- Digital Literacy 1.0
Foundations & Office Basics
Digital Literacy 1.0 takes a complete beginner from switching on a device to working confidently in a modern office. Learners progress through devices and operating systems, files and folders, documents, spreadsheets and presentations, the internet, email and video meetings, online safety and everyday troubleshooting and finish with the practical office skills that paper-based workplaces most often lack: scanning and PDFs, official document formatting, correspondence etiquette and disciplined digital filing. No prior computer experience is required. 30 contact hours, instructor-led.
Course Description
Digital Literacy 1.0 is the entry point to the entire program and assumes nothing. It is built for people who have never used a computer, as well as for those who use a smartphone every day but have never worked confidently on a desktop. The course begins at the beginning switching a device on, using a mouse and keyboard, understanding what is on the screen and builds steadily towards independent, everyday digital competence.
What separates this course from a standard computer literacy program is its office readiness. Alongside the fundamentals, learners are taught the things an organisation actually needs from them on day one: producing a properly formatted official document, scanning a letter into a clean multi-page PDF, naming and filing documents so they can be found again, writing an email with the correct tone and recipients, running and recording a meeting, and solving common problems without waiting for IT support.
Every module is taught hands-on. Learners work on real tasks throughout, and the course closes with a capstone that puts the whole skill set together in a single realistic scenario.
Who should attend
- Adults of any age with little or no prior computer experience
- Public sector employees moving from paper-based to digital ways of working
- Office staff, clerks, assistants and administrative support personnel
- Frontline and field staff who now need to record work digitally
- Jobseekers, students and career changers needing foundational digital skills
- Smartphone users who have never worked confidently on a computer
- Organisations and departments digitising their workforce as a group
Duration and Format
30 contact hours, instructor-led.
Delivered as live online cohorts or as on-site batches at your premises. Two standard schedules are available: part-time over 10 weeks with one 3-hour session per week, or an intensive 5-day format.
Recommended batch size is 15–25 learners with one workstation per learner. Every module is taught practically, with guided exercises during the session and a short applied task after it.
Sessions can be delivered in English or bilingually, and examples are adapted to the learner group office scenarios for organisational batches, everyday personal scenarios for open public cohorts.
Prerequisite
None. This course assumes no prior computer or internet experience.
Learners need to be able to read and write in the language of instruction. Access to a computer during the course is provided in on-site batches; online cohorts require a computer or laptop with an internet connection.
Learners who already have basic device skills may take the entry diagnostic and begin from Module 02.
Course Outline
Module 01: Getting Started with Devices
- Switching on, logging in and shutting down properly
- Mouse, trackpad and touchscreen control
- Keyboard familiarity and typing practice
- Understanding the screen: desktop, icons, windows and menus
- Wi-Fi and getting connected
- Battery, charging and basic device care
- Shared office workstations: user accounts, logging out, and why you never work on someone else’s login
Module 02: Digital Foundations
- How computers and digital systems work, in plain language
- Hardware and software
- Operating systems and how to find your way around one
- Essential digital terminology
- The office IT environment: network drives, shared printers and common resources
- Why you do not have administrator rights, and what to do when you need something installed
Module 03: Mobile-First Digital Skills
- Android and iOS basics
- App stores: installing, updating and removing applications
- App permissions and what you are agreeing to
- Browsing and searching on a phone
- Viewing and editing documents on a mobile device
- Transferring files between phone and computer
- Mobile data, hotspot and managing usage
Module 04: Digital Files & Records Management
- Files, folders and file types
- File naming conventions that work in an office
- Designing a logical folder structure
- Version control and why “final_final_v3” is a problem
- Working on shared and network drives
- Searching for and retrieving a document quickly
- Backup discipline: local, external and cloud storage
Module 05: Digital Productivity
- Word processing: creating, formatting and editing documents
