Rethinking digital literacy at GVSU
STORY BY JULIANNA SCHRIER
Technology shapes nearly every aspect of our lives in 2026: how we learn, work, communicate and build community. In an increasingly digital world, understanding not just how technology works but also why it functions the way it does is more important than ever.
Over the past few years, GVSU’s Digital Literacy Initiative has worked to foster a culture of digital literacy skills on campus and help students and faculty learn the skills they need to thrive in a digital world. From AI‑focused courses and online modules that build digital skills to cross-disciplinary student projects and faculty learning communities, digital literacy is rapidly becoming a shared campus value rather than an optional skill
Defining Digital Literacy
“When I define digital literacy quickly with my students, I tell them to think of it as opening the 'black box of technology,'” said Laurence José, director of Digital Studies and co-leader of the Digital Literacy Initiative. “Most of us have baseline skills that enable us to use technology to accomplish everyday tasks, but do we really understand the consequences?”
The GVSU definition of digital literacy was generated after months of faculty conversations, said Vinicius Lima, associate professor of graphic design and co-leader of the Digital Literacy Initiative. “The leading group hosted conversations with university stakeholders from different backgrounds, allowing them to contextualize Digital Literacy based on a multitude of voices and programs,” said Lima.
The definition served as a touchstone for the initiative as they worked to help faculty understand that digital literacy is a skillset that’s not only important for everyone but one that already exists in many courses and programs at Grand Valley.
“Digital literacy is kind of unavoidable,” said Christine Rener, vice provost for Instructional Development and Innovation and director of the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center. “We can't assume that we know how to use the tools, and we can't assume that students are all at the same level of awareness and abilities.”
Understanding AI in a classroom setting
Denton Bobeldyk, associate professor of computing, was faced with a similar and unique challenge when teaching his first semester of AI 201: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence. The class consists of both computing and non-computing students.
“We wanted something that doesn't require any programming or math background,” said Bobeldyk. “The class introduces AI concepts and brings up students’ level of knowledge so they can better have conversations when talking about things like ChatGPT [and other large language learning models] to better understand how they’re working.”
The class included discussions about how AI works on a computing level and lessons on coding with AI tools, while also considering the ethical implications and inherent biases that come with using the tools. Humans created AI tools, explained Bobeldyk, and humans come with their own inherent biases, so it is important to acknowledge and understand them when working with AI.
There are no prerequisites for the class, so Bobeldyk hopes that it will be taken by first-year students and sophomores who want to round out their education and understand a vital tool that will likely be used in their future education and careers.
“I think the appeal is trying to understand things a little bit better,” said Bobeldyk. “For the business major or other non-computing major, being able to have conversations with people who understand AI, to work with or manage them, and understand that language a little bit, will be so important.”
Digital literacy in action: REP4ⓇFinLit
While some students prepare for a future of cross-disciplinary collaboration, one team of Lakers is doing just that through their development of REP4ⓇFinLit, a learner-driven financial literacy app designed by and for college students to help them become more financially independent.
The project began as an idea pitched at GVSU’s 2021 REP4Ⓡ Regional Summit to teach college students how to manage their money. The pitch has since grown into a full-blown program consisting of scripted videos with tips on handling finances, a money mindset personality quiz, and an app to track your progress through the modules.
Joy Murerwa, center, works to pump up her classmates before the REP4®FinLit Launch at the John G. Russell Leadership Center in Grand Rapids on September 23. Also pictured are Avert Marshall, far left, and Pushpa Pandey, far right. photo by Cory Morse
Joy Murerwa, center, works to pump up her classmates before the REP4®FinLit Launch at the John G. Russell Leadership Center in Grand Rapids on September 23. Also pictured are Avert Marshall, far left, and Pushpa Pandey, far right. photo by Cory Morse
“I'm a junior studying finance and accounting,” said Joy Murerwa, a student on the REP4ⓇFinLit team. “Financial literacy made by students for students was something I had never heard of before. I wanted to join so I can make a greater impact.”
The group working on the financial literacy app ranges in major and skillset, from finance to graphic design, computer science to psychology. Doing tech work for a concrete project across disciplines allows students to learn a language of communication that is often needed in the workplace.
“We’re focused on building up the lifetime, durable skills that make a difference as you leave GVSU and launch your career,” said Eric Kunnen, senior director of IT Innovation and Research.
Keeping faculty involved: Digital Literacy Fridays
Last year was a flurry of new actions from the Digital Literacy Initiative. Modules were designed for faculty to assign to their students, providing them with a base level of tech skills and cybersecurity knowledge. The Digital Literacy Institute also took place in June, kicking off months of intense professional development related to a wide variety of digital literacy topics, said Rener.
"Faculty from across disciplines came together. Some of us had very different perspectives on use and appropriateness and how to incorporate AI and other tools,” said Rener. “To be able to learn and discuss was really helpful.”
Born out of the institute was Digital Literacy Fridays, which allowed conversations about new technologies and their place in the classroom to continue. The program took place throughout the fall semester, with sessions on technological equity and accessibility, digital approaches to teaching courses and how to utilize tools like the Digital Creator Lab on the Valley Campus.
A second iteration of the institute took place in January to continue those conversations and a website is in the works to document what the Digital Literacy Initiative has done, but 2025 was just the beginning, said José. “This is about catalyzing a culture of digital literacy and building traditions around it,” she said. “We’re making digital literacy part of the culture at GVSU.”