Digital literacy – a driver for curriculum transformation

Technological advances are dramatically changing the nature of employment, placing demands on higher education to ensure graduates are adequately prepared for working and participating in the digital economy. For this reason, it is necessary to critically review what is meant by digital literacy in a higher education context, and determine what skills underpin the term in order to inform curriculum transformation. Through a brief exploration of the term, it is apparent that there is no single shared understanding of what digital literacy entails, proving problematic for both students and teachers when attempting to scaffold and extend digital capabilities. Our understanding of digital literacy is continually changing in response to the dynamic nature of digital technology innovation. A shared and functional understanding of digital literacy is essential to developing graduate learning outcomes around digital skills and knowledge, allowing digital literacy to be scaffolded and developed through the curriculum. This paper explores digital literacy definitions and frameworks, and proposes a model which provides the foundation to drive curriculum transformation aimed at building graduates’ digital capabilities.