- Spreadsheets: entering data, basic formulas and simple tables
- Presentations: building clear, readable slides
- Official document formatting: letterheads, headers and footers, page setup, numbering and tables
- Working from approved organisational templates
- Mail merge for bulk letters, notices and certificates
- Everyday productivity tools and shortcuts
Module 06: Office Paperwork, Digitally
- Using a scanner and a multi-function printer
- Producing clean, readable scans of official documents
- Creating, merging, splitting and compressing PDFs
- Filling in and signing forms digitally
- Introduction to digital signatures
- Print settings that save paper, toner and time
- Moving a physical document into a digital workflow
Module 07: Internet & Online Skills
- How the internet works, in plain language
- Browsers, tabs, bookmarks and effective use
- Search techniques that find the right answer faster
- Online research and judging a source
- Downloads and uploads
- Cloud platforms and sharing files with others
Module 08: Digital Communication & Office Correspondence
- Email: composing, replying, attachments and organising an inbox
- Official email etiquette: subject lines, tone, To/CC/BCC protocol and reply-all discipline
- Calendars, meeting invitations and scheduling
- Video conferencing: joining, hosting, screen sharing and etiquette
- Taking, formatting and circulating minutes of meetings
- Messaging and online collaboration tools
- Working as part of a virtual team
Module 09: Digital Safety
- Cybersecurity fundamentals for the everyday user
- Password security and using a password manager
- Recognising phishing, online scams and fraudulent messages
- Privacy settings and personal data protection
- Safe downloads, updates and software sources
- What to do and who to tell when something goes wrong
Module 10: Troubleshooting & Digital Self-Reliance
- Reading and understanding an error message
- The basics that fix most problems: restart, update, reinstall
- Checking connectivity and common network issues
- Printer and scanner problems
- Finding and using help documentation
- Searching for a solution effectively
- Raising a clear, useful IT support request
Module 11: Accessibility & Inclusive Technology
- Screen readers and screen magnification
- Captions, subtitles and voice input
- Dictation and translation tools
- Keyboard shortcuts and alternative input methods
- Adjusting a workstation for comfort, vision and ability
- Making your own documents easier for others to read
Module 12: Digital Wellbeing, Ethics & Online Conduct
- Screen time and healthy digital habits
- Ergonomics and working comfortably
- Your digital footprint and online reputation
- Online etiquette and respectful communication
- Recognising and responding to cyberbullying
- Copyright and respecting other people’s content
- Conduct expectations when you represent an organisation online
Practical Component and Capstone
The course closes with a practical capstone, delivered in one of two versions depending on the cohort.
Office track: receive a scanned official letter, produce a formatted reply on the organisation’s template, save it under the correct naming convention in the correct folder, send it with the right recipients and CC list, then record and circulate the minutes of the meeting that follows.
Public track: build a complete personal digital presence an email account, a properly formatted CV, stored in the cloud, shared as a link, and presented in a short video call.
What you will be able to do
On completion of this course you will be able to:
- Operate a computer and a smartphone confidently and independently
- Create, format, save and find documents, spreadsheets and presentations
- Produce a properly formatted official document from an organisational template
- Scan, combine, compress, fill and sign PDF documents
- Organise digital files using consistent naming conventions and a logical folder structure
- Write professional email with the correct tone, recipients and attachments
- Schedule, host and participate in video meetings, and record minutes
- Search the internet effectively and judge whether a source can be trusted
- Protect accounts, recognise phishing and scams, and respond appropriately to an incident
- Diagnose and resolve common device, printing and connectivity problems without assistance
- Use accessibility features to adapt technology to personal needs
You leave with
- A Digital Literacy 1.0 certificate of completion
- A verified competency score from the pre- and post-training assessment
- A printed and digital learner workbook covering all twelve modules
- Quick-reference job aids for filing conventions, email etiquette, scanning and troubleshooting
- The completed capstone as evidence of practical ability
- A personal email account, cloud storage and an organised digital filing structure already set up
- Eligibility to progress directly to Digital Literacy 2.0