Image 0.1
Source: eCampus Ontario
Description: Three people standing in a row: Lise, a woman with medium skin waving and smiling; Jai, a person with medium-dark skin, standing with their hands on their hips while smiling; and Shayan, an Indigenous man also smiling and waving. You will meet them later in this orientation.
Acknowledgements
With exception to some of the logo images, content within is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Please contact eCampusOntario at inquiry@ecampusontario.ca should you have any questions.
Funded by the Government of Ontario
The views expressed in this publication are the views of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Ontario.
Land Acknowledgement
Please click on the play button to hear an audio recording of this "Land Acknowledgement”.
Oral tradition is very important in Indigenous culture and the words shared in this audio recording are spoken from the heart.
eCampusOntario acknowledges that all of the lands and waters we occupy are Indigenous Homelands. We recognize the ongoing significance of these lands and waters for Indigenous Peoples in the past, present, and future. eCampusOntario recognizes that its work, and the work of its community partners, take place on traditional Indigenous territories across the province. We acknowledge that there are 46 treaties and other agreements that cover the territory now called Ontario. We are thankful to be able to work and live in these territories. We are thankful to the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people who have cared for these territories since time immemorial and who continue to contribute to the strength of Ontario and to all the communities across the province.
Acknowledging traditional Indigenous territories is one way to recognize contemporary and historical Indigenous presence and land rights. It is a small step towards dismantling the continued impacts of colonialism and undoing Indigenous erasure in our everyday lives. For more information on the purpose of Land Acknowledgements check out native-land.ca.
We ask you to acknowledge these truths and join us in our commitment to acting as respectful guests within the homelands in which we live and work.
Course Information
Select the accordion tabs to learn more information.
This micro-credential is designed to support your success as a post-secondary learner and in your future workplace. In this micro-credential, you will learn about and practice using various digital skills and technologies. Some of these digital skills and technologies might be familiar to you and some might be new. The digital skills and technologies included in this micro-credential are based on research and have been carefully selected to help you navigate our increasingly digitized world. When you complete the course, you will earn a micro-credential badge to verify your developing digital fluency skills.
The Digital Fluency Accelerator Micro-credential will help you develop the knowledge and skills to use technology responsibly and securely to find information, communicate, create, learn, and work online. Learning new digital skills and technologies is a central part of the post-secondary experience especially for online and hybrid learners. Whether you are entering your first year of university straight from secondary school, are an upper-year learner, or are getting back into education after years away, you’ll be learning new skills and working with new technologies (Greene & Mackie, 2022). The technological knowledge and skills in this micro-credential will support you in your post-secondary context and your current or future workplace.
As a post-secondary learner, you will need to use various digital skills and technologies to engage in your courses and complete assignments. Learning to use these digital skills and technologies can be challenging, especially since they are not always covered in your courses. For example, you might need to:
Use a learning management system (LMS) like Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle, or Brightspace/D2L
Moodle.org, GPL <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>, via Wikimedia Commons
https://carleton.ca/brightspace/wp-content/uploads/Brightspace-Logo.png
Present with an online meeting tool like Zoom, MS Teams, or WebEx
Image 0.2
Source: iStock
Description: A view of a smart device screen, such as smartphone or tablet, showing app icons for Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Duo, Google Meet, Facebook, and others.
Create a video for an assignment using Powtoon or Adobe Spark
Create a website for your portfolio using Google Sites or Weebly
Google, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Set up an online store using Shopify or Wix
Shopify, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
No matter the activity or assignment, learning new technological skills is a vital part of being a successful learner in today’s world (Greene & Mackie, 2022).
In your future workplace, you will probably need to use digital skills and technologies as well. In the past, employers considered digital skills a “bonus” among their employees. However, employers now expect employees to be fluent in using technology to perform routine and complex tasks. As a result of technological advancement, employers are now seeking employees with digital fluency in areas such as:
- Artificial intelligence (A.I.) and machine learning
- Big data analysis
- Coding
- e-Commerce and digital trade
- Encryption and cybersecurity
- Virtual and augmented reality
So, accelerating your digital fluency during post-secondary education will help you now and also in your future workplace (World Economic Forum, 2023).
This micro-credential aims to accelerate your digital fluency by exploring digital skills and technologies that will support you as a post-secondary learner and as a professional in the workplace.
Upon successful completion of this micro-credential, you will be able to:
- Synthesize digital fluency as a spectrum, working towards digital mastery.
- Employ the digital fluency skills necessary for effective digital data management, digital navigation, digital creation, and digital socialization to succeed in your online and hybrid post-secondary courses.
- Explore and experiment confidently with various digital tools for the purpose of collaboration, communication, and design creation.
