Research on Digital Literacy Assessment Instruments

Project Description: This paper was part of an Analysis for Human Performance Technology Decisions class, where research was required on a tool that an instructional designer might use in conducting Front-end Analysis. I chose this topic because my experience in digital production and Web design, but also because I was intrigued by the complete absence of any measurement of my literacy skills prior to entering graduate studies, nor for any class in particular. It seemed odd to me that the School did not need to know if I was fully prepared for the ICT demands of the MS program.

The MS program, as it turns out, frequently required tasks and assignments involving online research, blogging, personal learning environment development, online resource aggregation, presentation visuals, image shooting and editing, and other composing skills in order to complete assignments. I had also noticed that many of my colleagues’ skills were somewhat narrow, such as having excellence in MS Word or PowerPoint, but not much else.

This inspired an inquiry into Digital Literacy assessment instruments that might be useful for use in a higher education context. Student assessments, in turn, might inform the need for student (and faculty) support programs within university departments. The research found that DL assessment for higher education often begins in secondary schools, so I included relevant information in that area as well.

Reflection: The most dramatic discovery in this project was the disparity in how Digital Literacy is named and defined. The most difficult part of the project was simply finding the correct research terms: information literacy, ICT competence, web literacy, 21st century skills, new literacy practices, information fluency, tech literacy, information competence, digital competence, computer literacy, media literacy, eCompetence, media competence, and others. Having finally arrived at an umbrella framework called “Digital Literacy”, I was able to more easily locate literature.

From the paper’s Conclusion: Selecting the best assessment instrument for Digital Literacy involves consideration of many factors, including approach, feasibility, implementation, scope, reporting structure, and cost, as well as consideration of output needs and social context. As the population of students and their respective Digital Literacy skills evolve – as will the network systems upon which they operate – we may also expect that Digital Literacy assessment instruments will continue to develop to measure the competences needed to succeed in educational environments.

As an additional note, this paper was published on my blog around May 2010. It has since been downloaded by visitors over 100 times, and appears #1 in a Google search for “digital literacy assessment instrument”. Although the report is admittedly limited in its scope, it appears to be useful to many as a starting point in understanding the topic.