Digital Competences

The Curricular Unit (CU) of Digital Competences is part of a set of transversal skills essential for the academic and professional success of students from any field of study. The objective is, on one hand, to provide students with fundamental knowledge about the functioning of digital systems, including how information is stored on a computer, the different ways software can be licensed, the various types of threats and the mechanisms that help safeguard information, as well as tools and methods for advanced information search. On the other hand, it also aims to equip students with practical skills in productivity tools that they will use in other curricular units throughout their studies and which will also be useful in the business world.

1) Basic Concepts of Digital Information Systems: 1.1) Information storage on computers. 1.2) Software licensing. 1.3) Information security and best practices. 1.4) Computer networks. 1.5) Essential software. 2) Word Processing (MS Word): 2.1) Text and paragraph formatting. 2.2) Document structuring. 2.3) Inserting elements. 2.4) Review tools. 2.5) Document preparation and finalization. 3) Spreadsheets (MS Excel): 3.1) Text and cell formatting. 3.2) Functions. 3.3) Formula auditing. 3.4) Data analysis. 3.5) Charts. 4) Presentation Software (MS PowerPoint): 4.1) Slide formatting. 4.2) Inserting multimedia content. 4.3) Animations and transitions. 4.4) Organizing the presentation. 4.5) Presentation and export. 5) Data Research and Analysis: 5.1) Traditional tools. 5.2) AI-based tools. 5.3) Critical analysis of information. 6) Generative AI: 6.1) Operating principles of generative AI. 6.2) Prompting techniques for achieving good results. 6.3) Limitations and risks.

At the end of the course unit, students should be able to: - Understand how different types of data are stored digitally. - Identify software licensing types and the legal and ethical implications of their use. - Recognize threats and best practices in information security. - Possess basic knowledge of computer networks. - Know how to use word processors and their functionalities to create structured and professional documents. - Know how to apply formulas, functions, charts, and data analysis techniques in spreadsheets to analyse various types of data. - Create effective and appealing presentations using advanced features of presentation software. - Perform advanced information searches using both traditional tools and AI-based tools.