Understand and engage in digital practices

• Understand and engage in digital practices - Level 1

  • Overview

    • Demonstrate growing awareness within the online environment, using digital tools more confidently to participate in learning

  • Participate

    • Follow instructions for accessing and using learning tools, sites, and apps for study
    • Identify tools to manage study, e.g. calendars, task lists
    • Participate in a variety of learning activities and collaborative spaces, sharing content appropriately

  • Develop own digital practices

    • Identify existing digital skills

  • Maintain digital wellbeing

    • Take personal responsibility for behaving appropriately online
    • Recognise the differences between platforms and how their use affects your personal digital footprint
    • Recognise distraction, overload and stress, and disconnect when necessary

• Understand and engage in digital practices - Level 2 

  • Overview

    • Begin to create a personal study environment using different tools
    • Communicate ethically with others
    • Evaluate current practice/digital skills and know where to go for development

  • Participate

    • Use digital tools and apps to find, use and organise online information and resources, to support study and personal development, e.g. time management apps

  • Develop own digital practices

    • Evaluate current digital skills and identify where to go for development

  • Maintain digital wellbeing

    • Recognise how behaviour impacts on self and others
    • Communicate with a range of audiences appropriately in an online setting, with awareness of legal and ethical responsibilities
    • Adopt strategies to manage distractions, stress or overload

• Understand and engage in digital practices - Level 3 

  • Overview

    • Demonstrate independence and critical thinking when operating online
    • Update and adapt own digital practice and use of tools, taking account of own wellbeing
    • Communicate ethically and legally online, showing personal and cultural awareness

  • Participate

    • Select and use digital tools in learning and professional development, to manage, organise, share and reflect, e.g. mind-mapping, note-taking

  • Develop own digital practices

    • Adapt to new and emerging technologies, e.g. AI tools, independently evaluating use of devices, software, apps, plug-ins and upgrades

  • Maintain digital wellbeing

    • Practise principles of legal and ethical behaviour online
    • Demonstrate sensitivity to cultural difference, the wellbeing of self and others, and communicate appropriately in different spaces
    • Adapt and develop own strategies to manage distractions, stress or overload

• Understand and engage in digital practices - Masters

  • Overview

    • Develop personal learning environment and digital scholarship techniques, taking account of own wellbeing
    • Communicate ethically and legally online, showing personal and cultural awareness
    • Produce a comprehensive literature review in a specific subject

  • Participate

    • Select and use digital tools to create own tailored personal learning environment
    • Engage in digital scholarship within a subject or professional context

  • Develop own digital practices

    • Apply digital techniques to conduct and share research

  • Maintain digital wellbeing

    • Practise principles of legal and ethical behaviour online
    • Demonstrate sensitivity to cultural difference, the wellbeing of self and others, and communicate appropriately in different spaces
    • Adapt and develop own strategies to manage distractions, stress or overload

Understand and engage in digital practices - Examples

Understanding and engaging in digital practices is about knowing what online tools and networks are available, and how to select, access and exploit them for personal, study and work purposes. It involves looking after one’s own digital well-being, and that of others through ethical online behaviour.

Here you will find examples of online materials that illustrate how this skill area can be taught and learned, with an indication of which level of taught OU study they may be suitable for. This is not intended to be prescriptive, but rather to give a flavour of what is available.