The DCE Planner: A Curriculum Framework (Council of Europe)



The Digital Citizenship Education (DCE) Planner is an innovative curriculum framework designed by the Council of Europe to help integrate digital citizenship education into schools with precision and flexibility. Targeted at educators, school leaders, and policymakers, this resource includes over 320 learning outcomes aligned with 10 core digital citizenship domains, such as media literacy, ethics, inclusion, and critical thinking.

The Planner is organized by age groups (5–7, 8–11, 12–15, 16–18), making it adaptable for early education through late adolescence. Each outcome focuses on skills, values, attitudes, and knowledge appropriate to the developmental stage of learners. For instance, younger learners may explore sharing technology fairly, while older students might examine gender equality in tech development or evaluate misinformation online.

The Planner’s strength lies in its modularity. Teachers can select outcomes that fit their school’s context, while administrators can use it to shape policy and assess impact. It also encourages educators to design cross-curricular lessons that reflect real-world challenges students face in the digital environment.

Importantly, the DCE Planner doesn’t treat digital literacy as purely technical. It frames digital citizenship as essential for democratic participation, inclusion, and ethical responsibility. Learners are guided to not only use digital tools but also to reflect on their impacts and develop a strong digital presence grounded in values.

In an age where digital interactions shape identity, learning, and participation, the DCE Planner serves as a strategic and practical roadmap. It empowers educators to prepare students not just to survive online, but to lead with integrity in digital society.