Resources at UD
Librarians at UD are experts in many facets of information and digital literacy. We offer in-class instruction, faculty consultation, and support for developing literacy components of your curriculum.
- Library LiaisonsConnect with your liaison for support specific to your discipline.
- Digital Assignment ConsultationRequest a consultation to discuss your assignment and opportunities for library support.
Digital Pedagogy Librarian
What are Digital Learning Outcomes?
Digital assignments and the integration of digital tools and technology in the classroom offer opportunities to expand student learning outcomes. Students will often develop and practice new ICT skills, engage in collaboration and team work, and learn through project management and multimedia communication activities that digital assignments enable. Common categories of digital learning outcomes include:
- Digital literacy
- Rhetorical knowledge
- Reflection and metacognition
- Project management, decision making, and collaboration
- Citizenship
While technical and functional technology skills are usually not learning outcomes on their own, they are foundational to the ability of learners to use, utilize, critique, and produce information in digital environments and support learning outcomes that enable students to function, grow, and participate in academia and broader society.
- Digital Scholarship Handbook: Learning OutcomesA list of learning outcomes that can be enabled through digital assignments based in digital pedagogy.
- Knowing the Difference Between Digital Skills and Digital Literacies, and Teaching BothA short article discussing digital learning outcomes.
- Integrating Technology with Bloom’s TaxonomyAn article connecting Bloom's Taxonomy to technology; useful for articulating digital learning outcomes.
Digital Literacy
ALA’s Digital Literacy Task Force defines digital literacy as 'the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills."
Digital literacy encompasses a range of skills, competencies, and components of other literacies. In the context of digital assignments and higher education, digital literacy is often conceptualized through learning outcomes that specify knowledge, skills, and dispositions demonstrated by students.
- NCTE Definition of Literacy in a Digital AgeStandards and guiding questions from the NCTE that can aid in considering digital learning outcomes from engagements with technology.
- Digital Literacy Framework ToolkitToolkit from Virginia Tech providing criteria and tools for aligning assignments and curriculum with digital literacy learning outcomes.
- The B.C. Post-Secondary Digital Literacy FrameworkDescribes skills and actions that indicate digital literacy in the context of new learners, advanced learners, and educators in higher ed settings.
- Empowering Students with Digital Literacy SkilsAn article discussing assignments for teaching digital literacy, including considerations for integrating digital literacy into existing courses.
Digital Citizenship
Students leave the classroom. Students were consumers and producers of digital content long before they came to college and will be so long after they graduate. What tools and techniques can we introduce while they're here so they can be effective, ethical, and enriched digital citizens?
- University of North Dakota Core Concepts in Digital Information Literacy
Digital citizenship is a broad term encompassing the ways people engage with digital technologies and participate in physical and digital environments. It considers access, inclusion, safety and security, civic participation, democracy, social justice, and human rights, and the traits and behaviors of people in digital societies. It is a lifelong practice that can be supported through education and activities that encourage students to critically interact with technology and reflect on their:
- Information Consumption: Habits, behaviors, rights, and responsibilities as a consumer of information
- Information Creation: Responsibilities and rights as creator of information and its impact on others
- Communication and Sharing of Knowledge: Style, formats, and platforms used to communicate and share information; the impact of digital medium on the meaning and understanding of information; accessibility and access
Many aspects of digital citizenship align with habits of inquiry and reflection as described in UD's Institutional Learning Goals and the Marianist Charism.
- Common Sense Education: Digital CitizenshipInformation and resources about digital citizenship. Developed for K-12 education, but many resources are useful for undergraduate educators.
- Civic Online ReasoningArticles, videos, and curriculum relevant to evaluating digital content and developing skills for democratic participation.
- ISTE Digital Citizenship CompetenciesWidely used competencies that are adaptable to learning outcomes for digital assignments.
Mapping Citizenship to Digital Assignments
| Traits of Good Citizens | Traits of Good Digital Citizens | Assignment Criteria Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Advocate for equal human rights for all | Advocates for equal digital rights and access for all | Provide captions, descriptions, and transcripts for all non-text content |
| Treats others courteously and never bullies | Treats others with respect in online space and never cyberbullies | Participate productively and civilly in class discussion boards |
| Does not steal or damage others’ property or persons | Does not steal or damage others’ digital work, identity or property | Appropriately cite and credit text and multimedia elements included in work |
| Communities clearly, respectfully and with empathy | Makes appropriate decisions when communicating through a variety of digital channels | Write using style and language that is accessible to a general audience |
| Actively pursues an education and develops habits for lifelong learning | Uses digital tools to advance their learning and keeps up with changing technologies | Use digital tools to create and contribute knowledge to a public, digital forum |
| Spends and manages money responsibly | Makes responsible online purchasing decisions and protects their payment information | Seek open access or library sources in lieu of paying for access to articles |
| Upholds basics human rights of privacy, freedom of speech, etc. | Upholds basic human rights in all digital forums | Obtain permission to record and share conversations |
| Protects self and others from harm | Protects personal information from outside forces that might cause harm | Make decisions about publishing digital work based on preferences for personal privacy |
Adapted from Table 8.1 of Duran, M. (2022). Learning Technologies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18111-5_8
