Are Students Ready to (re)-Design their Personal Learning Environment? The Case of the E-Dynamic. Space

The goal of this paper is to present the primary findings of the first of two phases of a research project that looks at how can undergraduates be supported to engage meaningfully with digital literacies in a rich-research context. My hypothesis is that students in the act of (re)-designing and implementing their personal learning environment with available support in a low risk space, will have an authentic learning experience whereby they will deploy digital skills, use knowledge and develop an explorative mind-set hence, improve their digital competences and capability. Twenty undergraduates where invited to a focus group designed with the Visitor and Resident approach to explore and reflect upon their current digital practice. Preliminary findings show scarcity of digital tools in the institutional-resident quadrant. Overall students manifest their reluctance to engage with different web-based tools to mediate learning because they don't want to risk their grades and also because they perceive the Internet as too open and loose, generating anxiety and uncertainty. They ask for support and guidance. Nevertheless they acknowledged the need to move from the visitor end to the resident one. The next phase will explore how these findings can inform the design principles of a scaffold structure for the re-design of students' PLE.