When we realized that asking for help isn’t a weakness

April 2025

“I won’t ask. I’ll figure it out myself.”

Mr. Andrej said this quietly, almost to himself. He was sitting at the computer, trying to submit an application via an online form. There were numerous fields. Some were mandatory. Some were unclear.

He persisted for ten minutes. Clicking back and forth. Reading the instructions. When the system reported an error, he sighed deeply.

“I’ll get it.”

The participant next to him was watching. After a few moments, she leaned slightly toward him. “Maybe you need to check this box here,” she said cautiously.

He hesitated for a moment. Then he handed her the mouse.

She clicked a box he hadn’t noticed before. The form refreshed. The error disappeared.

There was a brief silence.

“Thank you,” he said. And for the first time that day, he smiled.

That moment wasn’t about the form. It was about cooperation.

Learning used to be an individual endeavor

In school, we sat at our own desks. Copying was forbidden. Asking for help was often seen as cheating. Knowledge was considered personal property.

Today, the digital world works differently. Documents are created collaboratively. Ideas circulate. Solutions are shared. Online forums are based on questions and answers.

Collaboration is no longer the exception. It is the way things work.

And this is precisely what DigComp Competence 2.4—collaboration using digital technologies—brings. It is not merely about working together on a document, but about the willingness to ask questions, listen, and contribute.

Fear of Asking Questions

At UPI Žalec, we often notice that adult participants are reluctant to ask for help. Not because they don’t need it, but because they want to prove that they can manage on their own. In their world, independence is a virtue.

But the digital environment requires a different understanding of power. Asking a question is not a sign of weakness, but a tool for progress.

When Mr. Andrej didn’t want to ask, it wasn’t about stubbornness. It was about dignity. When he accepted help, he didn’t lose his dignity. He gained a new experience.

Technology as a Shared Space

Digital platforms enable document sharing, collaborative editing, and commenting. But all of this is meaningless without a culture of collaboration.

In one of the workshops, we divided the participants into pairs. The task was simple: to prepare a short document together. One person wrote, the other formatted. Then they switched roles.

At first, there was a sense of unease. Who would make the decisions? Who was right? Who was more skilled?

But after a few minutes, the dynamic shifted. They began to talk. To explain. To suggest.

The digital tool became a space for dialogue.

Reflection within the organization

We, the staff members, also had to reflect on how we collaborate with one another. Do we share materials? Do we help each other with technical challenges? Do we learn from one another?

The project encouraged us to create more shared documents, more open communication, and more exchange of experiences.

Collaboration is not just a method of working with participants. It is the culture of the organization.

Help as Part of Competence

When Mr. Andrej finished filling out the form, he said, “Next time, I’ll be the one helping someone else.”

And that was a significant moment. Collaboration isn’t a one-way street. It’s a cycle. Today you receive help; tomorrow you offer it.

Digital competencies are not an individual collection of skills. They are a network of relationships. In a digital environment, rarely does anyone progress entirely on their own.

At UPI Žalec, we have learned through practice that the most progress occurs when participants begin to help one another. When the fear of asking questions is alleviated. When it is understood that collective knowledge surpasses that of the individual.

And perhaps this is one of the quietest yet most profound changes in digital learning: the realization that independence does not mean isolation.

Sometimes it means simply knowing how to say, “Can you show me?”