Enhancing Digital Literacy of University Students (E-DigiLit) Erasmus Project

Project Title

Enhancing Digital Literacy of University Students (E-DigiLit)

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills

Project Summary

NEED:
Digital literacy which is considered as life skill in the digital age by UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP). Young people in tertiary education are called Z generation and they grow with digital technologies from the moment they were born. It is a necessity for the new generation to be trained according to the new conditions and to develop skills appropriate for the age. However, students spend time with digital technologies generally for entertainment, playing games and socializing in the virtual world.
Digital competence is among the 8 Key Competences of European Union. With that aim, the European Digital Competence Framework, also known as Dig Comp is prepared. It offers a tool to improve citizen’s digital competence. Considering DigComp, digital literacy means process of finding, processing, editing, sharing, evaluating and analyzing information through network devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers). “A digitally literate person can use technology strategically to find and evaluate information, connect and collaborate with others, produce and share original content, and use the Internet and technology tools to achieve many professional and personal goals (National Lifelong Learning Strategy (2020). Also, one of the pillars of Europe 2020 Strategy is “Promoting digital literacy, skills and inclusion”.
As to Turkey, Therefore, in 2018 -2019 academic year, the main goal of the Council of Higher Education is determined as “Digital Transformation”. Besides, the importance of digital literacy skills is underlined by the President of Turkey in Opening Ceremony of 2018-2019 Academic Year of universities.
Consequently, this project is designed to meet the need of university students by improving their ability of surviving in the digital age. In order to improve the digital literacy skills of university students a new elective course on digital literacy will be developed.
OBJECTIVES:
– Improve the digital literacy skills of university students
– Develop a learning environment for digital literacy skills.
– Contribute to the capacity building of universities on digital literacy through training the teaching staff
– Facilitate the access to sources related to digital literacy by sharing outputs in project website
RESULTS:
1- Digital literacy skills of university students are improved.
2- Capacity building of universities on providing digital literacy skills are improved
3- Tools for providing digital literacy skills are developed
4- Cooperation among partners is strengthened
INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS
O1- Digital Literacy Course Curriculum
O2- Educational Materials of Digital Literacy Course for Students
O3- Online Guideline for teaching staff
NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS
Participants of:
-survey will be university students (800).
-pilot trainings will be teaching staff (totally 40).
-pilot implementation of elective digital literacy course will be students (100) at the first year of university life.
-conferences will be students, academicians, lecturers etc. who haven’t participated to the pilot implementation and other related stakeholders in each partner country (max. 100 participants for each conference).
DESCIPTION OF ACTIVITIES
A-Management activities (transnational and online meetings)
B-Output preparation activities
1. Development of Digital Literacy Course
2. Preparing questionnaires
3. Preparing need analysis report by conducting online survey
4. Preparation of digital literacy elective course curriculum
5. Preparing the training plan of teaching staff
6. Developing online Guidebook
7. Piloting the training of teaching staff
8. Piloting digital literacy course
9. Revising and finalizing the digital literacy course in accordance with the piloting results.
C-Dissemination activities (Multiplier events, website, social media, visits, e-newsletters etc.)
METHODOLOGY
Qualitative/quantitative methods and communication/management techniques will be used for planned activities in this project. After the content and development phases of intellectual outputs, piloting phase will done by using experimental method, e-learning techniques in order to find out the deficiencies and level of efficiency of the intellectual outputs.
IMPACT AND LONGER TERM BENEFITS
Project owners will develop worthwhile reports, curriculums and learning/teaching materials in the lifecycle of the project. The project will strengthen the profile of teaching staff, enable them to respond to the needs of university students in terms of digital literacy. The learning materials and digital literacy elective course curriculum developed in the course of the project is directly related to university students in every part of Europe.
In longer term, not European universities will have an access to developed materials but also anyone related to the topic all around the world will have a chance to benefit from project innovative teaching/learning materials and other outputs

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 221620 Eur

Project Coordinator

DOKUZ EYLUL UNIVERSITESI & Country: TR

Project Partners

• COVENTRY UNIVERSITY
• APEC Egitim Danismanlik Ltd.
• SVEUCILISTE U ZAGREBU
• FUNDACION UNIVERSITARIA SAN ANTONIO