Welcome!
Contents
Welcome!¶
Hello everyone and welcome to our course on digital literacy in empirical research!
Within this course, we will explore the concept of digital literacy and its implications for students and researchers in the context of the academic system progressively shifting its curriculum and resources into the digital space. We’ll further explore the ways to apply and expand on existing digital skills to maximize students’ scientific abilities.
Digital Literacy in Higher Education¶
Digital literacy has become an essential skill for success in today’s technology-driven world. It is especially crucial for students who are interested in pursuing empirical research. Empirical research involves collecting and analyzing data, requiring a deep understanding of the digital tools and platforms used in data collection and analysis.
By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate and communicate effectively in the academic digital world. They will further be able to critically evaluate the impact of digital technologies and tools on the way we collect, transform, and communicate information in the sciences, as well as organize their projects and manage their scientific output.
This course is open to all students, regardless of their previous experience with digital technologies. However, it is tailored toward students with little to no prior experience. Extra lessons on more complex skills, e.g., Neuro- or Data-science, can be found in the "resources" section.
As this course is primarily centered around scientific practice, we will not be dealing with basic topics such as “What is this internet?”, “what’s a meme?” or “How do I use social media?”. We will further not dive into the concepts more commonly labeled under “media literacy,” such as how to spot fake news, etc.
As this course is primarily centered around scientific practice, we will not be dealing with basic topics such as “What is this internet?”, “what’s a meme?” or “How do I use social media?”. We will further not dive into the concepts more commonly labeled under “media literacy,” such as how to spot fake news, etc.
If you’re looking for a more general introduction on how to work with computers, check out the following:
The bare basics: LinkedIn workshop “working with computers and devices”
The bare basics: Linkedin workshop “working and collaborating online”
General media literacy, also dealing with social media and misinformation: https://veryverified.eu/
If you’re further interested in the concept of digital literacy, check out the YouTube series on digital literacy hosted by the great John Green:
The Goethe-University Frankfurt also provides a beginner course on the basics of digital literacy:
How to work with this Course¶
This course is structured as a self-guided learning resource. You can either follow the Course structure - starting from our introduction to Digital Literacy and working your way step-by-step through the following lessons - or freely explore the course content to pick and choose whatever lesson seems exciting or relevant to your needs.
This course provides a lot of content, and some lessons may be quite long. Do not try to finish this course in one sitting. Instead, it is advised to first get familiar with the course contents and work through individual lessons at your own pace. The Course Overview Chapter will illustrate the course structure in detail. You’ll find a list of the different course chapters in the menu on the left side. At the same time, each lesson will be accompanied by a table of contents on the right-hand side, which will provide an overview of the different sub-chapters and sections of the lesson in question.
Each lesson will start with a general overview of the contained contents, a short introduction to the topic at hand, the specific goals of the lessons, and the motivations for why you would engage with the topic in question.
The separate chapters of this course can be separated into two kinds of lessons:
Interactive Content:
Our Introduction to programming content, such as the Python programming language, makes use of the interactive features of this website. You’ll be instructed on how to make these hands-on lessons work for you at the beginning of the chapters in question.
Text-based Tutorials:
Other lessons, e.g., on Project design, are focused on the role of digital tools and skills necessary for modern research endeavors. They will mostly be text-based guides, with short tutorials concerning the `usage of specific digital research tools that you may want to follow along on your Machine.
What you’ll be learning 📍¶
At the end of the course, you’ll hopefully:
understand the concept of digital literacy and its implications on society and academic culture
be able to use digital tools and technologies effectively and assess and choose digital tools based on their suitability for specific tasks related to science/academia.
demonstrate awareness of ethical issues related to academic integrity surrounding the access and use of information
know how to find and evaluate data and information in a digital environment
know the basics of Data management and the basics of version control using Git/GitHub
how to plan and manage a scientific project and pick the right tools for the job
be able to use basic coding skills in BASH & Python and know why they are essential for empirical research
know about coding environments: what they are and how to leverage them for your work
be able to produce and distribute multimedia content to convey [the subject’s] opinions and thoughts, as well as communicate effectively in digital environments, visualize data results
Course Structure¶
To meet these goals, we will follow a “learning by doing” approach in a tripartite manner. Starting from a basic introduction to Digital Literacy (Block I) to specific abilities and skillsets (Block II) and `advanced content for scientific work using open-source tools (Block III).)
More specifically, we will structure our work into the following chapters:
Block I:
Block II:
Information and Media Literacy
get to know the tools and dependencies of research in the digital age
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learn basic programming skills necessary for scientific research
Communication and Collaboration
learn how to network, communicate, and share your work in digital spaces
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learn about academic and professional practices that depend on digital systems and emergent technology
Block:
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more Python tutorials, In-depth tutorial for learning EEG analyses using MNE
TL;DR¶
Society is drifting into a digital world, and students are often left to fend for themselves or acquire the necessary skills to adapt to these changes on their own.
This course will, therefore, explore the concept of digital literacy and its components in multiple sections in an attempt to provide students with the necessary understanding and skills to self-sufficiently navigate digital spaces, acquire the necessary skills, and contribute to the academic and scientific communities.
I’ve got a question!¶
If you have any questions or difficulties with the lecture and its materials, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. A great way to do this is to open an issue on the GitHub site of the course. You can, of course, further contact us via E-mail. Every feedback or idea you might have is highly appreciated and valued.
Additional Courses and Resources:¶
There are many courses out there doing a similar thing to this one with different specifications and foci, so feel free to browse and check the following out:
You might also be interested in checking out these resources for even more in-depth information worth a read:
Career Skills for the 2020s: Navigating the Online World of Work::
Social media networks and their benefits when it comes to creating online content
Digital Footprints: Understanding and managing your online activity
Google Workshops: