Professor Konstantina Martzoukou, Dr Errol Luders, and Emma Hay-Higgins made up the multidisciplinary team from RGU who are working with nursing students to gain a better understanding of their digital competencies and the digital literacy barriers that affect their learning and future professional practice in Scotland.

A survey of more than 500 learners highlighted their skill levels were at an intermediate level, although younger students felt they were operating at a higher level. The result of that work is the Digital Competencies Toolkit, which is explicitly co-created with students to bridge the digital literacy skills gap for those attending university.

Professor Martzoukou, School of Law and Social Sciences, said: “Our interprofessional team has worked closely with nursing students, embedding co-creation and the student voice into the Digital Competencies Toolkit as a meaningful step toward closing digital literacy gaps in higher education. The students’ insights and perspectives demonstrated that participatory approaches could engage learners in ways that are both relevant and impactful for their academic development and future professional practice.”

Dr Luders, from RGU’s School of Health, said, “The project reflects a broader commitment to inclusive and increasingly digitalised healthcare education, aligning with national strategies to improve digital capabilities for learning and professional practice across the sector in Scotland.”