Level of Digital Literacies Among Austrian College Students Assessed with an Online Survey

Abstract

The digital age offers opportunities for the development of online information and communications technology (ICT) systems that emphasize the important role of digital literacy, including communication between people and the values necessary for working in an online environment, which greatly influences the processes and practices of learning and teaching. Especially in the field of mobile learning, digital and data-evaluating skills are of great importance, as this type of technologically extended learning is based on a comprehensive use of cloud and internet-based services. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the German version of a validated 54-item questionnaire and to assess the level of digital literacies and digital readiness of undergraduate and graduate students at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. An online questionnaire was developed based on the items designed by Kurtz and Peled [1]. The questionnaire included 54 items divided into seven areas: data research and retrieval; data validation; data management; data processing; teamwork; integrity awareness; and social responsibility. The items were translated into German language and their validity was evaluated with Cronbach’s Alpha in a pre-study on 155 students. After improvement of some items, all students from the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences were asked to complete the questionnaire. The first key outcome of this study is the validation of the German version of a validated 54-item questionnaire. The second key outcome is the level of digital literacies and digital readiness of undergraduate and graduate students at the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. Finally, we want to find out if there are differences in the digital competencies between the various degree programs of the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. Our findings should enable faculty and educational policymakers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of digital literacies of students from the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences.