Northstar Digital Literacy

Digital literacy is a critical skillset needed to ensure everyone has access to jobs, training, and markets. Hundreds of millions of people are locked out of the digital economy because they lack digital literacy. Providing devices and internet service alone is not enough – people need digital skills to enter the digital economy. That’s where Northstar Digital Literacy, a program of Literacy Minnesota, comes in.

Northstar offers free digital skills assessments and provides low-cost curricula and self-directed online learning to organizational subscribers. Literacy Minnesota partners with governments, nonprofits, NGOs, libraries, businesses, and schools to evaluate and educate their participants.

Northstar has 1,500+ subscriber locations in the U.S. and five additional countries. More than 5 million Northstar assessments have been taken since its 2012 launch. When Northstar is scaled globally, digital inclusion will be possible for millions more people to help lift them out of poverty.

Digital literacy is an equity issue. According to the National Skills Coalition, the massive technological transformation of U.S. jobs means that entry-level workers now must have basic technology and digital skills for employment. Likewise, digital literacy is required for success in K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions. Even daily life requires a basic level of digital competence. According to research, 80% of middle-skill jobs require digital skills, yet a startling one-third of American workers don’t have vital digital skills, with workers of color disproportionately represented among those lacking these skills.

Globally, 23% of adults are not digitally literate, which Northstar defines as “the ability and knowledge needed to access and operate internet connected devices, to successfully use commonly available software, and to navigate and utilize online resources, in order to effectively communicate and complete social and work-related tasks in a virtual space.”

COVID-19 has amplified ways that digital exclusion reinforces inequities, especially for populations marginalized because of race/ethnicity, language, gender, poverty, or disabilities. Many COVID-related digital innovations will be utilized far beyond the pandemic. Thus, ensuring marginalized populations can meaningfully use devices and the internet is paramount now but will remain crucial long after the pandemic.

Northstar Digital Literacy (hereafter “Northstar”) is an online assessment and educational platform designed for individuals and organizations. Northstar standards define skills needed to use the computer and get online for work, education, and everyday life.

Northstar’s purpose is to fill the chasm that exists in the digital literacy landscape by making assessment and instruction in crucial foundational digital skills affordable and easily accessible.

Northstar offers 14 assessments grouped into three categories: Essential Computer Skills, Essential Software, and Using Technology in Daily Life. Northstar has classroom curricula and corresponding self-directed online instruction and practice available for most of the 14 competency areas; the rest will be released by early 2022.

Individuals can take the free online assessments on Northstar’s website to see what they know, and can find a Northstar location near them for help building skills. Test-takers receive certificates and/or electronic badges when they pass assessments in a proctored environment and can use these certificates to demonstrate their abilities to employers.

An organization can become a Northstar location for an annual subscription fee. Northstar locations can award certificates and badges, utilize classroom curricula, create accounts for individuals to access self-guided instruction, and view multiple reports to support their participants.

Systemic, structural, and educational inequities mean that a disproportionate percentage of people of color – including many immigrants and refugees – lack the digital literacy skills they need to succeed and thrive in our increasingly technological world. Those most affected by lack of digital literacy skills are those with the least economic and political power – communities of color, women and children, low-income communities, people with limited English, and those with disabilities.

Without a way to rapidly and effectively build foundational digital literacy skills, the communities that have historically been excluded from the economic prosperity available to many in our country now face even greater barriers to educational attainment, employment opportunity, economic mobility, and financial security. Individuals who are served by Northstar locations are primarily from communities of color who are low-income, unemployed or underemployed, including many who are immigrants/refugees and have limited English skills.

 Since its inception in 2012, Northstar has intentionally sought input from the broader community and from end-users – both organizations and individuals – in designing and delivering services. This input has guided the choice of new modules to develop, the creation of standards that underlie the modules, and the field-testing process to ensure the relevance, cultural sensitivity, effectiveness, and ease of use for the assessments, curricula, and online instruction. The 14 current Northstar modules are: Basic Computer Skills, Internet Basics, Using Email, Windows 10, Mac OS, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Social Media, Information Literacy, Career Search Skills, Digital Footprint, Supporting K-12 Distance Learning (for parents), and Google Docs. The last two were developed during the pandemic due to the demand for additional resources as so much of daily life moved online.

 The skills covered by Northstar have been identified through an extensive community-engagement process involving relevant and knowledgeable stakeholders, who identify standards of competency in each skill area. Stakeholders include education professionals, librarians, and employment counselors representing those they serve. Once standards for a skill area have been identified, the Northstar development team reverse-engineers assessments to measure individual knowledge of the standards.

 The Northstar platform has concrete, universal measures that inform three groups – job seekers, service providers and employers – about an individual’s digital literacy skills. Assessments taken through a Northstar location are proctored. Once a participant achieves a score of at least 85%, they obtain a Northstar Certificate, which they can present to prospective employers to demonstrate competence in common digital literacy skills. They can also claim a digital badge to put in their “digital backpack,” enabling them to display and document skills gained. The backpack serves as a portfolio of assessments passed, which individuals can share with employers or others who need to know more about their skills and experience. Northstar badges and backpacks have been developed through the IMS Global Open Badges ecosystem.

During the pandemic, the Northstar team developed the capability of remote proctoring of assessments. Northstar is now available to users in multiple formats – in person or online, synchronous or asynchronous.

Northstar addresses the needs expressed by our target population. We hope to serve a far greater number of people with limited digital skills and limited access to expand their knowledge of and comfort using computers, software, and the internet. As a result, more people around the country and the globe will have access to educational resources, becoming more able to obtain stable high-quality jobs and participate more fully in daily life.

Our solution is a direct fit with the MIT Solve Global Digital Inclusion Challenge, answering the question, “How can everyone have access to the digital economy?” The problem we’ve identified is the lack of digital literacy skills to make use of devices and the internet, and inequitable access to education to gain these skills. Northstar makes building digital skills possible for those with very low to no digital skills. By extending our reach through collaborative partners worldwide we will bring digital inclusion to millions more people.

We selected this stage because Northstar is an existing product currently highly established throughout the United States, with growing interest being expressed by groups in other countries. Northstar is a key component in a growing number of US states’ comprehensive initiatives to achieve digital equity, and we see that same potential on a global scale.

Northstar, originating in a community-based context in response to specific needs, is innovative because it is designed for low-level literacy and digital literacy populations and is easy for organizations to adapt to their specific circumstances. Literacy Minnesota and many other groups use Northstar in Adult Basic Education centers to help learners build their digital skills and to enable them to participate in distance learning. We have seen libraries, AmeriCorps national service programs, workforce centers, community projects, and entire states adopt Northstar at a rapid pace, in large part due to the accessibility of the technology as well as active support from Literacy Minnesota staff in helping create digital literacy programming and professional development using Northstar. Northstar locations develop unique measures for evaluation. For instance, a Ramsey County (Minnesota) TechPak Initiative utilized Northstar and Literacy Minnesota’s diverse Digital Navigators in its project. An independent evaluator found the social return on investment of $2.40 for every dollar spent on this project.

Northstar is designed to easily scale, even in settings with limited staff and other resources. In addition to resources available free online and to Northstar subscribers, the Northstar team provides top-notch support with a live helpdesk and ongoing communication about upgrades, and requests feedback from testing sites.

Northstar has the potential to be a catalyst to enable broader impact collaboratively with others in this global digital inclusion space.

Northstar is in use globally, with the largest concentration of Northstar locations in the US, and subscriber locations in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and South Africa. An interactive map of all Northstar locations is available on the Northstar website at www.digitalliteracyassessment.org/locations.

Beyond this significant operating presence of Northstar locations, Northstar’s free web resources were accessed by people in 192 countries during the period April 2020 – April 2021. We hope to expand our operating presence primarily in countries and regions that are less developed, focusing especially on Africa, Spanish-speaking countries in the Western Hemisphere, and Southeast Asia. In preparation for this, we are working to provide translation capacity in non-English languages, as well as making all of our resources accessible via mobile devices.

We administered 221,089 assessments to 43,633 people over the past year via official test locations, and an additional 472,470 assessments via our public website. We have administered 5 million assessments from the time we began providing services.

We anticipate serving 320,000 individuals next year (this number is smaller than total assessments taken because many people take multiple assessments), and 2.3 million cumulatively in five years. This five-year total could climb significantly if we are selected as one of the Solver Teams, and build our team’s capacity and reach internationally.

Northstar will track: (1) the growth in Northstar locations and partnerships, which shows an increased mobilization of resources to end poverty (UN SDG 1.A), (2) the number of assessments completed overall, which demonstrates improved access to affordable, quality education (UN SDG 4.3) and to information and communications technology (UN SDG 9.C), and (3) the number of certificates and badges earned, which documents the increased number of youth and adults who have relevant skills (UN SDG 4.4). As a result of Northstar’s expansion, we expect to see significantly greater participation in the digital economy and the opportunity for all women and men to achieve full and productive employment (UN SDG 8.5)

In addition, the Northstar platform has been designed as a flexible tool for organizations to use to meet the needs of their local communities. Northstar locations may use assessments in different ways – for example as baseline measurements, as progress-monitoring tools, as entry points for career-based education, or as overall measurement of participants’ skill gaps for guiding program design. In Minnesota, for example, the state’s Adult Basic Education System uses Northstar Assessments as part of its skill-assessment process for individuals seeking an adult diploma. Workforce Centers in multiple states use Northstar Assessments for measuring individuals’ digital literacy skills within job training programs. A variety of reports built into the Northstar infrastructure allow individual locations to track their use and results in detail, while other reports allow Northstar staff to monitor use and progress overall.

