This interactive Maturity Model Matrix and the accompanying Self-Assessment Tool are designed to help course teams at the University of Gloucestershire evaluate and advance their integration of Digital Literacy Skills within their curriculum. The model examines four key dimensions of digital education across five maturity levels. Use these tools to:
Have structured conversations about digital education
Evaluate your current practice across the four dimensions
Get personalised recommendations and links to resources for advancing to the next level
Pinpoint areas for development
As you explore each dimension in the Matrix, select the maturity level in the Self-Assessment Tool that best describes practice on your course. Once you have chosen a level for each dimension, generate your recommendations and develop a plan for course enhancement and the sharing of good practice.
The expectation is that you need to demonstrate how you reach Established Level in each dimension for revalidation, and that as you go beyond to Advanced and Embedded Levels, you will be sharing your good practice with colleagues across your school and the wider university.
Maturity Model Matrix
Digital Tools and Techniques
This dimension explores how digital tools and software are used to support learning, collaboration, and creation on the course.
Use of core university-supported tools (including Moodle, MS Office, Planet eStream, and Talis Aspire) is inconsistent.
Students are given minimal guidance on tool usage, often assuming prior knowledge.
Tool selection is driven by staff familiarity rather than pedagogical purpose.
Core tools are used consistently for basic administrative and content delivery tasks.
Students receive introductory guidance on essential tools at the start of the course.
Some individuals may experiment with more advanced digital pedagogies and engage with training in Technology to Enhance Learning.
A range of digital tools, including collaborative platforms (e.g. Teams, Moodle groups), is integrated into learning activities.
Staff are encouraged to undertake ongoing staff development in digital skills and Technology to Enhance Learning.
Students are supported to select appropriate digital tools for specific tasks.
Staff model effective and ethical use of various digital tools.
Students are required to use advanced or professional-standard digital tools relevant to their discipline.
Staff and students actively explore and adopt emerging digital technologies to enhance learning.
The curriculum includes activities that explicitly develop skills in data analysis, visualisation, or digital content creation.
Students are encouraged to critique and compare different tools for a given purpose.
Digital education is central to the teaching, learning and assessment strategy, and the overall vision and identity of the course.
Students are co-creators in selecting and evaluating digital tools for the course.
The course fosters digital innovation, encouraging students to experiment with emerging technologies.
Students graduate with a professional digital toolkit and the ability to adapt to new software and platforms quickly.
Digital Pedagogies
This dimension explores the pedagogical approaches used to develop students' digital literacy skills through curriculum content and activities.
Digital literacy is seen as a generic skill to be handled by central university services.
Teaching is primarily content delivery via digital means (e.g. uploading PowerPoints).
There is little to no explicit teaching of digital skills within modules.
Digital literacy skills are identified in module descriptors but are not always explicitly taught or integrated.
Some active learning tasks using digital tools are introduced (e.g. Moodle quizzes and forums).
Students are directed to online resources but are expected to develop skills independently.
Digital literacy outcomes are explicitly mapped across the course curriculum.
A blended learning approach is consistently applied, mixing face-to-face and online activities effectively.
Students are taught how to find, evaluate, and reference digital information sources in their discipline.
Students are engaged in collaborative digital projects, developing teamwork and project management skills.
The curriculum includes activities that develop students' digital identity and professional online presence.
Peer-to-peer learning is facilitated through digital platforms.
The curriculum is co-designed with students and industry partners to address emerging digital skills needs.
Pedagogical approaches are agile, adapting to new technologies and allowing for student-led exploration.
Assessment Practices
This dimension looks at the methods of assessment that allow students to apply and demonstrate their digital competencies.
Assessment is exclusively traditional (e.g. essays, exams), though submitted digitally.
Digital skills are not a required component of demonstrating achievement of learning outcomes.
Feedback is delivered as text-based comments, with limited use of richer media.
The course team has engaged in preliminary discussions regarding GenAI implications for assessment design.
Some variety in assessment is introduced, such as submitting a podcast or a simple website.
Digital submission and marking processes are managed effectively.
Audio or video feedback is used occasionally to supplement written comments.
Initial revisions to assessment practices to address GenAI challenges may be underway.
A range of authentic assessment formats is used, requiring students to create digital artefacts (e.g. podcasts, videos, portfolios, blogs).
Marking criteria explicitly include standards for digital communication and presentation.
Students are encouraged to use digital tools for formative feedback and self-assessment (e.g. peer review platforms).
Assessments have been significantly adapted to effectively leverage digital tools and AI capabilities while maintaining academic integrity.
Assessment tasks require students to manage and present complex data or information digitally.
Students are required to build a professional e-portfolio to showcase their skills and achievements throughout the course.
Students have a choice of assessment format, allowing them to play to their digital strengths.
Innovative, authentic assessment practices effectively leverage AI to assess complex skills and knowledge in new and meaningful ways.
There is explicit assessment of students’ abilities to collaborate in digital environments and manage complex digital projects.
The process of creating the assessment is as important as the final product, with students reflecting on their digital workflow.
Generative AI Awareness
This dimension is concerned with the understanding and critical application of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) tools and concepts within the discipline.
No formal consideration or integration of generative AI in the curriculum.
No overall course strategy or guidance on Gen AI use.
Staff and students may use Gen AI tools on an ad-hoc basis without guidance.
There is a general lack of awareness regarding the university's guidance on AI.
Gen AI is mentioned in course team discussions, often in the context of academic integrity and plagiarism.
Students are provided with basic guidance on what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable use of Gen AI for assignments, for example, allowing the use of Gen AI for brainstorming or drafting basic content.
Some staff are beginning to explore the potential of Gen AI for their own productivity.
The ethical implications, biases, and limitations of Gen AI are discussed with students.
Students are guided on how to use Gen AI tools ethically and effectively as a ‘critical friend’ for brainstorming, feedback, or revision.
Learning activities are designed to be ‘AI-resistant’ or to leverage AI in a structured way.
Students are taught prompt engineering and critical evaluation skills to maximise the utility of Gen AI outputs.
Gen AI tools are integrated into specific learning activities to enhance creativity, problem-solving, or analysis.
Assessment tasks are designed to leverage Gen AI, requiring students to critique, refine, and build upon AI-generated content.
Transformative
The curriculum actively explores the impact of Gen AI on the future of the profession and related industries.
Students use Gen AI to create novel solutions, conduct sophisticated research, or generate new forms of creative expression.
Active engagement in staff development related to AI in education, with the course team making contributions to discourse at the university level.
Students and staff collaborate on research or projects exploring the frontiers of Gen AI in their discipline.
Self-Assessment Tool
Rate your course's current level in each dimension:
