Not like riding a bike: How public libraries facilitate older people’s digital inclusion during the Covid-19 pandemic

Background:Digital skills training to increase the competitiveness of teaching staff is related to the development of digital pedagogical skills that are relevant to 21st century learning. Digital skills training can be provided to educational staff, such as teachers and lecturers, through vocational education programs and digital skills courses. Research purposes:This research was conducted with the aim of finding out how much impact digital skills training has on increasing the competitiveness of teaching staff to find out and analyze how digital skills training affects the competence and competitiveness of teaching staff in the digital era. This research aims to support the development of relevant and effective digital skills training programs to improve the competence of teaching staff, so that they can help create a workforce that is ready to face the challenges of the digital economy. Method:The method used in this research is a quantitative method.This method is a way of collecting numerical data that can be tested. Data was collected through distributing questionnaires addressed to students. Furthermore, the data that has been collected from the results of distributing the questionnaire will be accessible in Excel format which can then be processed using SPSS. Results:From the research results, it can be seen thatDigital skills training is one way to increase the competitiveness of teaching staff. To increase the competitiveness of teaching staff, it shows that this training can influence the competency and competitiveness of teaching staff in the digital era. Digital skills training can help educators develop relevant digital pedagogical skills, which will help them adapt to increasingly sophisticated learning needs and integrate digital technologies in teaching. Conclusion:Digital skills training can help educators develop digital pedagogical skills that are relevant to twenty-first century learning. This will help them adapt to increasingly sophisticated learning needs and integrate digital technology in teaching.

Aim/Purpose: To capture digital training experiences, the paper introduces a novel data collection method – a graphic questionnaire. It aims to demonstrate the opportunities and limitations of this tool for collecting feedback from socially disadvantaged participants of digital literacy training about their progress. Background: In training of digital skills for disadvantaged audiences through informal educational interventions, it is important to get sufficient knowledge on factors that lead to their progress in the course of training. There are many tools to measure the achievements of formal education participants, but assessing the effectiveness of informal digital skills training is researched less. The paper introduces a small-scale case study of the training programme aimed at the developing of reading and digital skills among the participants from three socially disadvantaged groups – people with hearing impairments, children from low income families, and elderly persons. The impact of the training on participants was evaluated using different tools, including a short graphic questionnaire to capture the perceptions of the participants after each training. Methodology: We performed a thematic analysis of graphic questionnaires collected after each training session to determine how the students perceived their progress in developing literacy and digital skills. Contribution The findings of the paper can assist in designing assessment of digital literacy programmes that focus not only on final results, but also on the process of gaining digital skills and important factors that facilitate progress. Findings: The graphic questionnaire allowed the researchers to get insights into the perception of acquired skills and progressive achievements of the participants through rich self-reports of attitudes, knowledge gained, and activities during training sessions. However, the graphic questionnaire format did not allow the collection of data about social interaction and cooperation that could be important in learning. Recommendations for Practitioners: Graphic questionnaires are useful and easy-to-use tools for getting rich contextual information about the attitudes, behaviour, and acquisition of knowledge in digital literacy training. They can be used in applied assessments of digital literacy training in various settings. Their simplicity can appeal to respondents; however, in the long-run interest of respondents in continuing self-reports should be sustained by additional measures. Recommendations for Researchers: Researcher may explore the variety of simple and attractive research instruments, such as “honeycomb” questionnaires and similar, to facilitate data collection and saturate feedback with significant perception of personal experiences in gaining digital literacy skills. Impact on Society: Designing effective digital literacy programmes, including engaging self-assessment methods and tools, aimed at socially disadvantaged people will contribute to their digital inclusion and to solving the issues of digital divide. Future Research: Exploration of diverse research methods and expanding the research toolset in assessing digital literacy training could advance our understanding of important processes and factors in gaining digital skills.

