Digital Literacy in Undergraduate Education Curricula

The discussion around the addition of digital literacy development into curriculum design has moved aside, being replaced by assumptions around the ability of students to complete digital tasks. Specific digital development has been shown in some subjects, such as in pharmacy education [1], but there are still a vast number of digital skills and capabilities that are required to be successful and have a good experience as an undergraduate university student and to also be a successful member of a digital society in the working world. Systematic reviews have identified a significant number of academic texts describing younger generations as digital natives [2], but digital exposure does not mean an improved digital literacy [3], and even with developed digital skills these are not being translated to a higher educational context effectively. Getenet et al. found first-year teaching students were quite comfortable with using the internet, but not so comfortable with problem-solving, completing more complex digital tasks, or the use of new and unfamiliar digital tools [4].

What does this mean in terms of curriculum design? Before considering what this means for “what the student needs to know,” consider instead “what we expect the student to know now.” Such assumptions you make might include digital skills around using word processing and presentation-building digital tools, or even what we consider to be simple tasks such as connecting to the university Wi-Fi network that we provide at all institutions of higher education.

We as academics assume a lot; we assume that at the top end of digital literacy, students will be able to interact with the digital solutions that we use within education. At the lower end of the spectrum of digital literacies, we expect the students to self-evaluate their skills and to use many of the tools available to upskill. But this is itself a higher-level digital capability, to be self-reflective and to seek learning opportunities to develop. In the U.K. the 2024 Jisc higher education (HE) student profile shows an expected development of digital literacy across undergraduate education [5], and such recognition of limitations does sit between moving into and progressing through higher-education studies. The Jisc HE Student Profile itself offers a curriculum structure that would support designing learning opportunities to develop and prepare students for moving from higher education to working in a digital society.

If we consider that those students who attended compulsory education recently were given Chromebooks throughout the COVID-19 pandemic or attended in person when the purchase of a Chromebook was (and still is) mandatory, there is a difference between the digital tools that they are experienced with and the typical software they are expected to use within higher education. They would also be potentially unfamiliar with the virtual learning environments within higher education. The digital capabilities required for being able to migrate skills between digital tools are part of a more developed digital literacy so support may be required. Those students who have not attended compulsory education recently may have developed skills with more casual use devices, such as phones and tablets, and may not be familiar with devices like laptops or PCs that we tailor our teaching and assessment towards. The divide between mobile or tablet and computer-based digital tools is reducing, but it is still there. Not being able to complete tasks successfully may result in frustration, an overall poor educational experience, and in the extreme can result in failure.

We can see students are comfortable with using the internet. This might not include web application platforms like virtual learning environments (VLE) and interacting with them in a way to facilitate learning and an enhanced student experience in the way that we, as academics, intend for it to be used. There are normally some introductory resources embedded into higher education programmes, but learning and development take place throughout a whole program for the subject and there are opportunities to ensure that digital skills are embedded into this intended curriculum.

As an academic in health professions education, mapping the curriculum of new programs to the requirements of a Professional Statutory Regulatory Body (PSRB), who offer curriculum guidance for professional programs and registration for those who complete them, or the Apprenticeship Guideline for the requirements of work-based-learning programs is not unfamiliar. But it is unusual to see digital capabilities mapped to profiles such as that produced by JISC with the same considerations, despite a developed digital literacy being a key part of working within modern healthcare. I have described the problem in a previous publication where digital literacy is not embedded into PSRB curriculum guidance [6], so mapping in this way is not enough. If students are to truly develop their digital literacy within higher education, the mapping of skills required for academic study and their future careers needs to be explicit and given the same considerations that we would do for PSRB mapping, rather than leaving self-development up to the student to explore.

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About the Author

Barry Matthews is the Technology Enhanced Learning Lead for the Faculty of Education, Health and Human Sciences at the University of Greenwich. He was a practicing paramedic in the Northwest of England before moving into higher education in 2016 and still holds paramedic registration. Matthews has held the positions of lecturer, senior lecturer, programme lead, Quality Lead for Practice Based Learning, Associate Head of School for Student Success, moving into this current role in January 2024. He is currently completing his professional doctorate in education considering the digital literacy of health care academics in England. He supports academia and students through his blog and as his role within the university.