Strengthening students' digital literacy for 21st-century learning in Islamic boarding schools

Abstract

ARTICLE INFO Digital literacy skills are a crucial need in 21st-century education, including in the context of religious-based education such as Islamic boarding schools. Students play a strategic role as the younger generation. Therefore, mastering information technology is essential. However, many students do not have adequate digital access, understanding, and skills. This program was implemented to improve the digital literacy of students at Nurul Mukhlasin Islamic Boarding School. This aims to equip students with relevant digital skills to support 21st-century learning competencies. The methods used were interactive lectures and participatory discussions, adapted to the characteristics of the participants. Evaluation using observation, pretest, and posttest measurements. The results showed a significant increase in three main aspects: understanding the concept of digital literacy, the ability to evaluate information critically, and increasing creativity in producing educational content using digital applications, such as Canva. Digital literacy is a strategic step to supporting 21st-century learning competencies, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Integration of digital literacy into the Islamic boarding school curriculum can form an adaptive and responsible generation. It is recommended to develop a learning ecosystem that supports the sustainability of technology, strengthening the capacity of educators and providing adequate digital infrastructure.