With the UK government and higher education quality assurance organisations placing a great emphasis on digital capabilities and the use of technology to support learning and teaching, a number of higher education institutions and organisations with an interest in digital technologies have developed frameworks and curricula to articulate digital literacy development.

We have adopted the JISC six elements of digital capabilities model for articulating the various skills and learning abilities that digital literacy encompasses. This is a nationally recognised framework from JISC (Joint Information Systems Commitee), that continues to be updated.

The model outlines six elements for consideration when thinking about digital literacy capabilities:

Digital proficiency and productivity

• The ability to use digital devices, networks, applications, software and services;
• How you use your digital skills to accomplish tasks.

Digital creation, problem-solving and innovation

• Digital production of content;
• The ability to solve problems, make decisions, and answer questions;
• The willingness to try new practices and look for new solutions with digital technology.

Digital learning and development

• The ability to turn digital opportunities into personal learning gains;
• The ability to support and develop others in digital settings.

Information, data and media literacies

• The ability to find, evaluate, organise and share information, whether for learning, research, or professional purposes;
• How you handle data as a special form of information;
• The ways you receive and respond to messages in digital media.

Digital communication, collaboration and participation

• Any communication using digital media and networks;
• The ability to take part in digital teams and working groups to meet specific goals, using shared tools and media;
• Participating in digital communication in a more open-ended way, over a longer time, and in a range of different settings.

Digital identity and wellbeing

• How you develop and project a digital identity — or several identities — and how you manage your digital reputation;
• The impact of using digital devices, tools, services and systems on you as a person.

Rather than being a curriculum or detailed framework, the JISC six elements of digital capabilities is a looser model, good for stimulating discussions and helping groups, programme teams and individuals arrive at their own shared understanding of digital literacy within their own context.

Here are some other useful frameworks and curricula from across the HE sector: