Understanding Digital Literacy

In the modern world of advanced technology, the understanding the basic operations of a computer is an essentiality, i.e. the ability of recognizing and using information of multiple formats from a range of sources during a presentation via computers. This is the concept of Digital Literacy. It goes beyond the simple ability to read to the ability to read with meaning. According to a study, digital literacy is the attitude, awareness and ability of individual’s appropriate use of digital tools and facilities for assessment, identification, management, integration, evaluation, analysis and synthesis to digital resources, while construction of new knowledge is informational.

SkillageIT is one of the organizations who offer digital literacy services to their respective customers. Currently, the company has been asked to deploy some one-to-one training session to their customers, as they require further knowledge on basic digital literacy, and accordingly are hiring employees (from SkillageIT). Moreover, online and offline services are the required categories of training operations, to be initiated. Thus, the need of a training program for such tasks are a necessity. Accordingly, the following paper aims to provide a training/learning plan for one-on-one instructive training (online), determination of required resources and e-learning guide for particular clients in accordance to their prior knowledge, detailed assessment of new skill inheritance and practical applications of client feedback and sign-off form.

The basic computer skills literacy course will provide each individual with broadened understanding of current technologies, utilized at workplaces and homes. The learner will gain computer literacy in this one-to-one and online courses, while learning creation, access, saving and management of documents, e-mails and spreadsheets, and also the use of internet, effectively. Here, the demystification of the terminology and imparted skills for secure and productive use of software and hardware, is also included. The following plan is designed for individual (adults) with minimal or no previous experience with computers.

The program enable users to become familiarised to the computer usage and Microsoft Windows, while basic operations of a computer is understood and hardware components (mouse, keyboard, etc.) use are supported in the one-to-one sessions.

During or after the course finishes, users should be able to-

• Start and shut down a computer system.
• Navigation of the operating system and starting applications.
• Perform basic operations on spreadsheet and word processor.
• Manage print documents and print settings.
• Perform basic operations of file management.
• Understand the processes to email sending, receiving, saving and others.
• Internet navigation via web browsers.

Windows

• Turn on and log-in the computer.
• The windows screen.
• Maximization, minimization, resizing, moving and terminating windows.
• Running programs from Start Menu option.
• Log-off and shut down the computer.

Hardware and Software

• Computer’s components, including input and output devices.
• Operating systems, programs and application’s role.
• Communication device’s function, like of smartphones and tablets.

Operation with programs

• Initiating multiple programs.
• Creation of desktop icons and shortcuts.
• Program’s management from the taskbar.
• Closing programs.

Productive suite and Word processing

• New document creation in Microsoft word (2016).
• Typing numbers, text and dates into the new document.
• Checking spelling (Spell-check).
• Easy formatting options.
• Saving and printing the document.
• Accessing group of programs to create presentations, spreadsheets and others.

File management

• Windows Explorer’s management.
• Knowledge of file extensions.
• Outlook of the network connections and storage devices.
• Moving, creating, deleting and renaming files and folders.
• Management of USB drives, HDD and other physical hard disk driver extensions.

Spreadsheets

• Knowledge of spreadsheet’s functionality
• Spreadsheet creation in Microsoft Excel.
• Easy formulas.
• Typing numbers, dates and text into the worksheet.
• Easy formatting.
• Data Charts.
• Creating, saving and printing workbook and changes, also been considered.

Printing

• Print settings.
• Print preview.
• Print queue management.

Email

• Screen elements of Outlook mail.
• Inbox management
• Sending and composing email messages.

Internet access

• Operating websites and bookmarking.
• Copying and pasting contents from internet into other documents and emails.
• Searching on Google/any other search engine.
• Refreshing and stopping webpages.
• Demystification of Cloud.
• Knowledge of social media stages like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
• Security practices to computer usage.

The program is design to feature adult users with little or no knowledge of computer systems. It would enhance the learning opportunities for the individual in a private environment of one-to-one and online understanding process.

Training Scope and Requirements

Various handouts and course notes will be shared during the classes.

Note: Suggestion of keeping USB flash drive during one-to-one session is advised as it will enable users to copy their work or any materials. Additionally, the work can also be saved in the email drafts or cloud storage spaces.

To the organization:

Suitable allocation of tutors are required for the total number of clients, for the approximate initiation of the one-on-one learning environment. Moreover, the following designations are required to fit in the life cycle of the course:

• E-learning developer
• Instructional developer
• Multimedia or Graphic developer
• Stakeholder
• Subject Matter Expert (SME)
• Pilot participant

 Also, for the online sessions, specific software are required to transmit and record user’s processes.

To the client:

The process of e-learning involves the utilization of electronic devices or computer systems. Thus, the respective systems are a necessity. Also, the systems should be enabled of features like Microsoft Office 2010 (or higher), Windows 7/8/10, Outlook and Wi-Fi and others. Hardware components are basic as any processor over Intel Pentium 4 would support all the software requirements, seamlessly.

After the learning goal is assumed and e-learning’s goal achievement abilities are discussed, next step is to target audience with their prior understanding and experience in the course related knowledge. It is important to be demonstrated as clients with sufficient prior knowledge would not need the same level of training support as compared to amateurs.

Here, the prior knowledge of interviewed clients (Sally, Billy and Boris) have been recorded to be different and dissimilar from one another. Thus, e-learning guides are created in accordance to their prior knowledge.

To Sally

The following stakeholder has average level of computer knowledge. She has internet knowledge of social media applications and also, has an understanding of operating email (Gmail). However, emphasis is required on enhancing her knowledge with respect to-

• Basic operations on a computer.
• Understanding of productivity suites and using Microsoft office software such as Spreadsheets, PowerPoint, and others.
• Different email platforms such as Hotmail, Outlook, and others.

