Abstract:

Throughout the advent of digital technology, scholars have been discussing its potential in language acquisition (e.g. Chapelle, 2003; Blake, 2016, Kern 2021) and the topicality of digital literacy advancement through language acquisition activities. Digital literacies, as explained by Kern (ibid:143), comprise ‘listening, speaking, viewing, reading, writing, and critical thinking, along with the skills necessary to operate digital devices and navigate their various resources’. The mastering of these literacies during language acquisition activities can contribute to the advancement of digital competence in the areas defined in DigComp 2.2, which is ‘Digital Competence Framework for Citizens’ (2022). The upgrading of digital competence is in the focus of higher education and life-long learning in Latvia, as this competence is topical in the contemporary job market. Thus, the inclusion of digital competence in a Bachelor study programmes’ outcomes, as recently stated in ’Regulations on the National Standard for Academic Education’ of Latvia, envisages that ‘a programme graduates select and use information technologies responsibly and safely in their professional activities, research, and life-long learning as well as when creating and sharing digital content’. Accordingly, the present study pursues the following two-fold goal. Firstly, it aims at the alignment of digital literacies practiced during the activities of Business English Moodle-based distance learning course with the digital competence areas and levels defined in DigComp 2.2, and, secondly, eliciting the students’ attitudes with the help of the questionnaire for revealing which digital literacies and hence digital competence areas they consider to have enhanced throughout these activities. The course contains five thematic blocks that, according to the requirements for distance course content, comprise the following digital activity types: viewing instructor’s recorded lectures and thematic videos, e-reading, Moodle and Quizlet-based vocabulary practice, selection and assessment of thematic online resources, creation of an online text, and a recorded presentation. The analysis of these activities’ outcomes and their alignment with the digital competence areas has revealed that the activities can contribute to the enhancement of digital competence in three areas (Information and data literacy, Communication and collaboration, and Digital content creation) ranging from level 4 to 6, according to DigComp 2.2. The results of the questionnaire eliciting students’ attitudes, however, uncovered that students consider they have upgraded their digital literacies that contribute to two areas of digital competence, namely, Information and data literacy (in particular, selection and assessment of online resources) and Digital content creation. The obtained results have shed light on the current situation; and therefore they can serve as a departure point for the elaboration of language acquisition activities within the distance Business English course for expanding students’ digital literacies and with this their digital competence areas and levels.

Keywords:

Distance learning, digital competence, language acquisition, business English.