Training and Events

A curated list of recommended training courses and upcoming events related to digital safety, wellbeing and citizenship, available to University of Edinburgh students and staff.

Use the Digital Skills Framework to Identify Learning Needs

Digital identity and wellbeing form one of the six digital capabilities that make up the University’s Digital Skills Framework. The framework is a tool to help you evaluate your current levels of digital capability, reflect on your development needs, plan your development path and find resources to help you develop your skills. It can be used by all staff and students at the University including learners, teachers, researchers and professional services staff.

The framework includes access to the Jisc Digital Discovery Tool, an online self-assessment questionnaire that helps you evaluate and reflect on your digital capabilities, including digital wellbeing, by identifying strengths and areas for development. Using this tool will also help you identify the gaps in your digital skillset that might leave you vulnerable to digital safety threats.

Training at the University

Digital Detox Training

This workshop helps you reflect on how the use of tech devices affects you, and your relationships with others. Throughout the session you and other attendees will discuss the best ways to use technology mindfully and practice techniques to intentionally disconnect from the digital world. To do so you will work through some of the exercises in the Digital Detox Workbook (link below).

Digital Detox Workshop | Student Booking (Event Booking)

Digital Detox Workshop | Staff Booking (People & Money)

Digital Detox Workbook (SharePoint)

 

Other University Training

23 Things is a self-directed University of Edinburgh course that familiarises you with modern online technologies. The following "Things" specifically highlight Digital Safety, Wellbeing and Citizenship. You can do these modules independently, though we recommend completing the full course.

You can register for this course in Learn Ultra by emailing the Open Educational Resources team (opens in a new window)

23 Things - Thing 3: Digital Footprint

23 Things - Thing 4: Digital Safety

23 Things - Thing 7: Digital Citizenship

23 Things - Thing 19: AI and Ethical Considerations in Education

23 Things - Thing 20: Digital Wellbeing


The University's Information Security team frequently host awareness sessions open to all students and staff. You can find the complete schedule, including session descriptions and dates, at the link below.

Information Security Awareness Sessions Schedule

Training materials, from Information Security Essentials to secure coding and more, take you through the necessary steps for protecting your own data and safeguarding yourself against online threats.

Information Security Training Materials


Are you easily distracted on your smartphone or laptop? Are there too many tabs open in your brain? ReDD provides actionable steps to take back control of your digital life. These workshops are developed by Dr Ulrik Lyngs (Human Centred Computing, University of Oxford), and brought to the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with Student Counselling and Digital Skills. Keep an eye out for upcoming ReDD sessions on the following page.

Sign up for ReDD Workshops at University of Edinburgh

Explore strategies offered by the workshop to change your use of digital devices.

Strategies


Under the University's Data Protection Policy, all staff have responsibility for data protection compliance in their day-to-day work. This course, provided by the University's Data Protection Officer, is compulsory for all University staff and highly recommended for students.

Data Protection Training and Events


'How To' Series

The following short videos were uploaded as part of the "How to" videos created to help you get started at University in 2024.

This 6-minute video gives an overview of common scams and frauds affecting university students, and how you can protect yourself. The video covers common techniques used by fraudsters, and support contacts and actions to help victims of a scam.

This 14-minute video explores the importance of digital safety and citizenship University of Edinburgh students. Topics include: Identifying and troubleshooting online threats, how to find support, protecting your privacy, reputation and wellbeing, and being a digital citizen.

External Training

The following learning videos and MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) are available through the University’s web partners, LinkedIn Learning, Coursera and FutureLearn.

LinkedIn Learning

The following playlist is a collection of relevant online safety and digital habits training videos. They are available through LinkedIn Learning, which is free for all students and staff at the University.

For information on how to create an account, please visit our LinkedIn Learning page below.

LinkedIn Learning Guidance (Digital Skills and Training)

MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses)

If somebody Googled you, what would they find? This course, developed by the University’s Institute for Academic Development, gives you the opportunity to explore and reflect on your own online tracks and traces and to understand why your digital footprint is important.

Managing Your Digital Footprint (Coursera)


Developed by the University of York, this MOOC explores the ways digital technologies affect our wellbeing through the concepts of health, relationships and society in the digital age.

Digital Wellbeing (FutureLearn)


Part of the Digital Intelligence for Everyone Specialisation developed by Arizona State University, this course brings together the tools, knowledge and strategies of technological health, followed by hands-on application.

Digital Tools and Well-being (Coursera)


Developed by the University of York, this MOOC enables you to become a more informed digital citizen and engage with debate about what is appropriate in the modern world of social media.

Becoming a Digital Citizen: An Introduction to Digital Society (FutureLearn)


This course is developed by the University of Sydney and offers a deeper exploration of online identity, social media communities and their users.

Ethical Social Media (Coursera)


This is a six-week course from the University of Hong Kong, to help learners develop their critical thinking skills to enable them to better identify reliable information.

Making Sense of the News: News Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens (Coursera)


Past Training and Events

Digital Identity 101

An introduction to the construction of a safe and authentic digital identity at the intersection of digital safety, wellbeing and citizenship. This 45-minute webinar covers the importance of authenticity and integrity in digital self-presentation, the ethical considerations of digital self-expression, safe and respectful online spaces, and managing digital footprints and personal information to protect privacy and reduce vulnerabilities.

If you have questions about past training or want to have a conversation about its content, please email is.skills@ed.ac.uk. 

 

 

© Ricarda Fillhardt, Shivani Rao, Victoria Madden, University of Edinburgh, 2022, CC BY-SA 4.0, unless otherwise indicated. 

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