Paper long abstract:

This study aims to integrate Digital and Media Literacy to the Curriculum of Higher Education Institutions (Universities) in Kyrgyzstan. Digital and Media literacy is important for every student in the information and social media age where students are overwhelmed with fake news and disinformation. Every student should be able to discern facts from fakes, information from opinion and possess such skills as fact checking and advanced searching for data and analyzing the data. In the age of big data, open data, meta data and open sources it is easy to find any data, interpret, analyze and use these data in research and investigations. Students who are digital and media literate should be able to do all above mentioned with data. Digital netizens as we call the current generation should know what is cyber security, cyber bullying, netiquette, surveillance, privacy issues in social media and also be not only content user but also content creator by producing their own content and sharing it. The aim of this study is to integrate Digital Literacy and Media Literacy Courses into the existing Curriculum of 55 Universities in Kyrgyzstan as a part of General Education Discipline for first year students.