In today's information-rich, fast-changing digital world, you need more than just technical skills - you need the ability to find, understand, evaluate, and create digital content with confidence and care.
This guide brings together the essential digital, information, media, data, and AI literacies that support your learning, research, and personal development at university and beyond.
Use the tabs above to explore the core skills and tools you'll need to thrive in your academic and digital life.
Being digitally literate is about being confident and competent when navigating the digital world. It encompasses the technical skills needed to operate devices and software and the cognitive skills to find, assess, and communicate information effectively when using digital tools.
Jisc (2015) define digital literacy as:
"those capabilities which fit an individual for living, learning and working in a digital society".
Jisc. (2015). Developing digital literacies guide. Jisc.
Being digitally literate can be an indicator of your adaptability and ability to learn new skills and behaviours. It reflects high standards in behaviour in relation to technology and the law; a digitally literate person is ethical, responsible and culturally aware in their dealings with others.
Digital literacy skills have a direct effect on your employability. Employers are looking for evidence of digital literacy among candidates, those who can function effectively as independent learners are likely to do well in the job market and in their future careers.
Digital capability is the term we use to describe the skills and attitudes that individuals and organisations need if they are to thrive in today's world (Jisc,2024). This will be different for different people, depending on the requirements of their role, their subject specialism, career choice, personal and other contextual factors
Jisc's Digital capabilities framework looks more closely at what this means for individuals.
The six elements of this framework are:
JISC (2024). Individual digital capabilities. https://digitalcapability.jisc.ac.uk/what-is-digital-capability/individual-digital-capabilities/
The following short animation from the University of Derby explains why it is important for people to think about developing their digital capabilities (download animation transcript) (pdf).