A digital competence framework for learners (DCFL): A conceptual framework for digital literacy

Digital technologies are the main driver of the future economy, with technology jobs and those requiring digital skills on the rise. In educational settings, there is an accelerated propagation of digital learning environments, which was amplified by the online shift following COVID-19. To equip learners with the necessary digital skills, there ought to be a purpose-built framework that can be used as a reference point. Although in recent years there were multiple attempts to develop digital literacy frameworks such as DigComp by the European Commission and the Digital Literacy Global Framework (DLGF) by UNESCO, with several other frameworks built on top of them, there is a lack of frameworks devised specifically for learners and students. This paper proposes a conceptual digital literacy framework for learners, building mainly on DigComp 2.0 and the DLGF. We use an integrative review methodology of six main empirical frameworks, developed in recent years with educational applications, to achieve our aim. We added new competencies specific to mobile learning environments and career-related digital endeavors by learners. In addition, we further tailored the competences related to device and software operations to both personal computers and mobile devices. The proposed framework in this paper expounds on DigComp and DLGF by adding several competences which are deemed essential for learners in today’s digital world. The framework can be used by educational institutes, policymakers, as well as learners to assess their digital skills and devise strategies for capacity building.