Course Description
Digital Literacy for the 21st Century: Navigating the Digital Landscape is an 8-week course designed to equip students with essential knowledge and skills to thrive in the digital age. This course covers various aspects of digital literacy, including digital tools and online communications technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and ethical considerations involved with cutting edge digital tools. Students will gain a general understanding of these topics and obtain the ability to explain the key concepts and apply them to an examination of how such technology may impact their field of study (3 credits)
Prerequisite
- None
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Apply current, relevant technologies to identify and solve problems, make informed decisions, communicate, create information/data, and protect information/data.
- Demonstrate proficiency in digital media and environments to communicate and work effectively in person, hybrid format, and/or at a distance.
- Explore and evaluate various digital tools for communication, productivity, and collaboration.
- Define the high-level principles of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Generative AI.
- Identify and explain the key components of AI/ML and Generative AI and explain key features, positive and negatives associated with each.
- Identify the importance of cybersecurity, the key terminology, and the risks associated with data privacy.
- Identify ethical considerations in the use of digital technologies and articulate the importance and risks of digital accessibility and AI/ML equity issues.
- Investigate generative AI’s use to improve writing samples, ideate, and look up key information, and look up key information.
- Remember key data terms and explore basic data analysis concepts.
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|
| Discussion (Weeks 1-8) | 16% |
| Quizzes (Weeks 1, 3-8) | 4% |
| Deep Dive Assignments/Short Essays (Weeks 1, 2, 5, 8) | 24% |
| Group Exercises (Weeks 2, 4, 6) | 6% |
| Midterm Paper (Week 4) | 25% |
| Final Project Presentation (Week 7) | 25% |
Total | 100% |
Required Textbooks
- This course uses Open Educational Resources (OER). OER are openly licensed, educational resources that can be used for teaching, learning and research. OER may consist of a variety of resources such as textbooks, videos and software that are at little or no cost for students.
Course Schedule
** Items are in Packback. Follow the instructions in BlackBoard for the link.
BB – Items are submitted in BlackBoard
Week | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignments |
1 | 1,2,3,9 | Topic: Digital Communication tools
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2 | 1,9 | Topic: Role of Data
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3 | 1,4,5 | Topic: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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4 | 1,2,3,4,5,8 | Topic: Generative AI
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5 | 1,3,9 | Topic: Data Analysis & Productivity tools
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6 | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Topic: Cybersecurity
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7 | 1-7,9 | Topic: Data Ethics & Legal
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8 | 1,5,7,9 | Topic: Bias & The Digital Divide
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COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.