- Develop strategies to mitigate potential cyber risks when participating digitally.
Throughout this micro-credential, you will be joined by three learners as they navigate digital skills and technology across their post-secondary journeys in Ontario. Each learner is at a different point on their path to digital fluency, and each of them must navigate unique challenges along the way. You will encounter these learners in stories, scenarios, and learning activities. You’ll be introduced to these learners in Module 1.
Meet Lise (she/her) – a Francophone lifelong learner enrolled in a college Automotive Mechanic and Repair Program
Meet Jai (they/their) – a learner with an identified learning disability that affects their written expression, visual processing, and concentration enrolled in a University Life Sciences Program
Meet Shayan (he/him) – an Indigenous learner enrolled in a Professional Master of Education Program
There are 5 modules in this micro-credential. Each module taking roughly an hour and a half to complete.
Image 0.3
Source: eCampus Ontario
Description: Digital Fluency Accelerator Micro-Credential modules listed and described in an accessible accordion below.
Module 1 is Foundations of Digital Fluency and includes Digital skills you will need as a learner and in your future workplace; Course delivery models, including online, hybrid, and HyFlex; and Emerging technologies in education and the workplace, including virtual reality (V.R.), augmented reality (A.R.), and artificial intelligence (A.I.). Module 2 is Digital Safety and Operating Digital Productivity Technology; Digital Safety includes respecting personal digital data and knowing how to ensure safety while participating digitally, and Operating Digital Productivity Technology includes understanding how different technologies and applications are connected to implement and achieve productivity outcomes. Module 3 is Digital Navigation Skills covering digital research and learner specific digital Skills; Digital research includes adopting digital tools and technology to effectively conduct research; learner specific digital skills includes assessing and applying transferable digital skills in learning environments. Module 4 teaches digital creation skills with digital creation including implementing new or unfamiliar digital tools and emerging technologies for the purpose of creation, and digital problem solving including troubleshooting technology and engaging in the inquiry process to represent data in various digital formats, to inform decisions. Module 5 includes digital communication, digital collaboration, and social media management; digital communication will teach communicating effectively and ethically in different contexts utilizing appropriate digital tools; digital collaboration will teach interacting collaboratively with digital tools, for the co-constructing of knowledge, meaning, and content; and finally social media management will teach how to manage social media profiles and digital community engagement for non-formal, informal, and formal learning.
To complete each module, you must complete all activities and graded assessments – and receive a passing grade of 50% on the Knowledge Check at the end of each module. After completing all five modules, you will earn your Digital Fluency Accelerator badge.
You can progress through this micro-credential at your own pace! It can be tempting to rush through the required activities in each module or skip the extension activities, but you are encouraged to take your time, engage in all learning opportunities, and reflect on the digital fluency skills and concepts you are learning about.
As you move through each module in this micro-credential, you will encounter icons to guide your learning. Here is a list of icons for your reference.
Image 0.4
Source: eCampus Ontario
Description: An infographic describing icons used in this course. There are three columns: icon, type of activity, and what does it mean? with a description of the icons below in an accessible accordion.
For this image description, the icon activity will be named, then the icon described, followed by the "what does it mean?" description. They are as follows: Graded Assessment with icon of a closed book with a computer pointer clicking on it, which represents the final assignment at the end of each module. Final assignments require you to demonstrate the digital skills learned in the module. Final assignments will be graded. Learning Activity with icon of a checklist on a page with a pen checking off items on the list which represents a learning activity. Throughout each module, there are several learning activities to help you prepare for the final graded assignment at the end. Learning activities are required and will be recorded as complete or incomplete. Next, Reflection with an icon of a silhouette outline of a head with a gear in place of the brain which represents a reflection activity. Reflection activities provide you with an opportunity to slow down, pause, and consider the questions that follow. Then is Learn More with an icon of a closed book with a computer pointer clicking on it which represents an extension activity. Throughout each module, you will find additional resources to further support your learning about various digital skills. Next is Tips with an icon of a lit lightbulb in a circle which represents practical tips to help you apply digital skills in your context. Throughout each module, you will find helpful tips to guide you. Then is Spotlight with an icon of a magnifying glass which represents special topics related to the digital skills you are learning about. Throughout each module, you will find spotlights that highlight featured content areas. And finally is Try It with an icon of an outline of a person using a computer which represents an extension activity. Throughout each module, you will find opportunities to apply and practice the digital skills you are learning about. These are optional.
Another helpful tip is when you see this box with the arrow under an image, you can click on it and the image will open larger and in a new window.
Downloadable Sources
This document contains all of the sources used in this micro-credential. You can save or print a copy for your reference.