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the 2019 issue of the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, Volume 16] Aim/Purpose: To capture digital training experiences, the paper introduces a novel data collection method – a graphic questionnaire. It aims to demonstrate the opportunities and limitations of this tool for collecting feedback from socially disadvantaged participants of digital literacy training about their progress. Background: In training of digital skills for disadvantaged audiences through informal educational interventions, it is important to get sufficient knowledge on factors that lead to their progress in the course of training. There are many tools to measure the achievements of formal education participants, but assessing the effectiveness of informal digital skills training is researched less. The paper introduces a small-scale case study of the training programme aimed at the developing of reading and digital skills among the participants from three socially disadvantaged groups – people with hearing impairments, children from low income families, and elderly persons. The impact of the training on participants was evaluated using different tools, including a short graphic questionnaire to capture the perceptions of the participants after each training. Methodology: We performed a thematic analysis of graphic questionnaires collected after each training session to determine how the students perceived their progress in developing literacy and digital skills. Contribution The findings of the paper can assist in designing assessment of digital literacy programmes that focus not only on final results, but also on the process of gaining digital skills and important factors that facilitate progress. Findings: The graphic questionnaire allowed the researchers to get insights into the perception of acquired skills and progressive achievements of the participants through rich self-reports of attitudes, knowledge gained, and activities during training sessions. However, the graphic questionnaire format did not allow the collection of data about social interaction and cooperation that could be important in learning. Recommendations for Practitioners: Graphic questionnaires are useful and easy-to-use tools for getting rich contextual information about the attitudes, behaviour, and acquisition of knowledge in digital literacy training. They can be used in applied assessments of digital literacy training in various settings. Their simplicity can appeal to respondents; however, in the long-run interest of respondents in continuing self-reports should be sustained by additional measures. Recommendations for Researchers: Researcher may explore the variety of simple and attractive research instruments, such as “honeycomb” questionnaires and similar, to facilitate data collection and saturate feedback with significant perception of personal experiences in gaining digital literacy skills. Impact on Society: Designing effective digital literacy programmes, including engaging self-assessment methods and tools, aimed at socially disadvantaged people will contribute to their digital inclusion and to solving the issues of digital divide. Future Research: Exploration of diverse research methods and expanding the research toolset in assessing digital literacy training could advance our understanding of important processes and factors in gaining digital skills.

Problem-based learning (PBL) has emerged as an innovative educational approach, and it is increasingly gaining its prominence in the higher education in Malaysia. Past research shows that digital literacy competence has strong and positive influence on academics’ motivation and academic productivity. However, there is little research carried out to examine the impact of digital literacy skills on the improvement of learning performance of university students in PBL environment. This study aims to examine the influence of digital literacy skills training on the learning performance of university students in the Physics course conducted in PBL approach. This study utilises Solomon four-group design by setting up two experimental groups and two control groups for the experiment. Seventy eight students in the School of Liberal Arts and Science of Taylor’s University in Malaysia participated in this study. The study investigated whether digital literacy skills training would improve the learning performance of the university students and if a cause and effect relationship existed between digital literacy skills training and learning performance. The independent variable of this study was the digital literacy skills training. The dependent variables were the learning performance scores which constitute two subjective measures, namely, learning satisfaction and learning attitude, and one objective measure, the learning score. A between-group factorial ANOVA showed that the treatment of digital literacy did have an impact on learning performance. The findings inferred that there was a cause and effect relationship (causation) between digital literacy skills training and improvement in learning performance of university students in PBL environment. The philosophy of learning through problem-solving process in PBL is conceptually parallel to digital literacy competency standards for higher education. This study confirmed that digital literacy skills training may help raise the learning performance of university students learning under PBL environment.

