Aims and Objectives

• Innovate insights into the shifting and emerging definitions of data literacy, discussing innovative international case studies in open data and data awareness, and academic fields associated with questions of data literacy.

• Collaborate on development of the knowledge base on data literacy for education purposes and civic empowerment as part of individuals’ lifelong learning experiences; and write policy recommendations for data literacy as a priority area for educators in Scotland and beyond.

• Facilitate reflection on how a relevant and future-facing curricula in data literacy should be designed and implemented in education at all levels in both Creative Industries and Social Subjects provision. Deliberate definitions of data literacy, drawing from the 5Rights Scottish Youth Commission’s co-design methodology to map shared meanings, understanding and common language.

• Promote inclusive access to technology, knowledge and understanding of open data practices and infrastructures – generating awareness and nurturing educators’ and learners’ confidence in open data, its uses and its potential for civic competence, creativity and empowerment.

• Foster data-driven civic innovation – organising hands-on activities and collaborating with users to further our understanding of data literacy.

Our objective is to map how data literacy is currently understood, and how understandings can shift depending on context; the extent to which data literacy is fostered in the education sector in Scotland, and in the skills development sector for creative industries; what it means for local governance, education policy and lifelong learning; and what the best ways are to encourage the development of a creative and inclusive Scottish data community.

• Consolidate a collaborative research network amongst Scottish HEIs, SCIs, public and third sector partners, to explore the emergent field of data literacy.

• Facilitate knowledge-exchange events, bringing together key informants from: creative industries and digital economy; education policy and lifelong learning; and civic open data initiatives.

• Generate a body of data-driven products, artefacts and services, and commission critically-engaged artworks as part of an exhibition.

• Create a proposal to pilot a Scottish Data Ambassadors programme.

• Organise a series of workshops to debate, discuss and interrogate current and shifting understandings of data literacy.

• Lead a programme of public dissemination activities, including: an international conference; a series of free public lectures to facilitate knowledge exchange on current and future state of data literacy in Scotland.

• Collaborate within our network to publish innovative applied research on data literacy in the Scottish context.