Synopsis
This poster outlines a practice-based initiative involving the development and delivery of an online course in digital literacy. Created by a team of digital learning professionals in a blended-learning higher education institution, the course was developed to support and enhance digital literacy skills among the institution’s students and staff. The course was also made available globally as an open educational resource (OER), demonstrating a commitment to open practices in education and aligning with international frameworks for digital literacy and sustainability. The principles and approach underpinning the project are considered in the context of academic integrity supports for students in a rapidly changing educational landscape.
Abstract
In an increasingly online world, where anyone with a phone can publish something and share it worldwide, critically assessing the integrity and provenance of information has never been more important or more challenging. Digital literacy – the ability to effectively and critically use digital media platforms when finding, evaluating and communicating information – is a key 21st-century competence that higher education institutions need to instil and support in their students and staff (Morgan et al., 2022; Tondeur et al., 2023). In the context of educational practice, the implications for academic integrity of neglecting these skills is becoming ever more apparent, especially in an age of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) (Bittle & El-Gayar, 2025). As a higher education institution that specialises in online and blended learning programmes, there is a particular need to support digital literacy skills for all involved in online teaching and learning.
This project was initiated by the institution’s digital library staff, reflecting the key role institutional libraries and information systems can play in developing digital literacy skills. The core team, consisting of digital librarians and a researcher, decided to develop a short asynchronous course in digital literacy that would be made available online on demand for all staff and students in the institution. The structure and scope of the course content was informed by a thorough review of international initiatives such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (United Nations, 2015), the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) digital dexterity framework (CAUL, 2020) and the European Commission’s European Digital Competence (DigComp) framework (Cosgrove & Cachia, 2025). Inspired by the SDGs and by best practices in open-access principles, the team also undertook to make the course available globally as an open digital educational resource (OER), with the aspiration of fostering and enhancing digital literacy both within the institution and beyond. The course’s development was supported by a wider team of digital learning designers and content editors within the institution, who provided design, editing and publishing expertise.
This project tied in with the broadening of academic integrity supports within the institution, exemplifying the movement in academia towards proactive, multifaceted and pluralistic approaches to combatting academic misconduct (Brickhill et al., 2025). In light of the increased ubiquity of GenAI tools that can spread misinformation and enable academic misconduct at scale, we identified a need to update and relaunch the digital literacy course. In 2025 we added new sections to the course, including one on AI tools, to increase its relevance and usefulness in this new context. The institutional response to the course indicates that it is a timely addition to the suite of academic integrity supports provided by the institution. This poster presentation reflects upon the approach used for developing the OER, analyses user engagement with the course thus far, and offers insights that may be helpful for educators, trainers and support staff wishing to embark on a similar project.
Keywords
Digital literacy, OER, SDGs, Academic integrity, GenAI, Student support
References
Bittle, K., & El-Gayar, O. (2025). Generative AI and Academic Integrity in Higher Education: A Systematic Review and Research Agenda. Information, 16(4), 296. https://doi.org/10.3390/info16040296
Brickhill, M., Andrews, G., & Nieuwoudt, J. (2025). Developing student agency towards academic integrity through an educative approach: Exploring students’ experiences and perspectives. Journal of Academic Ethics, 23, 951–975. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-024-09567-y
Cosgrove, J., & Cachia, R. (2025). DigComp 3.0: European Digital Competence Framework, fifth edition. Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/0001149
CAUL. (2020). Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) digital dexterity framework. https://www.caul.edu.au/digitaldexterity-framework
Morgan, A., Sibson, R., & Jackson, D. (2022). Digital demand and digital deficit: conceptualising digital literacy and gauging proficiency among higher education students. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 44(3), 258–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2022.2030275
Tondeur, J., Howard, S., Van Zanten, M., Gorissen, P., Van der Neut, I., Uerz, D., & Kral, M. (2023). The HeDiCom framework: Higher Education teachers’ digital competencies for the future. Education Technology Research and Development, 71, 33–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10193-5
United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/publications/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf