Becoming a confident online citizen: staying safe and protecting your data on your PC and smartphone (foundation)

What is the course about?

This course is about enabling you to be safer and more secure online and more confident about how to protect your data. You will focus on choosing appropriate digital identities, using secondary email addresses to sign up to accounts, creating and managing secure passwords and other forms of privacy protection. You will learn how you leave a digital footprint, how your online history is visible and how you can respond to this. You will also focus on different types of digital authentication, how you can be forgotten under data protection law, accepting and rejecting cookies, unsubscribing from accounts and deleting unwanted social media accounts and posts.

What will we cover?

• recognising and identifying the importance of digital security and data protection
• choosing appropriate digital identities
• using secondary email addresses to sign up to accounts
• creating and managing secure passwords and other forms of privacy protection
• identifying how your online activity leaves a traceable digital footprint
• identifying how your online history is visible
• identifying how you can respond to this online visibility
• identifying different types of digital authentication
• identifying how you can be forgotten under data protection law
• accepting and rejecting cookies
• unsubscribing from accounts
• deleting unwanted social media accounts and posts.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• recognise and identify the importance of digital security and data protection
• choose appropriate digital identities
• use secondary email addresses to sign up to accounts
• create and manage secure passwords and other forms of privacy protection
• identify how your online activity leaves a traceable digital footprint
• identify how your online history is visible
• identify how you can respond to this online visibility
• identify different types of digital authentication
• identify how you can be forgotten under data protection law
• accept and reject cookies
• unsubscribe from accounts
• delete unwanted social media accounts and posts.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This is for learners at level 1 (foundation) digital skills. You will be post-beginner and ready to start using your digital skills in the workplace and at home to complete tasks. It is an excellent additional or introductory course to the Essential Digital Skills for Work qualification. We recommend you do this course before or at the same time as this accreditation.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will learn in a supportive and welcoming environment. You will work on your own and with other students on different tasks so you are always practising, and developing important in-demand life and work skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, prioritising, negotiating, collaborating and independence. You will learn in a step-by-step manner so you can complete challenging tasks in enjoyable and relaxing ways. Your tutor will also work with you individually so you know how to improve and how to work in a way that improves your learning. You will need to do work outside the classroom and use Google Classroom to help you.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You will need a pen, paper and a file to keep your work in. Your tutor will provide handouts and a code for Google classroom so you can communicate with classmates and access materials, videos etc. online.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

There are many courses you can do before, at the same time or after this course. These include:
• Becoming a confident online citizen: developing your problem-solving and research skills for inside and outside work (foundation)
• Becoming a confident online citizen: from bills, banking, and shopping to government services, job applications and streaming (foundation)
• Becoming confident on the cloud: OneDrive and Google drive - a new way of sharing and managing your files (foundation)
• Becoming confident and secure with mobile data: safely managing and syncing your files and accounts across your computer, smartphone and tablet (foundation)
• Becoming confident in digital security: how to protect your data and privacy on your PC, Internet and smartphone (foundation)
• Essential digital skills for work (Level 1)
• Becoming confident in file management and Windows 10 on your PC (beginners)
• Business administration with digital skill: how to be an administrator (foundation)

You can also do classes in the maths and English areas. These include:
• Becoming an environmental citizen: how to read, research and understand data (entry 3-level 1)
• English communication and maths skills - for life and work (entry 3)
English communication skills - for life and work (level 1)
• Workplace communication skills: letters, emails, memos, notes, meetings and presentations (level 1)
• Communication skills: develop your English for social media - blogs, vlogs and TikTok (level 1-level 2)
• Communication skills: develop your English for social media - podcasting (level 1-level 2)
• Communication skills: develop your English for social media - website writing (level 1-level 2)
• Develop your confidence in writing: sentences, grammar and punctuation in everyday writing (level 1-2)
• Becoming data literate: how to understand and interpret the data all around you (level 1-2)

For more information, contact our tutor or universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 4582 0423.