From the Classroom to the Newsroom: Evaluating the Impact of Media Practice on Digital Competence in Higher Education

Abstract

Digital literacy and related digital competences are now an integral part of media work. Changes in technology and audience consumption habits have forced media professionals to acquire a wide range of digital skills. These include not only technical skills, such as mastery of digital tools and platforms, but also the ability to communicate and present content effectively in a digital environment. The aim of this study is to explore the level of digital competences of students who work in university media, compared to those who study at the faculty but are not part of its media. It also focuses on identifying the level of each of the DigComp framework’s digital competence areas that future media workers should develop in order to remain competitive. Research has shown that students working in university media have a higher total score in digital competence (75%) than students not working in (university) media (65%). It was also found that the most developed area for both groups of students is Communication and collaboration, followed by Information and data literacy. In contrast, the weakest area for both groups is Digital content creation. In terms of specific competencies, both groups have the same most developed competency, Netiquette, and the least developed competency, Programming. In general, however, students not working in (university) media have a total score in digital competence as well as in individual areas at the same level as the Generation Z average, and students working in university media are above the Generation Z average in all areas, confirming that working in media alongside media studies has a positive impact on raising levels of digital competence.