Learner Guides
As part of our commitment to the Government’s Digital Participation Charter, to help address the imbalance of digital literacy within the community, we are in the process of producing a suite of basic Learner Guides to help people who lack confidence in their digital ability to carry out every-day tasks online.
These Guides are designed to be at beginner level, and will be suitable for learners who have little or no experience of online activities. The Guides will take the learner through a journey of getting online, carrying out necessary tasks on a range of devices – mobile phones, tablets, PCs etc – increasing both confidence and proficiency, eventually earning recognition for their progress (if they choose).
it is anticipated that most learners at the early stage of their online journey will be supported by a digital ‘buddy’ in the form of a volunteer, friend or family member who will guide them through the activities while allowing them to learn in a hands-on way, however the Guides are designed to be stand-alone and could be used by a learner on their own.
The first three Guides are recommended to be followed in a specific order for the purpose of getting the learner started on their digital journey:
– Guide 1 – Getting online; describes the physical process of accessing the internet, from basic understanding of the hardware (eg switching on the computer, using the mouse, learning about the keyboard) to opening up an internet page and carrying out a basic search.
– Guide 2 – Opening an email account; describes the steps needed for opening up a basic email account – an important first step necessary for so many different online tasks.
– Guide 3 – Creating an account with SQA Academy to access the guides; all learners will have the opportunity to earn recognition for completing the online Guides. The SQA Academy website has the facility to record progress and reward achievement as learners work their way through the Guides.
All other Guides can be done in any order as per the requirements of the learner, and cover such topics as:
– Book a cinema ticket
– Plan a train journey
– Search for and compare car insurance quotes
– Apply for a job online
– Create a social media account
– Participate in online gaming
– Shop online
– Banking and money management online
The Guides are in development at the moment, and are being ‘field tested’ by local voluntary organisations now to ensure they are ready for learners to use. Watch this space for more information as the Guides progress.
The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the SQA Digital Skills team. Content published here is not read or approved by SQA before it is posted and does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of SQA.
1 Comment
I have had a demo of a couple of the guides and they look really good.