Faculty of Science

Digital skills certificate (PIX)

PIX is a public project for an online assessment and certification platform, free of charge for students in the Faculty of Science. It will replace the brevet informatique et internet (B2i) and the certification informatique et internet niveau 1 from the start of the 2019 academic year.

C2i results from previous years

This new certification is based on a European framework (DigComp) and is becoming the benchmark for digital skills in higher education and all socio-professional environments.

Responsible for the Faculty of Science
Corinne Lautier:corinne.lautier@umontpellier.fr
IT Department - Triolet Campus.

Its aim is to help raise the general level of digital knowledge and skills, and thus prepare for the digital transformation of our entire society and economy.

Pix is a public platform for assessing and certifying digital skills throughout life. Each citizen can obtain a "digital" profile ranging from beginner to expert level (1 to 8).

PIX enables users to obtain a skills profile associated with a global score out of 1024 PIX by completing activities on a national platform available 24/7. In line with the European DIGCOMP reference framework, PIX will assess 16 digital skills in 5 main areas:

  • D1 : Information and data :
  1. Research and monitor information to meet information needs and keep abreast of current events on a given subject;
  2. Store and organize data for retrieval, preservation, easy access and management;
  3. Apply processing to data to analyze and interpret it.
  • D2: Communication and collaboration :
  1. Interact with individuals and small groups in a variety of private and professional contexts, on an ad hoc and recurring basis;
  2. Share and publish information and content to communicate your own productions or opinions, relay those of others in a public communication context;
  3. Collaborate in a group to carry out a project, co-produce resources, knowledge and data, and to learn;
  4. Master the strategies and challenges of online presence, and choose your practices to position yourself as a social, economic and civic player in the digital world, in line with its rules, limits and potential, and in accordance with your values and/or objectives.
  • D3 : Content creation :
  1. Produce documents with a predominantly textual content to communicate ideas, report on and promote their work;
  2. Develop documents with multimedia content to create your own multimedia productions, enrich your text-based creations or create a transformative work;
  3. Adapt documents of all types to their intended use and master the use of licenses to enable, facilitate and supervise use in various contexts;
  4. Write programs and algorithms to meet a need and develop rich content.
  • D4 : Data protection and security :
  1. Securing equipment, communications and data to guard against attacks, traps, inconveniences and incidents that can impair the proper functioning of hardware, software, websites, and compromise transactions and data;
  2. Control your tracks and manage personal data to protect your privacy and that of others, and adopt an enlightened practice ;
  3. Prevent and limit the risks generated by digital technology on health, well-being and the environment, but also take advantage of its potential to promote personal development, care, inclusion in society and the quality of living conditions, for oneself and for others.
  • D5 : The digital environment :
  1. Install, configure and enhance a digital environment (hardware, tools, services) to provide a framework adapted to the activities carried out, their context or values.
  2. Solving technical problems

The testsnot onlyassessknowledge, but also know-how andthe ability to identify digital issues.

Innovative assessment methods are proposed, going beyond the usual MCQ framework and favoring in silico measurement of skills based on activities carried out in their real digital environment: interaction, file manipulation, problem solving, creative production, peer assessment, etc.

If you've made progress, you can come back to the PIX platform to improve your profile.

PIX's contribution to the development of each individual's skills is threefold:

  1. PIX allows you to learn by testing yourself. In fact, a large proportion of PIX tests are designed as challenges in which you develop your skills.
  2. Based on the test results, PIX will also offer targeted training recommendations.
  3. Teaching teams will be able to monitor the evolution of students' skills, and design customized training strategies.

To demonstrate progress in a continuous and stimulating way, users will have a secure personal account that will enable them to demonstrate their new skills at their own pace and throughout their lives.

PIX offers an optional"certifying" mode, enabling you to obtain a reliable official certification recognized by the French education system, higher education and the professional world (CV), including at European level.

This additional test must be taken in class under examination conditions at the university.

