HSE Faculty of Computer Science Launches Digital Literacy Course on Coursera

© HSE University

A new Digital Literacy course created as part of the university-wide Data Culture project has been launched on Coursera. The syllabus includes ten modules developed by experts in relevant fields. Eleven authors worked on this English-taught course.

The first part of the Digital Literacy course provides students with basic information on working with a computer, searching, verifying and analysing information. Next, students will receive practical recommendations on organizing group projects, preparing presentations and working with tables. The basics of working with data, security issues and intellectual property rights are covered in separate modules.

The faculty has already launched a similar online project in Russian on the Open Education platform. The new course is primarily aimed at students enrolled in English-language degree programmes. It is more practice-oriented and includes information dedicated to solving everyday tasks, so it may be of interest to those who have already mastered the previous version in Russian. Everyone interested is welcome to register for the course, so it is expected that international students who want to learn more about working with information technologies will be among those joining.

Sofia Chudinova, a student in the Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication programme, took the Digital Literacy course in Russian

The online course on digital literacy turned out to be practice-oriented and very useful for me. During the course I even learned how to create websites. The knowledge and skills I acquired make the study process much easier now. It's sad that there was no such course at my school. I would advise all school students to take it, which will make it easy to apply technology in their studies, including by learning how to quickly select the information they need and browse a virtual environment.

Timur Akazhanov, visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Computer Science, author of the Internet Literacy module, and manager of educational projects at СROC (IT company)

The Internet Literacy module is dedicated to the interaction of computers on the World Wide Web. Understanding this process helps people to use the internet safely and efficiently. This topic is broad and comprehensive, but this module will give students a basic understanding of how the internet works.

Each module is interesting in its own way, and each is worth studying. I would advise students not to approach the course selectively: the content of the modules is closely interrelated and studying modules one by one will give you complete understanding of the digital environment.

Anastasia Lapshinova, visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Computer Science and author of the Computer Literacy module

Even when things seem obvious, it turns out that everything is not so obvious. The course helps students acquire comprehensive basic knowledge to work effectively with data, software and computers in general.

From my module, students will learn more about their computer as a technical device, and understand terms such as processor, RAM, input/output devices. Students will also get acquainted with different file formats, they will learn how to work with information on a computer and organize it using folders. Another topic is software. The video covers the types of software, how to choose software for your task and your device, install software, configure it to work effectively, and delete it if you no longer need it.

I am a huge fan of modules dedicated to working with office software: Word, Excel, PowerPoint. These are the main tools that are in demand by users of personal devices, and the course modules will significantly speed up students’ work.

I would recommend this course to everyone: school students, university students, and adults.

Daniel Karabekyan, Director of the Scientometrics Centre, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, and author of the Academic Literacy module

As part of the Academic Literacy module, students will learn how to work with scientific literature. This is an important skill even for those who don’t want to engage in science. After all, while studying, students often need to generate new knowledge on their own, at least while working on their essays. To do this, you need to know where and how to look for scientific literature for review and how to work with sources. Considering the fact that part of the module is devoted to working with bibliographic information managers, it can also be useful for adult colleagues looking to acquire new skills and move away from manual compilation of literature lists.

The Academic Literacy module also focuses on working with existing literature. This is all necessary in order to better convey and justify the main contribution of one’s work to this literature. Of course, you’ll need some specific skills in your subject area, but materials on technical literacy are also useful in preparation. These two modules will allow you to perform high-quality work and share it with the audience.

Interested participants can register for the course at any time.