This session is part of an OLT project, ‘Unlocking the code to digital literacy’.
Digital literacy was originally conceptualised as ‘the ability to understand and use information in multiple formats from a wide range of sources when it is presented via computers’ (Gilster 1997). Gilster’s definition is one that is commonly used, in some form, in higher education in Australia today. Is this still relevant 20 years on? Digital technologies have changed dramatically in that time. Does an understanding of digital literacy that focuses on information meet the learning needs of our students, or of employers’ expectations of our graduates?
This session will present an updated understanding of digital literacy that encapsulates the broader, ubiquitous nature of digital technologies, together with the elements that underpin the understanding. This provides a framework to scaffold and contextualise digital literacy learning through the curriculum and inform assessment practices to ensure our graduates are prepared for a digitally enhanced workplace.
Reference:
Gilster, P 1997, Digital literacy, Wiley Computer Pub.