Digital Skills

We live in an increasingly online world. From information communication technology (ICT) devices, digital content creation and the advancements in AI, our ways of working are always evolving.

As a University of Portsmouth student, you should always be open to learning about changing technologies. For our part, we’re dedicated to ensuring that you’ll have everything you need to succeed in your studies and beyond. 

What are ICT devices?

ICT devices are broken down into two categories – computer input and computer output:

You’ve probably used some or all these ICT devices already. Throughout your studies, your confidence with ICT will grow as you learn — perhaps you’ll find recording voice notes easier than using pen and paper in lectures, or that you prefer touchscreens to using a mouse.

Spend some time experimenting with a range of devices in different situations to find which ones work best for you. Who knows, you could even go on to design and develop the ICT solutions of the future.

Even if you've used specific software before, like standard Office software like Microsoft Word, revisiting these tools can be a great way to learn new skills or explore more advanced features like referencing and bibliography management. This can be a huge timesaver when writing your coursework.

What is software?

Software is a non-physical part of a device, such as a program or app. They are either already in-built onto devices or something you can download and add to your device. 

Make sure to only download software from reputable sources. As a University of Portsmouth student you’ll have access to AppsAnywhere, where you can safely download a range of software needed for your course. 

Creating and sharing digital content

You'll probably need to produce digital content at some point on your course, and you might want to share this digital content with others too. It's important to choose the right tool for the job — but how do you know what that is? 

Think about why you're producing the work, and you want to achieve as well as your course and the audience you want to share it with. You should consider: 
 

Choosing digital tools 

There are plenty of online tools you can use to create digital content. You'll need to consider the advantages and drawbacks of each method to you decide what works best for you. 

For example, here are two different tools you could use for to create a group report:

Both digital tools can create documents and help you collaborate, so understanding their differences will help you choose the right software for you. As a student with Microsoft access, you'll probably want to use Microsoft Word over Google Docs.

Learn to use different Microsoft tools  

Storing digital content

Whether it’s your notes from yesterday’s lecture, revision for tomorrow’s exam or your final year thesis, the last thing you want is to lose your information. 

A stray glass of water can be the end of your laptop, along with all the work you’ve stored on it. The safest thing you can do is to save your digital content on the University’s OneDrive. 
 

Sharing digital content outside of the University 

Choosing a tool to create and share your work isn't the only thing to consider when producing digital content — you also need to think about whether you want to keep it within the University or put it out on the internet.

Putting your digital content, be that writing, video, photography, or coding, out onto the internet means that it’ll likely be in the public domain forever. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Publishing your work online is a good way an attract an audience or build a career, but plagiarism is a common issue across the internet.

Don’t make it easy for others to take credit for your hard work. 

Taking these steps won't protect you from copyright infringement on their own, but they can help you prove if others have copied your work.

Digital ‘soft skills’

The line between the physical and digital world is shrinking. We’re increasingly engaging with others in online spaces, whether that's by remotely and connecting to others online, or engaging with people we’ve never met on social media.  

Just like you wouldn’t turn up to an in-person lecture an hour late and wearing your pyjamas (at least we hope not), doing this for a remote class is also not great behaviour. Knowing how to act, talk to others, and exist respectfully on the internet is essential nowadays — so developing your digital ‘soft skills’ will help you set yourself up for future success. 

Remote working – the good, the bad, and the ugly

It’s not always easy to meet in-person when working together. This is the same in university and when you're working throughout your career. It can be difficult to get people together due to several things; distance, convenience, illness or disability, or something else. 

Tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom now let us get together at a distance. We can collaborate, teach, or just catch-up with friends without ever having to leave our homes. However, being able to roll out of bed and straight onto a Teams call doesn’t mean you should. 

Here are some do’s and don’ts to make sure you stay on the invite list:

Get started using Microsoft Teams

Your ‘Digital Footprint’

 When you share images and messages on social networking sites, post a personal blog or leave a comment on a website, you create a 'digital footprint' for yourself. After enough activity these ‘footprints’ become your digital identity — an online presence that is an extension of the you in the physical world. 

Think about how you act online, does this represent the person you are out in the world? It’s easy to forget that the internet isn’t as anonymous as we think it is – social media accounts require us to link to our identities, be it your name, face, or other identifiable information. It also follows us as we grow. But unlike how you can become an almost entirely different person as you move from childhood to adulthood, your digital footprints are forever on the internet. 

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be your authentic self online. Instead, consider what you share and who you share it with. Do you want your friends to see it? What about your family? Or any future employers? Social media privacy settings let you change who can see what content you post. This let’s you take control of your digital footprint and shape the digital identity you want to have online. 

Email addresses

As a University of Portsmouth student, you’ll be given a University email address once you activate your account. You'll have access to this for up to two years after you graduate, but what about the future?

Using your student email address is important during your studies so that you an access the information and software that you need, and so that the University can contact you, but we recommend creating a second email address too so that you'll always have access to it. 

Most providers will let you have multiple email addresses linked to one account. It’s a good idea to have at least one set up as your ‘professional’ email account for job applications. Keep it simple – your first and last name is best if it’s available. 

Having a separate email account for job applications also means that any interview or job offers are more visible in your inbox. This lowers the risk of you missing an opportunity because it’s been buried by hundreds of promotional updates from a service you signed up to 5 years ago (we’re looking at you, Shein).