10 Developing Student Digital Literacies Through Insights from Educators and Employers
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Kwang Meng Cham
Cham, Kwang Meng Associate Professor, Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia. His educational scholarship interests include using digital technologies for feedback and assessment, inter-professional education, and inter-disciplinary object-based learning engaging with material culture. Kwang has received numerous educational research grants and presented at national and international conferences on the scholarship of learning and teaching. He is currently the Director of Education Research at The Melbourne School of Health Sciences, a Fellow of the Melbourne Academy and an Associate Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators.
Email:
ckwang@unimelb.edu.au Kruesi, Lisa Executive Adviser to the International College of Surgeons and a member of the National Advisory Group for CareSearch. Lisa completed a PhD with the Monash University Department of Human-Centred Computing Melbourne, Australia. in 2021, where she has since held invited researcher roles. In 2024, she worked as a Content Procurement Specialist for the Council of Australasian University Librarians. Lisa was a Board Director for Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd from 2015 to 2025 and Co-founder/Co-convenor of the Australian Evidence-Based Practice Librarians’ Institute. She has extensive experience as a senior library manager. Lisa has published on open scholarship, knowledge management, and information and digital literacy.
Email:
lisakruesi@gmail.com Celeste, Tania Liaison Librarian supporting the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She brings over 30 years of experience spanning higher education, research, and public library sectors. Tania is deeply committed to empowering the individuals she supports with knowledge, working directly at the forefront to ensure their success. She has also shared her passion for librarianship as a lecturer in undergraduate library studies at Box Hill Institute, Melbourne, Australia. Her impact is reflected in the acknowledgements she has received in numerous publications. Tania has contributed to works addressing topics such as health sciences, librarianship, and digital literacy.
Email:
tceleste@unimelb.edu.au Hennessey, Trent Associate Director of Library Learning and Academic Skills at the University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The intersections of libraries, literacies, and lifelong learning are the enduring interests at the heart of Trent’s work, teaching, and scholarship. His career has spanned public and academic libraries, with extensive learning and teaching experience in Australian universities. Trent has a Master of Information Studies and completed a PhD in Marketing and Management at the University of Melbourne.
Email:
thennessey@unimelb.edu.au
Abstract
Digital literacy programmes for university students are shaped by partnerships between educators, employers, librarians, and students. Recognising the essential role of academic libraries in advocating for and educating about student digital literacy development, this chapter takes a deeper look at the perspectives of educators and employers in Australia. By understanding how these groups define digital literacies, and the tools and technologies they use and perceive as requirements for success at university and in the workplace, academic libraries can effectively position their contributions to realise synergies, ensure alignment, and maximise engagement with digital literacy programmes and initiatives. From an Australian survey of 158 educators at a research-intensive university in Melbourne and 37 employers across fourteen industry sectors, similarities were identified in the tools and technologies in use and perceived as important for students’ academic success and future employability. Sophisticated, multidimensional understandings of digital literacy were apparent in both groups, with respondents’ definitions incorporating socio-technological framings of digital literacy that extended beyond technology use to include confidence, critical thinking, and independent learning. However, both educators and employers reported low levels of confidence and high levels of uncertainty in the adequacy of digital literacies that students developed during their courses of study and when entering the workforce. Further, most respondents in both groups perceived that university support for students’ digital literacy development was either uncertain or inadequate. These findings substantiate the need for a continued focus on students’ digital literacies at universities, offering academic libraries insights into how they can work in partnership with educators and employers to increase awareness of digital literacies, anchor programmes and initiatives to key drivers, and empower students to progress in their learning, research, social engagement, and career and professional development.
