Digital competencies, key to being a citizen 2.0

Empowerment in the use of digital tools and strategies is essential for being a digitally competent citizen of the 21st century. It enables citizens to act with complete autonomy, achieving an independence which gives them access to new employment opportunities, while simultaneously minimizing the digital divide. With this in mind, the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), in partnership with Barcelona Activa, has developed a Digital Competencies Map. It lets users identify the combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to apply technologies in their everyday lives, in personal, social and professional settings, safely and efficiently.

"The pandemic has shown us technology's potential for communicating, collaborating and creating knowledge, but the more digital competencies we have and the more critical we are of technology, the more we will be able to contribute to a critical and sustainable digital transformation," said Montse Guitert, a member of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences and the coordinator of the Edul@b research group. In this context, "being digitally competent therefore means receiving continuous training, not only related to the demands arising from changes in the workplace, but also being up to date in our own personal and leisure environments," added Teresa Romeu, who is also a member of the teaching staff in the same faculty.

They are the authors of the Digital Competencies Map, developed by the UOC with Barcelona Activa and based on the new content of the Catalan Accreditation of ICT Competencies (ACTIC). It is a conceptual framework for citizens, covering five areas: information searches, management and analysis; communication and collaboration; content creation, programming and object manufacturing; security, well-being and civic responsibility; and autonomy and problem solving. The aim of the map, said Guitert, is to "act as a tool that helps to show what being digitally competent means, while highlighting each person's position as a citizen at the same time."

The competencies are aligned with the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp) which also defines some areas, although there is some variation as a result of the specific circumstances in Catalonia.

Each of the five areas of the map encompasses a number of key competencies. The first major area covers information searches, management and analysis. The large volume of information which we have access to fascinates us, and after we have acquired the basic skills, we constantly resolve our doubts and queries by performing searches on the internet. But checking information, comparing it, and selecting the information that is of interest, which meets our aims, and is accurate, is just as or even more important than knowing how and where to look. "It is essential to have a critical attitude towards information, to know how to structure and classify data using different tools, and to express them visually and creatively," said Romeu.

The second group of competencies focuses on the area of communication and collaboration. Thanks to technology, sending messages, audio recordings, images and videos to express thoughts, ideas and feelings over the internet has become an everyday activity, and we can interact and communicate with people without having to be in the same physical space or having to engage with them at the same time. "In this country, participating in social transformation through technology means being able to express ourselves before a group of people, giving opinions and being able to get involved in social, cultural, economic and political issues. In short, taking part in the digital society," said Guitert. 

Content creation, programming and object manufacturing is also a key discipline, as achieving the competencies it encompasses means that people can develop their creative side, find new forms of expression and participate in the evolution of the digital world.

Romeu emphasized the area of security, well-being and civic responsibility, due to its holistic perspective. "Protecting devices, our data, privacy, health and our environment helps us feel more secure when developing our digital identities in the social sphere in a responsible, ethical and civic way. The UOC has been working in this area for a long time, which enables us to continue reinforcing the responsible and critical digital attitude that every citizen needs."

Finally, the authors include a range of competencies within the area of autonomy and problem solving. "We can use technology to identify and solve problems in our everyday life and apply the best digital solutions," said Guitert. "After we have mastered the foundations and basic functionalities of technology, we can gradually develop our digital autonomy. Throughout our lives, the digital learning environment makes it easier for us to compensate for our shortcomings in this area, and even to solve many technical problems that may arise," said Romeu.

"Digital competencies are a basic aspect that must be nurtured, preserved and encouraged in professional environments in order to achieve the maximum efficiency and productivity. At the same time, they are necessary and essential to live and survive in the personal and social sphere. We need to be digitally empowered to think critically, and to distinguish between what is real and what is not," Romeu concluded.