The New Media Consortium (NMC) has released Digital Literacy in Higher Education, Part II: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief, a follow-up to its 2016 strategic brief on digital literacy. Commissioned by Adobe, this independent research builds upon the established baseline definitions of digital literacy from the 2016 brief, examining digital literacy through a global and discipline-specific lens to reveal new contexts that are shaping the way learners create, discover, and critically assess digital content.

“The meaning and impact of digital literacy can get lost in the sea of technophile soundbites we hear every day. There is an implicit understanding that more or better digital literacy skills are needed in order to effectively participate in education, business, commerce, and other aspects of contemporary society. But what does it really mean to be digitally literate, and which standards do we use?” said Dr. Eden Dahlstrom, NMC Executive Director. “This report sheds light on the meaning and impact of digital literacy using cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary approaches, highlighting frameworks and exemplars in practice.”

While the first NMC strategic brief simplified definitions and made the complex topic accessible, this subsequent project was launched because the constantly evolving nature of digital literacy is reflected in a diversity of frameworks with varied outcomes both globally and across disciplines. The NMC’s research examines the current landscape of digital literacy frameworks to illuminate its multiple dimensions — technical, psychological, and interpersonal — around which students’ ability to produce new content generates a sense of empowerment. Further, within the context of certain disciplines, learner commitment based on these levels of engagement is more readily established when paired with authentic digital experiences based on skills considered vital for workplace success. Four disciplines are examined in the graphic below.

Despite progress in this area, the NMC’s report has identified a need for institutions and thought leaders to consider the ways in which content creation is unequally expressed throughout the world. In an examination of digital literacy within European, Middle Eastern, and African nations (EMEA), research has surfaced unequal access to information technology based on inequalities of economics, gender, race, and political divides. Nations and regions are creating ways to help their populations grapple with the digital revolution that are shaped by their local situations. Additionally, the publication acknowledges that students become empowered to address the geographical gaps of information inequality as they move from consumers to digital creators.

Examples of successful digital literacy programs in the report detail how institutions across the globe are facilitating open spaces for adaptable technology use and providing both student and faculty support for implementing digital tools and 21st century skills into courses. The role of faculty in rethinking pedagogy to include student input and student-faculty co-creation is best highlighted in the brief essays from eleven digital literacy thought leaders hailing from higher education institutions across the US, Egypt, Australia, South Africa, and Sweden. The hope is that this strategic brief will serve as a springboard for critical discussions around how to authentically integrate digital literacies into a wide range of disciplines while empowering learners to engage in content creation and cultivate lifelong learning.

“Adobe is committed to empowering educators with the creative tools they need to enhance their students’ academic experiences and teach the critical thinking, digital literacy, and problem solving skills needed to succeed in the digital economy,” said Karen McCavitt, Group Manager, Worldwide Marketing for Education Enterprise at Adobe. “We support faculty to incorporate digital assignments and curricula across the campus with teaching tools that aids teaching and nurturing digital literacy, by incorporating Adobe Creative Cloud into their digital literacy initiatives, empowering students to communicate in digitally and visually compelling ways.”

Digital Literacy in Higher Education, Part II: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief is available online, free of charge, and under a Creative Commons license to facilitate its widespread use, easy duplication, and broad distribution.

> Download the report (PDF)