Digital capabilities equip an individual to live, learn and work in a digital society (Jisc, 2014b). More than functional IT skills, digital capabilities describe a rich set of behaviours, attitudes and practices - transferrable skills that enable us to participate confidently and responsibly in the digital sphere even while technologies change over time and across contexts.
Digital capabilities are described and developed across six interrelated elements:
Building digital capabilities: the six elements defined (this work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA)
What it means to be digitally capable will vary for every person, depending on their role, career choice, personal circumstances and other contextual factors. This short animation from the University of Derby explains why it is important for people to think about developing their digital capabilities:
This work from the University of Derby is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
This Digital Skills resource provides links to tips, tools and training to support your development across all six elements. You can start with the Digital Skills Profile tool to get a picture of your current capability and identify areas for development. You can then browse each heading to find practical ways to build your skills. Or you can use the A-Z list to find specific topics, and see how these sit within the broader context of digital capabilities.