Northstar is a program of Literacy Minnesota, a $5 million nonprofit organization with a mission to share the power of learning and a vision to advance equity and justice. Literacy Minnesota works in Minnesota and beyond to help individuals gain the basic literacy and digital literacy skills required to successfully navigate the workforce, advocate for themselves, continue their education, and address the needs of their families. Literacy Minnesota increasingly provides a range of training, professional development, and planning services nationally and internationally.

The Northstar team has 4 part-time staff and 4 part-time contractors.

Eric Nesheim, Executive Director Eric leads Literacy Minnesota and has multiple community leadership roles. He  serves on the Minnesota Governor's Workforce Development Council. He holds an M.A. in International Management.

Tom Cytron-Hysom, Manager, Northstar Digital Literacy A consultant specializing in adult education and digital literacy (25+ years), Tom guides Northstar’s development and scale-up. Tom holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership.

Jesse Morton, Lead Software Developer Jesse has 12+ years' software development experience. He has worked on educational technology teams at Universities of WI and MN and led multi-disciplinary software development teams at The Nerdery.

Theresa Sladek, National Partnerships and New Business Specialist Theresa helps organizations implement the Northstar platform and gathers best practices around digital navigation. She holds an M.A. in Counseling Psychology.

Leah Hague, Curriculum Coordinator Leah has 12+ years' experience working with adult learners as a teacher, curriculum writer, and site manager. She holds a M.A. in Teaching and K-12 ESL teaching license.

Christine Drieling, Curriculum Developer Christine holds a Teaching License from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Arts TESOL certification from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

Susan Wolf, Instructional Designer Susan is passionate about creating quality, research-based learning experiences that engage, motivate, and enhance learner knowledge and skills.

Isaac Muscanto, Curriculum Writer and Helpdesk Coordinator Isaac has taught digital literacy to adults through AmeriCorps and taught English in the US and abroad. He holds an M.A. in TESOL.

Literacy Minnesota has a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Governance Committee whose purpose is to uphold and promote two of Literacy Minnesota’s core values: individual dignity and equity/justice. This committee also guides the organization’s efforts to eliminate institutional policies that uphold systems of power and privilege and to advance individual opportunities for self-reflection and growth. DEI Governance Committee goals are to: (1) facilitate and/or coordinate regular opportunities for staff to engage in professional development activities related to diversity and inclusion, (2) develop and advocate for organizational strategies and policies to improve racial equity, diversity and representation; and (3) assist the organization in cultivating constituents (volunteers, members, learners, etc.) to become leaders in all levels of the organization. Literacy Minnesota is governed by a board of directors that has 20 members. There are three board seats filled by constituents: an adult learner, a volunteer tutor and an AmeriCorps VISTA national service member. Forty percent of Literacy Minnesota’s board members are people of color.

Northstar routinely incorporates diverse perspectives when we develop our online resources, making sure that we address various learning styles and practices, that a range of ethnicities are included in visual tools, that all of our resources and services are fully accessible; and that end users provide input into our work.. As we expand internationally, we plan to organize Northstar’s international outreach to include staff persons and/or contractors who have international experience and are representative of the demographic we intend to reach.

Literacy Minnesota knows that Northstar is a valuable tool and we have a responsibility to continue to develop our business model for wider application globally, so that millions more people can build their digital literacy skills in order to participate in the global economy and to live fulfilling lives. Of course we are interested in the $10K award and gaining exposure in the media and at conferences, but we are especially drawn by the 9-month program that will allow us to join the Solver Team peers and the MIT Solve network with access to strategic advice from experts who can assist with overcoming the barriers we described earlier, such as making connections to NGOs and other partners internationally and locating language and cultural experts to assist with this growth.

As described earlier, we seek advice and partners to support Northstar’s global expansion. Higher priority needs include sourcing talent to ensure our translated product fits the appropriate markets, business model strategy and development, marketing strategy and product distribution.

We are very interested in partners that could help us connect to international NGOs and governments working to help people build their digital literacy skills. We would also like to make additional in-roads with for-profit businesses; Northstar could be used as a tool to increase the technology skills of their internal personnel.

Northstar Digital Literacy is a highly accessible digital skills assessment, instruction, and certification platform that advances inclusion, digital literacy, and economic opportunity – which is the focus of The HP Prize for Advancing Digital Equity.

Northstar offers free digital skills assessments, and it provides low-cost curricula and self-directed online learning to organizational subscribers. Literacy Minnesota partners with governments, nonprofits, NGOs, libraries, businesses, and schools to evaluate and educate their participants.

Northstar has 1,500 subscriber locations in the U.S. and five additional countries. More than 5 million Northstar assessments have been taken since its launch in 2012. When Northstar is scaled globally, digital inclusion will be possible for millions more people and will provide an avenue to lift them out of poverty.