Abstract
Digital literacy programmes for university students are shaped by partnerships between educators, employers, librarians, and students. Recognising the essential role of academic libraries in advocating for and educating about student digital literacy development, this chapter takes a deeper look at the perspectives of educators and employers in Australia. By understanding how these groups define digital literacies, and the tools and technologies they use and perceive as requirements for success at university and in the workplace, academic libraries can effectively position their contributions to realise synergies, ensure alignment, and maximise engagement with digital literacy programmes and initiatives. From an Australian survey of 158 educators at a research-intensive university in Melbourne and 37 employers across fourteen industry sectors, similarities were identified in the tools and technologies in use and perceived as important for students’ academic success and future employability. Sophisticated, multidimensional understandings of digital literacy were apparent in both groups, with respondents’ definitions incorporating socio-technological framings of digital literacy that extended beyond technology use to include confidence, critical thinking, and independent learning. However, both educators and employers reported low levels of confidence and high levels of uncertainty in the adequacy of digital literacies that students developed during their courses of study and when entering the workforce. Further, most respondents in both groups perceived that university support for students’ digital literacy development was either uncertain or inadequate. These findings substantiate the need for a continued focus on students’ digital literacies at universities, offering academic libraries insights into how they can work in partnership with educators and employers to increase awareness of digital literacies, anchor programmes and initiatives to key drivers, and empower students to progress in their learning, research, social engagement, and career and professional development.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- About IFLA IX
- Preface 1
- 1 Digital Literacy: An Overview and Introduction 7
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Part I Public and School Libraries Promote Digital Literacy through Digital Access and Skills Building
- 2 Bridging the Digital Divide: Empowering Marginalised Citizens in Developing Nations 29
- 3 Information Literacy in the Digital Age: Building Competencies Across the Learning Continuum 55
- 4 Fostering Digital Literacy in India: Government Initiatives and Digital Inclusion 69
- 5 Engaging Young People as Readers: Use of Social Media and Digital Literacy 93
- 6 The Library as Lifeline: Digital Inclusion in Post-Pandemic Philadelphia 113
- 7 Empowering Librarians and Learners: Building a Supportive Network for Teaching and Learning 128
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Part II Academic Libraries Take Novel Approaches to Advance Digital Skills
- 8 Transforming the Student Experience in Singapore Polytechnic Libraries Through a Collaborative Digital Literacy Framework 143
- 9 Supporting Digital Dexterity in Academic Library Communities Across Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand 162
- 10 Developing Student Digital Literacies Through Insights from Educators and Employers 180
- 11 Digital Literacy in Latin America: Pre- and Post-COVID-19 197
- 12 The Venn of Project Research: A Framework for Librarians and Students Tackling Real-World Challenges 215
- 13 Enhancing Student Transliteracy Through Archives: Designing an OER for Primary Source Mastery 230
- 14 Misinformation Literacy: Promoting Lifelong Ethical Digital Citizenship 246
- 15 Teaching Information Literacy to Would-Be Teachers 259
- 16 The Future is Now: Artificial Intelligence and Digital Literacy at the University of Queensland 275
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Part III The Influence of Digital Information
- 17 Be Not Afraid of a Meme: Developing Visual and Media Literacy Skills 291
- 18 Digital Health Literacy: An Evolving Picture 308
- 19 Combating Fake News: School Librarians and Digital and Visual Literacy 330
- 20 A News Literacy Curriculum Toolkit 349
- 21 Digital Learning and Digital Dilemmas 364
- 22 Digital Health Literacy: Improving Health Outcomes 383
- 23 Digital Literacy: Necessary but Not Sufficient for Learning 401
- Contributors 417
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- About IFLA IX
- Preface 1
- 1 Digital Literacy: An Overview and Introduction 7
-
Part I Public and School Libraries Promote Digital Literacy through Digital Access and Skills Building
- 2 Bridging the Digital Divide: Empowering Marginalised Citizens in Developing Nations 29
- 3 Information Literacy in the Digital Age: Building Competencies Across the Learning Continuum 55
- 4 Fostering Digital Literacy in India: Government Initiatives and Digital Inclusion 69
- 5 Engaging Young People as Readers: Use of Social Media and Digital Literacy 93
- 6 The Library as Lifeline: Digital Inclusion in Post-Pandemic Philadelphia 113
- 7 Empowering Librarians and Learners: Building a Supportive Network for Teaching and Learning 128
-
Part II Academic Libraries Take Novel Approaches to Advance Digital Skills
- 8 Transforming the Student Experience in Singapore Polytechnic Libraries Through a Collaborative Digital Literacy Framework 143
- 9 Supporting Digital Dexterity in Academic Library Communities Across Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand 162
- 10 Developing Student Digital Literacies Through Insights from Educators and Employers 180
- 11 Digital Literacy in Latin America: Pre- and Post-COVID-19 197
- 12 The Venn of Project Research: A Framework for Librarians and Students Tackling Real-World Challenges 215
- 13 Enhancing Student Transliteracy Through Archives: Designing an OER for Primary Source Mastery 230
- 14 Misinformation Literacy: Promoting Lifelong Ethical Digital Citizenship 246
- 15 Teaching Information Literacy to Would-Be Teachers 259
- 16 The Future is Now: Artificial Intelligence and Digital Literacy at the University of Queensland 275
-
Part III The Influence of Digital Information
- 17 Be Not Afraid of a Meme: Developing Visual and Media Literacy Skills 291
- 18 Digital Health Literacy: An Evolving Picture 308
- 19 Combating Fake News: School Librarians and Digital and Visual Literacy 330
- 20 A News Literacy Curriculum Toolkit 349
- 21 Digital Learning and Digital Dilemmas 364
- 22 Digital Health Literacy: Improving Health Outcomes 383
- 23 Digital Literacy: Necessary but Not Sufficient for Learning 401
- Contributors 417