PIX at Montpellier University's Faculty of Science

Since the start of the 2019-2020 academic year, Pix certification has been in place for students in all majors. At the start of the 2021-2022 academic year, it will be integrated as a pedagogical element in a TU general culture, first or second semester L2 (HA1G10H & HA2G12H respectively (4ects)) - seeTU here - but also in a TU with hybrid teaching HAV208I (2ects)

  • PEIP-bio: pix certification required to obtain diploma
  • CMI: pix certification required to obtain a diploma
  • L1 General Culture (semester 1 and semester 2) : pix certification is not compulsory for the course. However, pix certification is a prerequisiteforTU de Bioinfo HAV404V. This TU de bioinfo is compulsory in L2S4 for students in the "life sciences" degree program.

All students wishing or needing to take the pix certification (whatever their year of study) can enroll inTU HAV208I. This TU course can be taken as a complementary TU (0 Ects) and is essentially asynchronous distance learning.

The main Steps

  1. For these TU you need :
    1. A computer (keyboard + mouse). Tablets and telephones are not suitable. You can use the computers in the Faculty of Science. Rooms remain open until 8pm.
    2. You'll need to install and use only free software, both for practice and for certification.
    3. You don't need a basic level, you'll learn it yourself

=> There will be 2 continuous tests(non-presential - individual and autonomous work at home ≈ 25h) on specific Pix digital skills.

    1. These assignments are compulsory and form part of the final grade for theTU
    2. They must be completed and returned by a specific date

=> There will be 1 final exam: placement test(non face-to-face - individual and independent work at home ≈ 25h) on all 16 Pix digital skills.

    1. This test is compulsory.
    2. It must be completed and returned by a specific date:
    3. This positioning indicates to the student the level reached (from 1 to 6) in each numerical skill, as well as the number of points acquired. To be registered for the pix certification, you must achieve at least level 4 in each skill (or a number of pix >400).
    4. This final exam can be taken as many times as necessary to reach a score of 4, before the results are sent. The time limit depends on the date set for submission. This means students can improve their starting score and measure their progress, and send in their results whenever they like, before the deadline.

=> Catch-up: Passage of the Certification pix(Presential - Test on computer lasting 1h45 - this will be the catch-up mark)

    1. At the end of each semester, during the assessment weeks, students must take the certification test organized by the FDS (or theTU manager). This will validate the digital skills acquired, with reference to the last placement test completed.
    2. Students can only take the certification if they have taken the placement test, sent the results to the person in charge, and achieved level 4 in each skill (or pix points >400).
    3. The pix certification will be issued to the student after deliberation by the national jury, in digital format directly on the student's Pix account.

=> In conjunction with the national procedure, the TU HA1G10H & HA2G12Hproposeface-to-face training in the form of TD(3h)/TP(6h) for students, to help them pass this certification.TU HAV208I,offers the pix certification after distance learning, mostly asynchronous using videos.

However, the assessment for these TU is the same and is based on 3 scores obtained on the pix assessment platform to be sent to the TU manager:

- CC1: Test the following pix skills (homework ≈15h)

      1. Competence pix 1.3: Data processing
      2. Competence pix 2.3: Collaboration
      3. Competence pix 3.1: Developing text documents

- CC2: Test the following pix skills (homework ≈15h)

      1. Competencies pix 3.2: Developing multimedia documents
      2. Compétences pix 3.3 : Adapt documents to their purpose
      3. Skills pix 3.4 : Programming

- Final exam: Test the 16 skills from the pix platform (homework ≈15h).

- Note de rattrapage : Note obtenu à l'examen de la certification pix

Understanding videos

What you need to know about Pix certification

What you need to know about Pix certification

She explains:

  • When is it due?
  • What are we assessed on?
  • How is certification issued?
  • When is it not?

Pix certification in practice

Pix certification in practice

It outlines three key stepsfor a worry-free certification process (before, on D-day and after)