To Billy

The respective stakeholder has ‘above average’ level of computer knowledge. The user knows the operations such as web surfing, internet banking, emailing (using Windows live client with Hotmail account), and also few document creation in Microsoft Word (primitive docs before 2010). However, further knowledge on the productivity suites will provide extended knowledge of MS office software. Also, extended study on the email platforms and other features (as described in the Learning plan) will enhance the digital literacy knowledge of the client.

To Boris

According to the interview results, this stakeholder has stated to have acquired computer skills, as he had completed a ECDL computing course. The user operates communication media platform of Skype to converse with his respective family, thus basic idea of operation is understood. However, the user does not understand the operations to productivity suites, thus knowledge of Microsoft Office, Open Office, iWork, and others should be polished. The learning plan will provide exact appropriateness to understanding different platforms and expansive areas of improvement. Also, the use of internet surfing and email usage is understood to be limited, as the user is not sure of the email platform’s name. Moreover, the overall knowledge of computer usage is limited and below average. Therefore, one-on-one training or e-learning processes will enhance the understanding of the respective stakeholder.

Prior Knowledge Assessment for Clients

The technique of e-learning’s technique assessment is initiated in qualitative method, than quantitative form. The process allows in depth analytics of the online learner’s progress, understanding and inherited knowledge during or after the e-learning course. Apart from the mere obligation of providing students to have completed or passed the course, the methods of assessment play a major role in calculating the e-learner’s idea of understanding the course materials.

For appropriate understanding of the techniques, combination of different quiz and test options, at specific time intervals during the course, reports have shown- produces practice and practical opportunities to the e-learners. Through the process of practicing of subject matter of the respective course, the participant has much more chances of retaining the most of the content. Therefore, the assessment processes are initiated as-

1. Quizzing learners at the beginning phases:

One of the significant steps, yet seldom used, are the preparation of pre-learning quiz. The quiz programmes at the beginning phases help a student to adapt and invite a ‘learning mentality’. The structure and questionnaire of the quiz should be interactive, fun and challenging, to engage the minds of the learners. The created quiz juncture should not be challenging enough, as it can have direct impact on their interest levels. The quiz materials, moreover, strengthens and influences a student’s endeavour to note and identify the “must-knows” in the course plan.

1. Matching Exercises:

True/False is the most accessible and traditional structure of quiz question. The fashion of the questions are over-simplistic, with 50:50 chance of correct option, while the learner can guess the correct answer without gathering too much information of the course material.

Accordingly, matching exercises can be deployed to enhance the learning opportunities, along with extended interactivity to the student by matching two sets of data. Example: Matching a hardware component (CPU) from Column-A to the connected item (Hard Disk Drive). This can influence/encourage the client to become familiarized to the content and polish the identification abilities of similar concept’s association or relationship. ‘Drag and match’, ‘Drop down’ and ‘Drag and drop’ are the different ways to add features to the matching exercises. Studies by a journal suggests great tips to the matching exercises, as well.

1. Problem-Solving Studies (case):

Case studies require analysis of real life events for obtaining better insights into the initiating actions that could be done in future instances. The process is an appropriate assessment tool and makes learners practice and understand the gap between practice and theory. Thus, real life situations could easily be converted into learning objectives during the course, through the following steps:

• First step is to outline a real-world computer-related problem.
• Removing the finishing stage.
• Now, questioning the online learners to analyse the situation to provide different solutions, according to their understanding.

Training Sessions for Clients with Dissimilar Prior Knowledge

Engagement of clients in this fashion allows lesson’s interactivity along with highly personalized experience of learning and further, increase in client’s retention levels. It further enhances the decision-making, critical analysis and logical reasoning skills as they directly relate to the scenarios.

1. Opportunities of Self-Assessment:

By the end of each course module/topic, each student will be permitted to execute self-assessment and self-reflection opportunities. The process will provide students with certain time period to reflect on their learning and write on their gathered knowledge.

Through the encouragement of practices (self-understanding), motivation is shared with the respective client. The respective student absorbs and evaluates, on a personal level to what he/she needs to revise for better grasp of the course material.

1. Assessing learners in a gaming environment:

People love to learn while engaged in a playing environment. Thus incorporating the activity in a learning course is another positivity which can be included.

Games are a brilliant source of polishing the recently gathered knowledge and ideas. Also, it has consequences to a specific action, thus, is an experiential and valuable tool.

Figure 1: Skill Acquisition in a gaming environment

During the development of such games, points should include-

• Realistic and safe environment for user.
• Challenging yet satisfactory progress.
• Side knowledge development: Hypothesis, solving problems and strategy development.
• Defined aims to each problem.
• Fun environment to maintain user’s interest.

Introducing games to the e-learning environment would empower students to initiate knowledge in real-life scenarios. As stated by asd, students acquire optimal performance when their exact knowledge is applied in practical situations (shown in figure 1). Example: Puzzles, Competitions, Reality testing and other games. Moreover, gamification’s addition into the intensity of the course-load makes the learning process, easy to absorb and retain for the learner.

Screenshot of the Client Feedback Form are provided below:

Client Course Sign-Off Form

Dear Esteem Client,

This form is to sign-off completion of your project with us. Kindly fill the following form and revert it back to us.

We suggest you to complete and deliver this document within 7 days. However, if the allotted time-period passes and the completed form is not received, responsibly it shall be assumed that you have signed off the course and no further action would be required of you.

Thank you.

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