What is Digital Capability?

Digital capabilities are those capabilities “which equip someone to live, learn and work in a digital society.” (JISC)

During the last three decades digital technology has fundamentally changed learning and teaching within the education sector. Policy makers have recognised that digital literacy “is an essential tool that underpins other subjects and almost all jobs” and therefore “Universities should ensure that all graduates are digitally competent”.(House of Lords Digital Skills Committtee, 2014, p. 12).

In its Approach to Digital Capabilities, CCCU identified employability, inclusion, independent learning and key University strategies such as the Learning & Teaching Strategy or the University’s Graduate Attributes as the key drivers for developing student’s and staff’s digital capabilities.

A Digital Capabilities Working Group was founded to support the implementation of the strategy.

As its framework, CCCU has adopted JISC’s  “6 Elements of Digital Capbilities” .
The key capabilities identified in this framework are:

• CT Proficiency (functional skills)
• Information, data and media literacies (critical use)
• Digital creation, problem solving and innovation (creative production)
• Digital communication, collaboration and partnership (participation)
• Digital learning and development (development)
• Digital identity and wellbeing (self-actualising)

The Digital Cababilities Working Group has embraced different approaches on how to develop digital capbilities such as

• encouraging self-assessment
• embedding them into the curriculum
• using peer-supprt
• offering a range of generic and bespoke online resources and workshops

The Group also encourages a collaborative approach to develop digital capabilities. A variety of professional services such as Learning & Teaching Enhancement, Library& Learning Resources, Human Resources & Organisational Development, Department of Enterprise, Employability and Research Development or IT, are involved in develop[ing these skills and are called upon to support academic staff to work directly with students.

Full information about the University’s approach to Digital Capabilities can be found on the LTE web site, along with the current Digital Capabilities Action Plan.