Digital Literacy, CERT

Overview

Graduates of this certificate program will be uniquely poised as thought leaders in digital literacy and ethics within digital contexts, an area of expertise that is applicable across varied industries and sectors and is growing in demand as digital channels dominate daily life. Graduates will be competitive candidates to enter forward-thinking organizations as digital ethicists, digital strategists, and other pivotal positions shaping business practices and outcomes that support a triple bottom line prioritizing people, profit, and the planet via a healthy digital society. 

Digial Literacy Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Distinguish between technological, commercial, and socio-cultural factors in the development of the internet and digital experiences as we know them today.
2. Demonstrate a high degree of competence in identifying various and numerous real-world manifestations of each of the key elements of digital citizenship.
3. Identify practices in online privacy and information collection, handling, and sharing that could be of ethical concern as well as predict the risks and impacts of their application.
4. Explain current digital marketing best practices, contrast them with ‘black hat’ techniques, practices, and policies, and identify their differences and how they enable organizations to conduct business in ethical or unethical ways.
5. Demonstrate mastery of media and information literacy.
6. Recognize inherent bias and its impact in the development and use of communications technologies, products, platforms, services, and experiences.
7. Identify examples of the use of digital technologies for political movements; shaping public opinion on controversial issues; and the commercial monetization of consumer behaviors.

Certificate in Digital Literacy Requirements

The School of Professional Studies has developed a three-course certificate focused on Digital Literacy. Credits earned in this certificate can be used to fulfill requirements in the Master of Science in Communication.

Students can choose 3 electives from the following list:

MSC 3222 - Digital Citizenship  

MSC 3223 - Ethics in the Digital World  

MSC 3224 - Socio-Digital Engineering  

MSC 3225 - The Information Society