#EDENChat: The use of digital literacy by Chinese Students in the UK

The #EDENChat took place on 20 March 2019 at 18:00 CET, and was hosted by dr. Palitha Edirisingha (@palithaed) from Leicester University, UK. Please join us on twitter using the hashtag #EDENChat!

Read the archived  #EDENChat

Focusing on the Chinese post graduate students in UK higher education, this EDENChat session will focus on digital literacy skills and practices from an international student perspective. Some of the points and issues to be covered in the session include:

  1. The lenses (definitions, frameworks) through which we look at digital literacy skills, and their pros and cons
  2. The importance of looking at digital literacy skills from a more international perspective
  3. Students arriving from China (PRC) as providing a unique insight into digital literacy skills and practices from an international perspective
  4. Prior learning experience and useful concepts such as ‘cultural script’
  5. Cultural and academic contexts in which students develop digital literacy skills and practices
  6. Research methodological issues
  7. Some research findings (2012 – to-date)
  8. Future work

Dr Palitha Edirisingha is a Lecturer in E-Learning at the School of Education, University of Leicester. He leads two distance learning programmes at the School: MA International Education and Post-Graduate Certificate in Learning Technologies, and teaches on the MA International Education Campus-Based programme. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Palitha’s research, teaching and PhD supervision interests are on digital technologies and their application to teaching and learning, within the UK and internationally. He also carries out on research concerning international education in distance learning contexts. He has published on topics related to podcasting, mobile learning, virtual worlds, digital literacy and open and distance education in developing countries. He is a regular contributor to EDEN Research Workshops.

He conducts learning technology workshops for academic staff, and has been involved in developing Open Educational Resources (OERs) for the University of Leicester OER repository.


#EDENChat is an online discussion event on Twitter initiated by Steering Committee of the EDEN Network of Academics and Professionals (NAP). It is mediated by members of the NAP community and runs for approximately 1 hour. Anyone can join in and contribute to the discussion which is presented in a Question and Answer format, and focuses on current issues in distance, open and e-learning. All sessions start at 18:00 CET.

Previous #EDENChats are listed on the EDEN website according to topics.