This week we’re launching a new version of the award winning 23 Things for Digital Knowledge course!

The new updated version launching this week, January 2024, focuses on students new to The University of Edinburgh, with content designed to introduce and refresh the range of digital tools, services, software, support, and knowledge available across the University.

Excitingly finishers of the course will be able to submit their reflective work and gain a BadgED (Open Digital Badge)! Digital badges offer a way to recognise verified extra-curricular skills and achievements and a secure way to share them.

So what is the course about and how does it work?

This update of 23 Things for Digital Knowledge a self-paced course aimed towards undergraduate and new students at The University of Edinburgh. The aim of the course is to introduce students to digital skills and concepts that will enhance their study and future professional life, and to the core technologies, software, services, and tools used across the University.

This is an open and self-paced programme. Students can work through each Thing at their own pace and share what they have learned on a blog. If someone wants to work through the content in the course but doesn’t want to blog about it that’s fine too. However, reflective and open blogging is a core part of the course. It is used to create a community of participants, to share different perspectives, uses, and understandings of the Things we will be exploring.

Each Thing includes an introduction to the topic, some reading materials, and a task to complete. The tasks are designed to embed the knowledge gathered from the topic and to try out the tool or topic being explored.

The first four things in this course, Introduction, Blogging, Digital Safety, and Digital Footprint, will set students up with an understanding of how to get the most out of the course and how to be safer while being an active participant and citizen in digital spaces. 

The next six things, Equality Diversity and Inclusion, Accessibility, Digital Citizenship, Copyright, OER, and Algorithms, is there to build knowledge and understanding of individual responsibilities in digital spaces, and how those spaces can be improved.

Things 11 through 16 covers Video, Audio, Digital Learning Spaces, Collaborative Tools. With Digital Study and Digital Curation introducing many of the digital tools that students will use across their studies at The University of Edinburgh. 

Things 17 through 20 Critical Digital Literacy, Reference and Citation Skills, AI and Ethical consideration, and Digital Wellbeing take a look at some academic and personal ethical practice. 

Things 21 through to 23 wrap up the course by broadening the scope of online profile, participation, and reflective practice. 

It all looks pretty great right? If you know any students who would benefit from this course then get out there and spread the word!

We’re also working on being able to offer a prize pool that course completer’s will be able to enter. So keep an eye on this space.

Go to 23 Things for Digital Knowledge (new, updated, and fabulous!)

 

The previous version of this course, the 2016-2021 University of Edinburgh’s 23 Things for Digital Knowledge was an award winning (LILAC Credo Digital Literacy Award 2017), self-directed course aimed towards both students and professionals seeking to improve their digital knowledge and confidence.

The previous course content has been archived and can still be viewed online: https://www.23things-archive.is.ed.ac.uk/