WORKING LIFE SKILLS: How does online learning benefit students who want to develop working-life skills?

Students who experience digital literacy as an embedded working-life skill are better able to understand that choice of medium changes the interpretation of the content [1], [2].
Digital literacy can create the foundation for understanding academic work and life as a social activity, and therefore can also reinforce the social function of a student’s contribution [1], [3].
Digital literacy supports the conscious construction of online identity, or “digital citizenship,” as the student moves from university to professional life [4], [5].
Online learning can facilitate students’ economic, political, and civic engagement within society [6], [7].

Teachers must become digitally literate, and universities must adopt criteria and training to develop and assess digital literacy in teachers [8].
Appropriate digital tools must be obtained and teachers trained in how to use them [2], [8].
University administration should acknowledge the financial costs associated with implementing and supporting this training [8].

[1] D. Murdoch‐Eaton & S. Whittle, “Generic skills in medical education: developing the tools for successful lifelong learning,” Medical Education, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 120-128, 2012.

[4] J. Ohler, “Digital citizenship means character education for the digital age,” Kappa Delta Pi Record, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 25-27, 2011.

[5] D.S. White & A. Le Cornu, “Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement,” First Monday, vol. 16, no. 9, 2011.

[6] K. Mossberger, C.J. Tolbert, & R.S. McNeal. Digital citizenship: The Internet, society, and participation. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2008.