‘Curriculum for teaching basic digital skills for adults’. It is an open educational resource that can be downloaded free of charge on the website of the Cypriot Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth. Curricula have been developed as part of government actions in the field of adult learning for the period 2014-2020 to promote basic digital skills in adults.
The development of curricula co-financed by Erasmus+ was managed by the University of Cyprus Frederick, which involved a number of partners from all over Europe, including: Ljudska univerza Ptuj in Slovenia, SOSU Østjylland (Aarhus High School, Denmark with a focus on vocational education), the training provider CEBANC in Spain, EOSA in Spain and the Greek Consultation Agency P-consulting.
Aims and objectives
Curricula have been developed with regard to adult educators, namely those teaching basic digital skills to adults, with little or no digital knowledge. It is a useful tool for adult education professionals wherever they are established – be they open schools, adult education institutions or non-formal education and training centres. It can also be used by teachers for adults with medium or higher levels of digital skills.
The Cypriot education programme aims to provide an environment in which adults’ knowledge and skills in the use of technology can be assessed. In addition, it provides IT teachers with specific methods, techniques and exercises that they can use in each module and unit. It also supports the professional development of educators themselves, including their knowledge of the specific methods and techniques to be used, depending on the topic they teach.
Why is it a good practice?
When developing digital skills for adults, curricula shall take into account the need for practical skills that are in line with individual learning and career development objectives. Another objective is to improve thequality of life of adult learners while strengthening their IT skills in a wide range of modules: basic digital skills, Windows operating systems, Microsoft Office package, internet use, digital learning tools, use of mobile applications, social media networks and others.
The curriculum is relevant with a clear structure that is easy to adapt. It includes three main levels (basic, medium and good) for defining basic digital skills. It is also high when we look at flexibility and accessibility: each level shall be divided into less than 90 minutes. This means that the framework can be adapted, used and accessible to different educators, as well as replicating other contexts and regions.
This is also partly due to a broad target group, which the curricula include: in addition to adults with low, medium or higher digital skills, different groups can also be used to teach basic ICT knowledge, such as the general adult population, the elderly, people in rural and less connected areas, the unemployed, the digitally inactive, refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers.
Finally, curricula for teaching basic digital skills for adults are a useful resource that focuses on specific parts of society that more often end up or are not excluded from digital life. One of the key examples is the elderly and the elderly, where the framework has brought considerable success in Cyprus and the focus should be on new legislation and guidance on teachers’ modules. Curricula also strongly support the development of digital skills in the education system and recognise the need for teachers to upskill and professionally develop their skills, especially in the context of their complex societal role.
