back by two main barriers: a lack of institutional funding and support for digital media resources, and insufficient time or training for faculty and students to learn and use available tools effectively. These obstacles contribute directly to limited access to resources and uneven digital literacy across campuses.
Limited access and training also drive some students to use copyrighted media improperly. This improper use is compounded by gaps in copyright education and uneven enforcement at both the course and institutional levels.
Despite these challenges, higher education has made meaningful progress since digital media first entered classrooms. Feedback from educators and students is generally positive about digital media’s potential in teaching and learning. To accelerate adoption and improve outcomes, administrators, educators, and instructional designers should collaborate to build clear digital literacy standards and support structures. Universities must provide sustainable funding and easy access to high-quality digital media resources. Meanwhile, digital media providers should invest in effective training and design products with simplicity and intuitive interfaces, lowering the barrier to entry for instructors and students alike.
The full 2016 State of Digital Media in Higher Education Report is available for download from VideoBlocks EDU.