Nurses play a pivotal role in improving the quality of healthcare services through innovation in the nursing care delivery system by using technological advancement. Digital knowledge and mindset are useful for further developing digital skills and literacy among future nurses to form digital citizenship. This study aimed to analyze the correlation between digital knowledge and mindset with digital skills, literacy, and citizenship among nursing students. The mind sponge theory was used in study conceptualization and results interpretation. This quantitative study utilized a cross-sectional design. The population was all nursing students in two private nursing institutions located in Bangkok, Thailand (n=476) and Surabaya, Indonesia (n=179). Samples were the total population. Self-developed, valid, and reliable instrument was used in data collection. Descriptive statistics and correlation test were used in data analysis (α<.05). Findings showed that digital knowledge did not correlate with digital mindset (p=.94), but it was weakly correlated with digital skills, literacy, and citizenship (ρ=.12-.16; p<.05). Digital mindset was strongly correlated with digital skills, literacy, and citizenship (ρ=.56-.60; p<.05). Digital skills had a strong correlation with digital literacy and citizenship (ρ=.58-.67; p<.05), while digital literacy was strongly correlated with digital citizenship (ρ=.59; p=<.05). The synergy of digital mindset, skills, and literacy are recommended to support the digital citizenship formation. We strongly recommend the implementation of collaborative learning method in nursing education. This method promotes the information filtering and exchanging behaviors among students important for digital nursing.

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BackgroundThe integration of digital technologies is becoming increasingly essential in cancer care. However, limited digital health literacy among clinical and nonclinical cancer health care professionals poses significant challenges to effective implementation and sustainability over time. To address this, the European Union is prioritizing the development of targeted digital skills training programs for cancer care providers, the TRANSiTION project among them. A crucial initial step in this effort is conducting a comprehensive gap analysis to identify specific training needs.ObjectiveThe aim of this work is to identify training gaps and prioritize the digital skill development needs in the oncology health care workforce.MethodsAn importance-performance analysis (IPA) was conducted following a survey that assessed the performance and importance of 7 digital skills: information, communication, content creation, safety, eHealth problem-solving, ethics, and patient empowerment.ResultsA total of 67 participants from 11 European countries completed the study: 38 clinical professionals (CP), 16 nonclinical professionals (NCP), and 13 patients or caregivers (PC). CP acknowledged the need for a comprehensive training program that includes all 7 digital skills. Digital patient empowerment and safety skills emerge as the highest priorities for both CP and NCP. Conversely, NCP assigned a lower priority to digital content creation skills, and PC assigned a lower priority to digital information and ethical skills. The IPA also revealed discrepancies in digital communication skills across groups (H=6.50; P=.04).ConclusionsThe study showcased the pressing need for comprehensive digital skill training for cancer health care professionals across diverse backgrounds and health care systems in Europe, tailored to their occupation and care setting. Incorporating PC perspectives ensures a balanced approach to addressing these training gaps. These findings provide a valuable knowledge base for designing digital skills training programs, promoting a holistic approach that integrates the perspectives of the various stakeholders involved in digital cancer care.

Libraries on the Front Lines of the Digital Divide: The Oxfordshire Digital Inclusion Project Report

This article provides practical insight on how public library programmes can deploy community needs assessment as a tool to engage the community into the development of library services and programmes for specific target groups. This approach contributes to the practice of needs-based library service development as well as demonstrates how community needs assessment can also serve as a library outreach mechanism to community members. The community needs assessment study, described in this article, was done in Uganda in early 2021 by EIFL (Electronic information for libraries), Peer 2 Peer University, National Library of Uganda and Maendeleo Foundation. The study was aimed at developing a meaningful and sustainable digital literacy skills training for women and youth to be delivered via a nation-wide network of public and community libraries. The study is a part of a project “Digital skills and inclusion through libraries in Uganda”, which is funded by Belgium through the Wehubit Programme implemented by the Belgian development agency, Enabel. The study consisted of interviews with librarians and meetings with library authorities and community members across the country. The study was used both to gain a deeper understanding of expectations and preferences of women and youth in relation to the digital skills and online content, and also to raise awareness about the upcoming training by the project at early stages. In this article, we are sharing learnings from the process, as well as discussing how the findings were used to inform and shape the development of the digital literacy training programme.

The purpose of this research is to examine how libraries can best help their patrons develop digital literacy abilities for the modern world.Access to technology that promotes digital literacy abilities and digital skills training were among the issues listed as measures to improving digital literacy.There was also extensive discussion of the factors that make it difficult to promote digital literacy skills in this digital age.Among other things, the report's authors concluded that Indian schools must make digital literacy training a top priority and incorporate it into curricula across the board.They also recommended that the country's media outlets do more to promote culturally relevant and locally relevant content.

