OIKLScan issue #14

02 Feb, 2018 – Digital Literacy Issue

Happenings and Opinions in Higher Education

Digital Literacy: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief Source: New Media Consortium (NMC) Horizon Project

”Research Impact” and Academic Discourse This opinion piece by several researchers and professors aims to define the importance and significance of the term “Research Impact” in the context of Academia, and how it can be used to serve the public interests.

ISU Professor Helping to Lead Effort to Expand Digital Literacy in Iowa A Professor in the Iowa State University is working to bring Digital Literacy in public schools in the state – amongst his planned activities is a new Digital Literacy conference that explores the effect of digital media on public health.

A New App as a Tool That Can Boost Digital Literacy Amongst Young Children?

A new app by Facebook has triggered discussion on how best to engage the public and young children about

This report by the New Media Consortium in 2016 aims to establish a common language for thinking about and furthering Digital Literacy in higher education. It aims to act as a long-lasting resource for higher education institutes to meet the increasing need for Digital Literacy education.

Digital Literacy. A researcher from Western Sydney University argues that the app will help to educate and prepare children for an increasingly digitally connected world in this opinion piece.

Before Information Literacy: an Alternative for Tackling Fake News?

In this article, a researcher argues for a fundamental re-examination of how Information Literacy can be used to tackle misinformation – or rather, how it can be insufficient in doing so. The article argues that the evaluation of information should start before what we currently define as “Information Literacy”.

Information Literacy in the Digital Age: Myths and Principles of Digital Literacy

In this article, an Associate Librarian at San Jose State University reexamines the basic understanding of Information Literacy and Digital Literacy, and the common misconceptions that surround these two terms, and how these two literacies should be approached in the classroom.

Supporting the Employability Agenda in University Libraries: A Case Study From the University of Sheffield Source: Maria Mawson, Amy C Haworth. Information and Learning Science.

This article examines how Information Literacy affects student employability, and how Libraries can play a role in supporting this agenda. Notably, it studies an example from the University of Sheffield on how to design a holistic Information Literacy programme for undergraduates that will be of use and relevance to the workplace.

Rearticulating Internet Literacy Source: Bauer, A., Mohseni Ahooei, E. (2018). Journal of Cyberspace Studies, 2(1), 29-55.

This article is a re-examination of the sometimes-confusing term “Internet Literacy”. Drawing on past definitions and frameworks, this article attempts to reframe Internet Literacy by examining its related concepts and components, and to combine them into a usable form that also acknowledges the rapidly changing digital environment of our present reality. _____________________________________________________

Collaborative Digital Literacy Practices Among Adult Learners: Levels of Confidence and Perceptions of Importance Source: Sharp, L. A. (2018). International Journal of Instruction, 11(1), 153-166.

This study examines how adult learners in higher education perceived the need for collaborative digital literacy practices, and provides suggestions on what factors to

consider when designing such programmes. From its results, the study highlighted that there is a lack of participants with prior experience of collaborative digital literacy practices, and therefore, the need to address this lack for adult learners. At the same time, it has also noted that designers of digital literacy courses should pay attention to the perceived level of importance of their adult learners, in order to maximize the effectiveness of their programmes.

More about Instructional Design of Digital Literacy: 1. 4 Things to Consider When Teaching Digital Literacy to College Students 2. What Undergraduate Students Think About Information Literacy

Creating a Connected Future Through Information and Digital Literacy: Strategic Directions at the University of Queensland Library Source: Hallam, G., Thomas, A., & Beach, B. (2018). Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 1-13.

Originally presented at the THETA 2017 conference, this article summarizes the discussions of how the University of Queensland leveraged upon various offices and stakeholders within the institution to develop a strategic direction for Digital Literacy, and how the Library played a leading role in developing a strategic framework not only for a undergraduate programme, but to also work digital literacy into the University’s policies and practices.

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