The Lifelong Digital Learning Cred is one of 10 Digital Literacy creds that are designed as a tool to support lifelong learning; to prepare students for living, learning and working in a digital society.

Lifelong learning is described as the purposeful and continuous acquisition of skills and knowledge throughout an individual’s lifespan (Head, Van Hoeck & Garson, 2015, para 1). This cred introduces students to the concept of lifelong digital learning, including the principles of self-direction and motivation, and the development of skills for work.

Students undertaking this cred will learn how to map and plan their learning, utilising the most appropriate and valuable resources for their learning journey. 

Effort: 1 hour

Mode: Online

Skill points: 5

Access the Lifelong Digital Learning cred.

Learning outcomes

This badge demonstrates to future employers that students are able to:

• recognise the importance of lifelong learning
• select appropriate digital learning platforms
• recognise the role of self-motivation for learning
• map out their lifelong digital learning plan

Assessment

Final Assessment for this cred is a multiple-choice quiz (MCQ).This is auto-marked, with no facilitation involved.

Students will have 60 minutes and two attempts to reach the 80% pass mark.

There are short formative activities designed to develop skills in mapping and planning a learning journey, understanding motivations for learning, and selecting the best digital platforms for learning. 

Reference

Head, A. J., Van Hoeck, M., & Garson, D. S. (2015). Lifelong learning in the digital age: A content analysis of recent research on participation. First Monday, 20(2), 243-. https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v20i2.5857

This cred is beneficial to anyone who wishes to extend their skills and knowledge and enhance their employment prospects, including:

• undergraduates
• Vocational Education students
• postgraduate students

Student benefits

Students will be able to plan their ongoing learning beyond the academic environment.  Students who start cultivating a habit of lifelong learning at university will be at an advantage in the workplace.  A person who is motivated and self-directed in their learning can easily adapt to a continually evolving digital economy, which constantly demands employees to learn new skills and understand new concepts.

The 2017 NMC Horizon Strategic Brief on Digital Literacy in Higher Education highlights the importance of ongoing learning in the new work environment. [Students] must be able to intuitively acclimate to new digital environments, developing habits that cultivate lifelong learning and the continuous mastery of new skills, given the rapid pace of technological development and its uses in practice (Alexander et al., p. 2).

This Cred provides a framework for encouraging self-directed learning within the context of lifelong digital learning. Students gain skills in understanding how to select resources, tools and platforms for learning independently in online environments. Empowering students to learn aligns with RMIT's Knowledge with Action: RMIT’s strategy to 2031 and Goal 1.1 to Embed active, authentic and applied learning as RMIT’s signature pedagogy.

How to embed the cred

You can add a link to the cred in Canvas using an existing assignment page or creating a dedicated page.

When embedding a cred in Canvas the following is recommended:

• Make clear the pass requirements and how many attempts your students can make.
• Include information on how your students can claim their badge. Include the link to this help document.
• Explain that students can send you their badge to confirm their completion of the cred.

To align this cred with course outcomes you might:

• use it in conjunction with another piece of assessment
• set the cred up as an introductory assessment to start students planning how they will learn
• use it as a standalone assessment

Note: Make sure you include your use of the Lifelong Digital Learning cred in your Course Guide information.

Reference

Alexander, B., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., and Hall Giesinger, C. (2017). Digital Literacy in Higher Education, Part II: An NMC Horizon Project Strategic Brief. Volume 3.4, August 2017. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.