While students live in a world where sharing many aspects of their lives is a way to find fulfillment and connection, they are also facing increased scrutiny and surveillance from employers and peers. A post, a tweet, or a BeReal might derail not only their personal life but their professional one as well. As university educators and staff, how are we helping students to navigate this space? And how can we build students’ digital identity while keeping them engaged and motivated?

This interactive session will look at the importance of these questions and go further into building student confidence around digital identity decision-making using the AEST Digital Learning Strategy competencies and self-efficacy as a framework. Attendees in this session will learn about how to apply classroom tested activities and resources that create space for a variety of complex digital identity discussions using a collaborative, human-centered approach. It will also touch on how and why incorporating supportive learning spaces for mental health and wellbeing is central to students’ conception of digital identity. Finally, together, attendees and presenters will collaboratively build practices to help students navigate social media, digital presence, digital privacy.

This session is facilitated by the Digital Tattoo Project team (digitaltattoo.ubc.ca), a cross-institutional students-as partners collaborative venture between UBC Library, the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, UBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, and the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information, and Technology (ICCIT), and the University of Toronto. We seek to engage students and community members in the evolving and on-going conversations about online identity through flexible sustainable open education materials.