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Welcome to a special issue of the Digital Skills Newsletter themed around Digital Safety and Citizenship. With the University moving to online teaching imminently due to the escalation of Covid-19, it’s more important than ever to be mindful of this topic. In the following articles, you'll hear from a number of
savvy colleagues from across the University approaching the responsible use of technology from a range of perspectives. Read on to find out more about digital citizenship at university and for tips on how to
avoid online fraud and keep your personal data safe and secure while navigating increasingly interconnected digital spaces.
We hope you enjoyed reading our Digital Resolutions issue, released in January 2020. If you haven't had a chance to browse through it yet, you can find links to all our issues on our website.
As always, we appreciate your feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions, please click the button below to contact us at [email protected]
You can subscribe to the newsletter on our website.
Digital Safety at University Dr Vicki Madden, Digital Safety Support Officer
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about digital safety and citizenship since joining the Digital Skills and Training team in the Information Services Group last November. While these concepts were never really at the forefront of my mind when I was a student, I see the importance of them now at practically every turn.
The fact that we live in the Information Age is priceless for an institute of higher education. Students and staff at the University enjoy unprecedented access to knowledge from a variety of digital devices that never really leave our side. With this level of connectivity, however, comes a great deal of responsibility – not only in terms of how we use technology but how we engage with others in virtual settings.
Members of the University rely on multiple types of digital tech on a daily basis and, given current calls to move more teaching and learning online (more on that at the end of this newsletter), it’s more important than ever to be aware of the risks we face when operating in virtual spaces. To this end, the Digital Skills and Training team have put together a wide variety of resources to help students and staff manage their digital safety and to promote digital citizenship across campus.
Digital Safety and Citizenship Webpages
For starters, you can read more about common online safety threats and how to troubleshoot them at our new Digital Safety and Citizenship Website. On these pages, you’ll not only find e-safety tips and resources but also a wide variety of online training courses from both the University and organisations like LinkedIn Learning.
Digital Safety and Citizenship WebsiteFind online training courses for Digital Safety
#DigitalCitizen Awareness Campaign
On 11 February 2020, Safer Internet Day, the Digital Skills and Training team launched our #DigitalCitizen campaign to raise awareness about the responsible use of technology. Our campaign aims to provide students with resources and guidance to weather digital safety-related concerns during their studies and
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to embed a sense of digital citizenship in our community that will continue to inform the ways in which students engage with technology once they leave the University. Read more about #DigitalCitizen on our website and our Digital Safety and Citizenship blog.
Find more info on our #DigitalCitizen CampaignVisit our Digital Safety and Citizenship Blog
Graduates Beyond Attributes: Fostering (Digital) Citizens in Higher EducationDr Robyn Pritzker, Peer Learning Coordinator, Edinburgh University Students' Association
The all-important "graduate attribute" is a key concern of Universities worldwide, but the list of traits normally associated with this term tends to revolve around specific employment-based skills rather than big-picture capabilities. Universities hoping to develop their graduates must do more to foster students’ sense of citizenship — that is, their awareness of their context, their responsibility to learn about their community, and their duty of care to the world around them.
What’s changed in the last few decades is the fact that this sense of citizenship now extends to the digital realm as well. Teaching students how to be better citizens online and in digital arenas is a relatively new focus for higher education institutions, and we are still very much learning and growing into these practices. That said, working towards a definition of digital citizenship, and prioritising the pursuit of this alongside other graduate attributes, is necessary and will be a fundamental aspect of how we build robust future communities.
Some of the puzzle pieces of digital citizenship include consideration of the social, moral, and ethical consequences of using digital spaces such as email, social media, messaging platforms, and resource sharing (photos, videos, documents, etc.). Becoming better stewards of digital spaces means everything from being an active bystander on Twitter to responsibly storing your own data. Digital citizenship is a way of thinking about our relationships with technology, the internet, and society, and forms a way of rethinking our engagement with the wider world.
Above all, however, digital citizenship, like any other kind of citizenship, is a call to be kind, have empathy, and work towards a better, fairer society. While there are many important graduate attributes, this seems like a good place to start.
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Digital Footprint: Creating an effective online presenceDr Louise Connelly, Senior e-Learning Developer
Many of us are frequently using mobile technology, social media, and apps in order to share our experiences, create and co-create content, network and collaborate, and search for information. As we move around online, we don’t always realise what tracks and traces we (and others) leave online — some may be ephemeral, others are more permanent.
In a 2018 University of Edinburgh survey, 63% of students stated that they rarely changed their privacy settings on social media sites and 55% had experienced unwanted comments online. However, nearly 57% stated that they had been approached for a job or volunteering opportunity and 71% had received peer support online. Understanding how to effectively create and manage your online presence — your digital footprint — can be comforting and empowering!
“Your online presence can be a great way of making a good first impression to prospective employers." — UG student
Take the free three-week Digital Footprint MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) from the University of Edinburgh. It provides an opportunity to explore and reflect on your own digital footprint. A number of local and international experts provide advice on how to create an effective online presence, for example when seeking employment, as well as being informed about professional bodies’ social media guidelines and what it means to be an e-professional, managing your privacy, and much more.
Find additional resources, workshops and links to professional bodies’ social media guidelines on the Institute for Academic Development Digital Footprint pages.
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Social Media Safety 101Daisy Michelson, Digital Skills Champion and French Language Undergraduate Student
As a student intern in the Digital Skills and Training team within the Information Services Group, I frequently use social media as part of my job. When thinking about how to approach the subject of social media safety, I decided first to Google myself. In seconds, I had results including my Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Pinterest accounts. From there, information about my location, job, education, sexuality, hobbies and political views was available for anyone to access. Scary stuff.
