Jul 20, 2025  
2025-2026 Western Washington University Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Western Washington University Catalog

Media and Digital Literacy Certificate

Location(s): WWU - Bellingham


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Woodring College of Education

Introduction

The new set of skills required for a digital world do not have an agreed upon label (21st Century Literacies, new literacies, media literacies, technoliteracies, transliteracy). While scholars have debated on the label for new literacies as well as on a common definition, Coiro, Knobel, Lankshear, & Leu (2008) have indicated there are at least 4 common elements in new literacies research: “(1) The Internet and other ICTs [information and communication technologies] require new social practices, skills, strategies, and dispositions for their effective use; (2) new literacies are central to full civic, economic, and personal participation in a global community; (3) new literacies rapidly change as defining technologies change; and (4) new literacies are multiple, multimodal, and multifaceted”. Perhaps the most central to this program is that new literacies rapidly change as the technologies that define them change. This graduate-level certificate program aims to provide teachers with current research and practice for transformative teaching with technology.

Why Consider a Certificate in Media and Digital Literacy?

Do you find media and digital literacy engaging? Do you like to approach your teaching with a wide variety of tools? Would you like to help students engage in authentic, real-world, collaborative problems? Do you want to know why as well as how? If so, you may wish to consider a certificate in Media and Digital Literacy. Students earning a certificate in this area will be able to apply their learning directly to their practice, with the ability to become leaders in their field.

Student Resources

Department Website: Early Childhood, Elementary, and Multilingual Education

Contact information: Director of Instructional Technology, Paula Dagnon, Miller Hall 303E, 360-650-2544, Paula.Dagnon@wwu.edu

Degree Works: Current students should also log on to Degree Works to check student-specific program progress.

Career Services Center: Connect major to a career

Sample Careers: IT TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment), IT Curricular Lead

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):

Applicants will apply via the Graduate School.

Requirements (16 credits)


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Woodring College of Education