Digital Skills and Competencies in the South African context
Definition
Digital competency includes the ability to engage with, use and create technologies to enable learning and working in a digital society.
Framework
To determine the UFS framework for digital skills, a thematic analysis of 25 Global Digital Literacy Frameworks was conducted, a mapping and alignment of all digital skills initiatives at the institution took place, and consultative workshops with internal stakeholders to develop a contextualised approach was held.
Critical Digital Literacies
There are five themes of Digital Skills at the UFS that can be obtained on 3 levels, namely:
| ICT Proficiency | The competent use of hardware and software to perform functions on a digital device. |
| Digital citizenship | The development of responsible digital conduct related to your conduct online, the responsible use of tools, legal implications, and your digital well-being. |
| Information, data and media literacy | The development of search strategies, analysis, comparison, evaluation, responsible use, responsible sharing, and effective storage of information, data and media sources. |
| Digital creation: problem-solving, creativity and innovation in a digital space | The ability to edit existing digital content and create new content to express yourself through digital means. |
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy | The development of foundational knowledge of how AI systems work, how they are applied in learning, work, and problem-solving contexts, and how to use AI tools responsibly, ethically, and critically. This includes understanding AI concepts and data, evaluating the societal and ethical implications of AI, and applying computional thinking to analyse, design, and communicate AI-supported solutions. |
The levels increase in complexity as shown below:
What are we trying to achieve?
- An approach aimed at promoting social justice by acknowledging and providing content to address the digital divide in South Africa. This means all students are provided with the opportunity to develop skills for academic success and employment;
- Creation of a learning pathway for students that would also be a resource for staff, to enable all students to achieve digital literacy and competence;
- Enhancing of and aligning with existing digital skills initiatives at the institution; and
- Integration of digital skills into the institutional Graduate Attributes project, as the 9th graduate attribute.
WATCH: To learn more about the Digital Skills and Competencies pathway, as well as how to access it, students and staff can watch the video.
Impact of the approach:
| Level 1 completed | Level 2 completed | Level 3 completed |
| 12149 students | 2763 students | 2387 students |
In the CTL external review in 2023, the Digital Skills and Competencies pathway received commendations for its innovation and potential impact on the employability and work readiness of students. The team was invited by the South African Graduate Employer Association (SAGEA) to present a webinar on Digital Skills as part of SAGEA’s Graduate Attributes Series, and received positive reviews from the 52 companies in attendance. Additionally, the SAGEA team indicated that this webinar was voted most significant for 2023 and the content was put forward as a blog contribution to The International Network of Employers and University Career Services (INEUCS). The webinar presented to SAGEA can be viewed below. This work has also received international recognition: the University of the Free State's Digital Skills pathway was featured as an institutional example of good practice in the EDUCAUSE Horizon Report: Teaching and Learning Edition (2025), highlighting its focus on critical digital literacies and equitable student development.
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If you are a UFS student, please contact us at ehelpdesk@ufs.ac.za