3 A framework for digital skills

A helpful way to understand and develop the digital literacy skills you need to be effective online is to think of them in different categories.

The Open University has created a Digital skills framework, which divides the key skills into five categories:

• understand and engage
• find
• manage and communicate
• evaluate
• collaborate and share.

Figure 2 The Open University digital skills framework

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Image showing the Open University digital skills framework represented as a circle. In the centre of the circle it reads: Digital skills framework. Around the circle is a band divided into five which represents the five areas of the framework. Clockwise from the top it reads: Understand Engage, Find, Manage Communicate, Evaluate, Collaborate Share.

Figure 2 The Open University digital skills framework

Through this section, you will be looking at each of these areas in turn. You’ll be completing some activities to help you to assess how confident you are with skills related to each area. The feedback will suggest resources you might want to look at in the future to develop your skills and boost your confidence. You’ll be able to add these to your personal Digital plan. Even if you feel that you’re really confident at something, remember that it is always worth referring to guidance for additional hints and tips.

If you’d like to explore a different framework, Jisc provides one for digital capabilities. It divides them into six categories: ICT proficiency; digital creation, problem solving and innovation; digital communication, collaboration and participation; digital learning and development; information, data and media literacies; digital identity and wellbeing (Jisc, 2018).

Maximise

Figure 3 Jisc digital capabilities framework

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Image showing the Jisc digital capabilities framework represented as five circles within a bigger circle. In the central circle at the heart of the framework it reads: ICT proficiency and shows a picture of a laptop. Around that in the four overlapping circles like petals on a flower, clockwise from the top it reads: digital creation, problem solving and innovation with a picture of an artist’s paint palette; then digital communication, collaboration and participation with a picture of a speech bubble; then digital learning and development with a picture of a digital tablet; then information, data and media literacies with a picture of a library card filing box. In the outer circle which encompasses all the others it reads digital identity and wellbeing with a picture of a magnifying glass.

Figure 3 Jisc digital capabilities framework