1. Course context and learning objectives

This course forms part of an ERASMUS+ project NEXUS (2019-1-ES01-KA203-065861), running from 2019 to 2022, that focuses on empowering students to exercise their rights, uphold human values, and contribute constructively to the society around them and the global community in general through digital citizenship strategies. More info about the project is available here https://nexus4civics.eu/.

In terms of learning objectives, by taking this course you will:

• Understand the concept of active digital citizenship;
• Know what the skills are that you need to master if you want to be an active digital citizen;
• Be able to monitor public policy through digital means;
• Know how to engage and organise digital campaigns and civic activities;
• Increase your capacity to participate effectively and responsibly in your community;
• Be able to design a digital citizenship project at the micro-level.

This MOOC has been built collaboratively and it is a collection of different concepts, sources and resources on digital civic engagement and participation. The course follows a practical approach, and in this sense, the teaching team chose concepts that can be applied to practical activities or initiatives.

2. Course structure

This course is made up of five modules and requires approximately 25 hours of study time, 4 hours a week on average for a total duration of 6 weeks. The modules are the following:

• Module 0:  (where you are now): Presentation of the course and the NEXUS project.
• Module 1. Introduction to active digital citizenship: what it is and why it matters.
• Module 2. Key basic skills for Digital Civic Participation.
• Module 3. Monitoring public policy that affects you.
• Module 4. Connecting and engaging for social impact.
• Module 5. Foster local participation: smart communities and digital participation.
• Module 6. Wrap up and get ready for action (final project).

Each module is divided into sections and each section consists of a number of activities. In order to advance in the course and do all its activities progressively, you must always click on “Next” to move forward to the next item. If, for whatever reason, you want to review a previous activity, you can click on “Previous”.

The course lasts 6 weeks. Every week the teaching team will focus on one module and on its main activity. However, all modules, activities and forums will be open from the first day of the course for each participant to undertake at their own pace.

This is a self-study course. In every module, you will find videos and texts, as well as links to interactive activities and complimentary readings/extra material, in case you are interested in going deeper into a specific topic.