Digital Literacy
This is a guide to Digital Literacy (digitale Kompetenzen) at ETH Zurich for administrative staff. Six aspects of Digital Literacy are defined and each contains an aim for staff and links to related information and learning opportunities.
Aim: ETH leaders and staff think digitally and understand the opportunities, requirements, and challenges.
Information:
- For information about using Artificial Intelligence in your work, see the VPPL external page Artificial Intelligence and Rectorate AI in Teaching and Learning webpages.
- The Compliance Guide provides information about digital topics including Information Security and Data Protection.
- The protected page Digitalisation of the Administration Strategy describes the vision and areas of action for the University's Administration.
- The Digital Transformation Committee webpage contains further information and news.
Aim: ETH staff use the right tools appropriately to exchange information and work together with others.
Information:
- All about Microsoft Teams (IT Knowledge Base)
ETH Training:
- Teacher-led external training can be organised by IT Services IT Procurement and Compliance team upon request: contact Katharina Leith.
- Several internal IT courses address accessiblity topics, such as "Accessible Documents (PDFs & Office)" and "Digital accessibility - Sensitisation and Introduction"
External training:
- Microsoft Teams:
- external page Collaborating with Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Learn)
- Microsoft M365
- external page Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (digicomp.ch)
Aim: ETH Information and systems are protected in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Information:
- the IT Services Information Security webpage includes informaition on Classification of information, using cloud services (including the cloud assessment process and protected page list of approved cloud services)
- The Legal Office's Data Protection webpage
- See IT Services IT Knowledge Base for information for new staff and topics such as managing your ETH password, Multi-factor Authentication and setting up Email security certificates.
ETH Training:
- external page Information Security Compliance e-Learning
- Information Security Essentials (temporary)
- Data Protection Compliance e-Learning (the access details are provided on the Data Protection webpage)
Aim: Staff are equipped with the skills to identify, design and introduce transformative improvements leveraging digital opportunities.
Information:
- The "ICT Community" Academy in the Lifelong Learning Hub (L3H) includes information and courses about project management (this is currently only available to members of the Project Management Community). Contact Lionel Rosenfeld.
ETH training:
- The IT Services IT Procurement and Compliance team offers several internal IT courses including "Procurement of IT Services", "Procurement of Cloud Services" and "Evaluation in STO tenders".
- Leading Digital Projects
Aim: Analysts have the knowledge and skills to efficiently and safely acquire, combine, analyse and communicate information to support decision-making.
Information:
- For questions about Tableau as well as licenses and consulting, contact Institutional Research.
- SAP Analysis for Office is provided by CCSAP.
External training:
- Foundational self-paced online courses are available through the relevant providers, e.g. external page Tableau, external page SAP, and external page Microsoft (e.g. external page Power BI).
Aim: Staff are aware of their responsibilities in managing and archiving data and records. They select the right tools for each situation and use workplace IT, including ETH accounts, passwords, computing equipment, and relevant systems, effectively and securely.
Information:
- The IT Knowledge Base contains information about centrally provided hardware and software (including First steps with M365, VPN, Softphone, Mailbox and Printing) for existing and new staff (see First Steps)
- For advice on management of records and archiving, contact the Library's Archive team.
ETH training:
- Finance and Controlling offer diverse courses and Help for ETHIS and topics such as Export Control
- Corporate Communication's Web Team provides Help and training for ETH's official web content management system: Adobe Experience Manager (AEM)
- Training may be available on other core systems. Please see the internal course list or contact the responsible team.
External training:
- IT Services offers diverse internal and external IT Training and Handbooks
The ETH LifeLong Learning Hub (L3H) supports ETH employees in integrating continual learning in their daily work, strengthening their social and leaderships competencies and maximising their potential.
Digital Literacy - which encompasses data, information, computer, and media literacies - describes the knowledge and skills needed to safely and successfully navigate the digital world in which we operate1.
It is important to note that “what it means to be digitally capable will vary for each person. It will depend on the requirements of their role, their subject specialism, career choice, personal and other contextual factors”2.
There are many digital literacy frameworks for citizens, businesses and Higher Education institutions, e.g. external page Individual Digital Capabilities (JISC) and the EU's external page DigComp. Such frameworks generally include the following components:
- Proficiency and Productivity
- Communication and Collaboration
- Safety and Information Security
- Data and Information literacy
- Digital Content Creation and Management
An additional component "Leading Digital Transformation" has been added here to equip staff with additional knowledge and skills useful in designing and running projects that leverage the possibilities of digital technologies.
1 Suggested further reading: external page digital literacies (EDUCAUSE), external page data literacy (Gartner). 2 external page JISC