An institutional approach to embedding digital and information literacy into taught programmes

Abstract

Definitions of digital literacy, fluency or capability are now commonplace. Many universities and colleges have adopted or adapted some version of one of these definitions as an aspiration for their staff and students. Sometimes the focus is on digital skills to perform professionally orientated tasks, sometimes the ambition is more broadly defined in terms of the contribution graduates make to a global, networked society. Having agreed on a definition, how can digital literacy be developed across and within our complex organizations? This chapter draws on a single institution case study where there was a strategic drive to embed digital and information literacy into all taught programmes as part of a centrally managed graduate attributes project. The evaluation of this project provides insights into how students develop digital literacies and how this progress can be tracked within the context of an institutional change project.