Articles listed on this page are authored or co-written by members of Centre for Digital Methods and Media.
Some articles are published directly by CDMM Publications and offered in free PDF editions.
Other articles may be from external publishers, with varying formats and conditions for access.
A Matrix for Testing IT Proficiency - History and General Design by Asger Harlung, 2026.
Abstract:
This article provides the history of, and the background for the underlying design for an IT proficiency test which was originally designed for researchers concerned with a specific research area (web history) in 2019, and redesigned and updated for students and researchers in the digital humanities in 2025-6.
As in the original version, the redesigned test takes it offset in large-scale research conducted by the OECD, and addresses IT skills as a matter of performance rather than experience with specific programs or expertise in specific technical areas. The test thus seeks to show users their proficiency in employing IT skills on an abstract level, rather than assessing their specific know-how. Based on the user’s input, the results of the test are conveyed in a way where users can assess their own skill level and what they can do to improve it.
The article discusses the implications and advantages of performance-based measuring of skills over the traditional operational approach. The performance-based approach has been rare, and the test in its original form seems to have been the first public IT skill test with this approach. The redesigned version from CDMM may still be the only one in this category.
The article is published alongside the public release in 2026 of the updated version of the test, which is available for public use on the CDMM website: CDMM’s IT Proficiency Test.
Get the article here.
