Digital Communication
Use the below guiding questions and resources to design and plan your assessment and learning resources/activities to support student development of digital communication capabilities.
Student Learning Outcome Examples
- Understand and apply respectful communication in different media and spaces.
- Communicate with other people in a range of digital media e.g. email, presentations, blog posts, video conference, photo sharing, text, social media; understanding the differences between these media.
- Consider the communication and access needs of different people.
- Communicate in a socially and culturally acceptable way using communication norms.
- Maintain privacy in private communications to protect people and organisations.
- Design digital communications for different purposes to achieve effective messaging.
Assessment design
Example assessment types may include:
- Script writing for videos.
- Delivering a presentation in an online mode and/or using digital technologies.
- Communicating using digital media such as social media posts, blog posts, discussion forums, websites, digital posters, digital newsletters or infographics.
- Professional communication such as emails or digital networks used by industry.
- Communicating in online meetings or forums such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
- Peer reviewing communications created by others.
- Using digital technologies to summarise and disseminate team communications such as meetings.
Assessment considerations:
- Will the students be creating a communication or responding to one?
- Will the students have a choice of communication methods?
- Align the chosen communication method to something that students will be expected to use once they are working.
- What exposure to the chosen audience have the students had previously?
- Does the assessment give students the chance to demonstrate inclusive practices?
Marking criteria examples for Digital Communication
- Communication uses language that is respectful and inclusive
- Clear communication of key message
- Appropriate selection of digital tools (assess affordances and limitations of a range of digital tools to confidently select an appropriate digital tool to communicate)
- Communication encourages audience engagement and participation
- Communication follows professional standards or norms
- Privacy is protected
- Digital tools are used confidently to deliver communication to a professional standard and maximise benefits of digital tool
Criterion standards case example
Assessment: Communicate in a digital forum (eg. Padlet)
| High Distinction | Digital posts utilise respectful and professional language |
| Digital communication with peers utilises respectful and constructive language, which encourages participation and creates a safe and inclusive digital learning environment | |
| Relevant, analytically complex and regular contributions to Padlet, which always promote critical thinking and deepen understanding through extended discussion via prompting | |
| Distinction | Digital posts utilise respectful and professional language |
| Digital communication with peers utilises respectful and constructive language, which encourages participation and creates a safe and inclusive digital learning environment | |
| Relevant, analytical and regular contributions to Padlet, which always promote critical thinking and deepen understanding through extended discussion | |
| Credit | Digital posts utilise respectful and professional language |
| Digital communication with peers utilises respectful and constructive language, which creates a safe and inclusive digital learning environment | |
| Relevant, analytical and regular contributions to Padlet, which often promote critical thinking and deepen understanding | |
| Pass | Digital posts utilise respectful and professional language |
| Digital communication with peers utilises respectful language, which creates a safe and inclusive digital learning environment | |
| Relevant, analytical contributions to Padlet, which occasionally promote critical thinking and deepen understanding | |
| Marginal Fail | Digital posts mostly utilise respectful and professional language |
| Digital communication with peers mostly utilises respectful language, which creates a safe and inclusive digital learning environment | |
| Mostly relevant contributions to Padlet, which add superficial value to the discussion | |
| Fail | Digital posts occasionally utilise respectful and professional language |
| Digital communication with peers occasionally utilises respectful language, which creates a safe and inclusive digital learning environment | |
| Frequently irrelevant or underdeveloped contributions to Padlet, which add little value to the discussion | |
| Low Fail | Digital posts are disrespectful in language and treatment of donor material |
| Irrelevant or absent contributions to Padlet, which add no value to the discussion |
Capability development case examples
Assessment: Write a professional email, text or digital media post
Synchronous in-class activity: Workshop
Activity 1: During class draft an imaginary email to a placement supervisor, demonstrating good practice (or alternate scenario). Demonstrate to students how to respectfully ask for assistance or to raise concerns. Ask students to open their email inbox (or messager service or digital communication tool) and review the language used in the last three emails or posts they sent and/or received. Use whiteboards or a digital whiteboard to share what was done well and where language could be improved (make sure privacy of information in these emails/posts is maintained at all times; and ask students to volunteer responses only if they feel comfortable in sharing). This could be done as a whole class or in small groups.
Activity 2: Ask students to now practice their digital communication by writing an email to you (their teacher) to ask a question or posting a message/content on a class digital forum. Reply to each student’s question or post with feedback on their digital communication style or if in a large class, provide general class-feedback to all students.
Assessment: Digital presentation or communicating using online tools (eg. Zoom)
Synchronous in-class activity: Workshop
Activity 1: Ask students to think of a great digital communicator they know of and brainstorm what qualities they saw in this person. You may want to use a polling tool or Padlet to capture responses. Summarise effective attributes of an outstanding digital communicator. [You may want to do this activity before class by having an interactive asynchronous activity on your learning management system].
Activity 2: Without briefing your students on what you are doing, give a 5 minute digital presentation or communicate using an online tool that utilises poor digital communication skills (this can be hard to do as a teacher!). Then ask students to provide feedback on your digital presentation or digital communication (urge them to be honest! They may not feel comfortable telling you that you did a poor job!).
Activity 3: Follow up with giving a 5 minute digital presentation or communicate using an online tool that utilises outstanding digital communication skills. Ask students to provide feedback on the differences between the two presentations (poor vs outstanding) to identify effective attributes of strong digital communicators aligned with the marking criteria for the digital communication assessment.
Resources
- Communicate and collaborate online module (UQ Digital Essentials, 30 mins)
- Communication (Griffith University, online module)
- Using Digital Technology Mindfully(Future Learn, online course)
- Protect the Privacy of Your Online Communication(Security in a Box, website)
- Writing for the web (UQ, online module)
