The following Digital Literacy Recommendations were approved by
Council.
Recommendation 1: Definition
Computer literacy, also referred to as digital literacy, is a topic both
broad in its scope and deep in its detail. As a consequence of this,
KCTCS has adopted current Internet and Computing Core Certification
(IC3) objectives to define digital literacy, emphasizing in particular the
three identified, broad categories of Computing Fundamentals, Key
Applications, and Living On-line. A complete listing of the IC3
objectives may be found at
http://www.certiport.com/Portal/desktopdefault.aspx?page=common/
pagelibrary/IC3_Certifications.html
Recommendation 2: Criteria that will meet the computer literacy
(digital literacy) requirement
Course descriptions, competencies, and outlines of digital literacy
courses must include generally equal emphasis on Computing
Fundamentals, Key Applications, and Living On-line, and address all of
the IC3 objectives.
Recommendation 3: Process for articulating/transferring credit from
other institutions
All AA, AS, AFA, AAS, and diploma students graduating from KCTCS
must demonstrate digital literacy by one of the following means within
five years preceding their current admission to a KCTCS college:
1. Scoring a minimum of an 80% composite score on the IC3 Fasttrack exam , or
2. Achieving the IC3 Certification, or
3. Articulating credit from another institution which has
demonstrated compliance with the above course criteria as
identified by the registrar of the receiving college in cooperation
with the digital literacy faculty of the receiving college, or
4. Receiving credit for an approved KCTCS digital literacy course,
or
Providing documentation of successful completion of other certification
exams as approved by KCTCS
*Recommendation 4: Assessment for demonstration of computer
literacy.
Certiport’s IC3 Fast-Track
Recommendation 5: Digital Literacy
Due to the expansion of what was once known as “computer literacy”
into areas that transcend the traditional idea of a computer terminal,
the workgroup believes that it is more accurate to change the name of
the requirement to “digital literacy”. This change is in keeping with
trends in the computing industry.
Recommendation 6: Course Credit for Digital Literacy
All courses presently meeting the definition of computer literacy will
need to be reevaluated in light of the proposed definition. The
workgroup offers the following suggestions in considering new
proposals for digital literacy courses.
1. At least one course that meets all of the proposed objectives,
and only the proposed objectives should be developed. That
course should be assigned a program neutral prefix rather
than being assigned to a particular program area.
2. Courses in program areas that address all of the proposed
objectives plus outcomes that cause the course to differ from
the course mentioned in number 1 by more than 25% should
not be discouraged.
3. Digital literacy may be met by a sequence of courses in a
program so long as all of the objectives are addressed. In
this way, programs may demonstrate computer literacy
without requiring their students to take a specific digital
literacy course.
The KCTCS Council also approved the following recommendations from the
Curriculum Review Committee:
CRC Computer Literacy Recommendations
1. Full implementation: fall 2013.
2. Retain the current computer literacy course list (understanding that
it is not general education) through summer 2013 term to give
time for courses to be re-evaluated for digital literacy content
through the KCTCS course approval process.
3. Implement the IC3 Fast Track assessment beginning fall 2012 as
the test-out instrument for digital literacy.
4. Administer the IC3 Fast Track to students enrolled in
computer/digital literacy courses at the end of the fall 2012 term.
Gather data from those that “test-out” in the fall 2012 term and
those that take the assessment as part of the computer/digital
literacy courses to determine if the score of 80 is valid as the cut
score for the IC3 Fast Track Examination.
5. Establish a system committee with representation from many
disciplines (e.g., Technology, Humanities, Technical programs,
Natural and Social Sciences) to develop a generic course that
meets the definition of digital literacy.