I decided to take action. Here are the steps I took to make my social media more private and safer for me to express myself.
Make your profile privateThis is not a decision I made lightly, as I take a lot of pride in my Instagram profile and its layout. However, from a safety point of view, I appreciate the value of screening who I allow to follow me.
Review the accounts you followInstagram has a fantastic new feature designed to review the accounts you interact with least on the platform — you can find this in the ‘following’ section of your profile.
Remove followersAnother Instagram quirk allows you to easily remove accounts from your ‘followers’ list. A few hours later I had removed more than 1000 people.
Remove sensitive data from your profileIt is difficult to see the benefits of having a completely private account on Twitter when this platform is founded on interaction with strangers about common interests. While I left my Twitter profile public, I removed sensitive data — such as my age — from public view.
Review your tweetsTo do this, search “@yourusername: key word” to find any tweets which you might want to delete. For example, if I search “@daisymichelson: school," I discover a wealth of tweets with specific details about my high school and education that I need to delete.
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Be mindful when sharingIt is critically important to think twice before sharing every opinion that strikes you online, as your views may invite disagreements. Twitter is the easiest social media platform on which to find heated discussions about social issues and current affairs, and this, while valuable, makes it all the more important to take care when sharing views or arguing online. We must behave with respect and compassion in virtual spaces just as we would in the physical world.
To sum up, social media is always evolving, and keeping on top of new features and potential threats to your safety can be overwhelming. Rest assured that with every new feature, social networks are adding extra layers of safety for their users. However, it is never a bad time to review your own social media settings.
Web of Lies: Fraud in the Digital AgeDavid Creighton-Offord, Senior Information Security Consultant
Smartphones, instant messaging, social media… there are so many more ways to get in touch these days than ever before and fraud has evolved to keep up. Here are three examples of frauds that target academia using email, telephone and social media, plus some tips on how to avoid them:
Email — Government Agency FraudIn this fraud you get an email that claims to be from some part of the government (HMRC, TV licensing, City Council, etc.). It either says you are due a refund or that you owe money. The key thing here is that they want your banking details. Once they have those, they will empty your account. Students and part-time workers are particularly targeted for this as often they need to manually update their tax details.
How to avoid — Remember: The Government will never ask for your financial details by email. Contact the relevant department yourself and check if in doubt.
Phone — Computer Software Service FraudThe most common version of this is the “Computer Software Tech Support” call, where somebody phones your number, claiming to be from Microsoft or Apple. They then tell you that there is an issue with your computer and either convince you to download “diagnostic software” to fix it or request your credit/debit card information to “validate your software."
How to avoid — Remember: Tech companies never call their customers to update or validate their software. They will usually push updates and send notifications within programs instead.
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Social Media — Housing FraudEvery summer, students look to find accommodation for the upcoming academic year, which makes them an ideal target for fraud. Offering accommodation on social media and marketplace sites such as Gumtree, fraudsters draw students in, enticing them with a room that is not up for rent and collecting eye-watering administration fees before making a run for it.
How to avoid — Always double and triple check the landlord. Research any agent you are dealing with via a search engine. A real landlord will be able to show you a copy of the short-term letting agreement.
To keep up to date with current digital threats, follow the Information Security (InfoSec) team on Twitter @UoEInfoSec or visit their webpages (linked below).
Follow @UoEInfoSec on TwitterVisit the InfoSec website
Remote Working: Some final e-safety considerationsDr Vicki Madden, Digital Safety Support Officer
To conclude this issue of the Digital Skills Newsletter, I think it’s important to acknowledge the current situation we find ourselves in here at the University of Edinburgh. Due to the escalation of Covid-19, the University has taken the decision to move all teaching and learning online. Now more than ever, it is crucial to be mindful of our digital engagement and to take steps to not only keep ourselves safe but also to support others who are more vulnerable – both online and off.
For many, this week will mark the start of working from home. The following webpages offer guidance and support on working remotely for all University staff and students. Below, find links to collated training and support resources for the University’s main learning technology services, as well as tips and tools for teaching remotely.
Digital Tools for Remote WorkingTeaching Continuity Preparation
Learning Technology Training and Help Resources
If you're moving your courses online, the OER Service, Open.Ed, has a wealth of open licensed teaching and learning resources, created by staff and students around the University, which you can use in your online courses. You can browse and access our open educational resources (OERs) using the link below.
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Over 500 high quality videos created for our MOOCs and open online courses are also available to reuse from our Open Media Bank on Media Hopper Create, also linked below.
Browse our OER collectionBrowse our Open Media Bank on Media Hopper Create
The OER Service also provides support, guidance and resources on finding and using OERs, copyright, licensing and OER, and open licensing for lecture recording. You can contact the OER Service for further advice and guidance using the button below.
Contact the OER Team
With so much activity moving online, we also urge you to take this opportunity to refresh your knowledge of digital safety. Below, you’ll find a LinkedIn Learning playlist with some of our favourite online safety training courses and videos, as well as instructions on how to create your free LinkedIn Learning account if you haven’t done so already. Be sure to check out these resources for tips on how we can all ensure our digital communications remain safe at this unprecedented time.
LinkedIn Learning Digital Safety PlaylistSet up your LinkedIn Learning account
We hope you enjoyed this issue of the Digital Skills Newsletter. Keep an eye out for the next issue due to be released in May. If you no longer want to receive the Digital Skills Newsletter, find out how to
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