Electronic Literacy and Data Proficiency

These are the “digital survival skills” that all students should have in order to be successful in a wide range of courses and in a variety of jobs after graduation. These competencies include the following:

Setting up user credentials, managing files within folders, mapping networks and printers

Self-assessing digital skills, improving them, understanding how technology impacts well-being

Problem-solving, understanding search engines, developing a toolkit for common tech issues

Effectively managing online identity and critically analyzing how websites can use personal data

Data Handling and Conservation

These skills in data handling and conservation help prepare students for jobs in library and information science, museum curation, and at a variety of cultural institutions. They include the following:

Implementing digital tools for data collection while adhering to ethical and legal guidelines

Protecting data from theft or loss, backing up data, securing devices and accounts, recognizing sensitive information that needs higher safeguarding

Knowing about metadata, including copyright and privacy data

Data Analytics and Visualization

These skills prepare students for a variety of careers in the arts and humanities as well as in such fields as medicine and finance. They include the following:

Understanding database structures and how to filter and query data

Using software to analyze data and visualize data for specific audiences

Creative Design and Programming

These skills help prepare students for a variety of careers, including those involving graphic design. They include the following:

Knowing how to understand, modify, and articulate coded instructions for computational systems

Understanding creative design processes and organizing projects effectively

Gaining experience with digital tools such as textual analysis, Geographical Information Systems, and nonlinear narratives

Web Writing and Content Creation

These skills in writing and content creation help students thrive in such fields as publishing, marketing, and public relations. They include the following:

Using digital collaboration tools, co-creating projects, evaluating contributions critically

Creating professional documents with word processing software, embedding images and charts if relevant, understanding markup languages such as HTML

Using tools for publishing and sharing content while ensuring proper attribution