The study examines the influence of digital literacy skills on electronic resource utilization by undergraduates in public university libraries in Lagos, Nigeria. The study adopted a survey research design which utilized a self-structured questionnaire titled: “Digital literacy skills & electronic resources utilization by undergraduates” as instrument for data collection and measured on a four-point Likert-type scale. The population for the study was 49,165 undergraduates and sample size of 394 was selected from the 200-500 level. Data were obtained from undergraduates on the level of e-resources utilization and the level of digital literacy skills. A response rate of 351 representing 89.1% was achieved and data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The finding revealed that undergraduates possessed a high level of e-resources utilization with a score of x=3.36 and a high level of digital skills with a grand of x=3.28. The finding further reveal that digital skill (β=0.434, t = 8.564, p<0.05) have a significant influence on electronic resource utilization. The study concludes that undergraduates in public universities in Lagos State have high digital literacy skills that significantly influence the use of electronic resources in libraries. The study recommends that management should improve in providing more digital literacy skills training programs that can help the undergraduates to sustain and acquire more skills in selected universities in Lagos State.

Youth unemployment is one of the most pressing issues confronting world leaders in the 21st century. Youth unemployment has negative implications for economic and social progress. In Nigeria, youth unemployment hit an all-time high of 55.4% in the third quarter of 2018. With almost all sectors been digitalised, digital skills become one of the most promising solutions to youth unemployment. It is a necessity for wage employment and in the creation of a personal business. However, anecdotal and empirical evidence shows that many youths lack the requisite skills for using digital technology productively. Hence, there is an increase in international and local efforts toward digital skills training for youths. This study reports the findings from a pilot digital skills training programme organised by the Double You Initiative in July 2019. It was based on a quantitative research approach with the use of an online questionnaire to obtain information from youths across Nigeria through a purposive sampling technique. The findings show that youths within the ages of 19 and 24 will likely subscribe more to digital skills training than any other age group. Also, undergraduate students are more interested in digital skills training, and the most common digital skill preference among youths is digital marketing. The lessons from the digital skills training reported in this paper can be useful in enhancing the preparedness of stakeholders towards the provision of digital skills training that will promote decent jobs for youths in Nigeria.

The digital gender divide is one of the most critical issues in education today. Digital gender gaps can exist in students’ access to and use of ICT, attitudes toward technology, and digital knowledge and skills. However, previous research has primarily examined these divides in isolation and largely ignored their interdependencies. Using student data from the 2013 and 2018 International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS), this study examines how these gaps are related. Specifically, we synthesize evidence on gender gaps in digital knowledge and skills, controlling for differences in ICT access and technology attitudes. In addition, we examine the role that technology attitudes play in the gender gap in digital knowledge and skills. Our findings suggest that (a) girls outperform boys in digital knowledge and skills (upbeta = -0.11 to -0.29); (b) gender differences in attitudes toward technology partially explain gender differences in digital knowledge and skills; (c) the variability within and between countries in the gender gap in students' digital skills is partly explained by the type of digital skill and the country's socio-economic development and gender inequality. Overall, this research shows a relationship between the gender gaps in students’ digital knowledge and skills and the gender gaps in students’ attitudes toward technology. We conclude that the first- and second-level gender digital divides are connected.

COVID-19 and the digital divide in the UK

As the use of digital technology becomes more widespread across the globe, older people remain among the group with the lowest access and usage. The digital divide may lead to double exclusion as the COVID-19 pandemic has led to limited physical social contact as experts’ recommendation of continuous social distancing and lack of access and usage of internet communication will leave older people socially isolated. The aim of this study is to explore how older people in rural Nigeria may be digitally excluded and its impact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative data was obtained from 11 older people using interviews. The collected data was then transcribed and analyzed thematically. Findings show that older people in rural Nigeria were digitally excluded. However, the older people argued that the digital exclusion is not the reason for their social isolation and loneliness. The study concluded by suggesting how caregivers and social workers can assist rural older people through activity schedule and radio programs designed for older people.