Unveiling University Students’ Perceptions on Their Teachers’ Digital Competence

The purpose of the article is to examine the methodological features of forming digital competence among general secondary education ‎teachers through the activities of educational hubs and to reveal the potential for using digital services in teacher training. This study ‎addresses one of the most important issues in the modern educational process – the formation of digital competence among educators, which ‎is viewed as a key condition for the New Ukrainian School concept and an essential skill for life in contemporary society. An analysis of ‎scientific approaches to the interpretation of "digital competence" term is conductedю Researchers consider a teacher's digital competence ‎not only as a set of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for the effective use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in ‎the educational process; it also encompasses the ability to integrate digital tools into the educational process, create interactive content, ‎organize distance learning, and ensure safety in the digital environment. The results of a study of digital competence level among future ‎general secondary education (GSE) teachers are described. The study was conducted at Nizhyn State University named after Mykola Hohol. ‎The sample consisted of 110 students from the 1st to 4th years in the field of Education/Pedagogy. The study results confirmed the ‎necessity and interest of students in enhancing their digital competence, leading to the establishment of an educational hub for future teachers. ‎Scientific approaches are summarized, and a unique definition of the term "educational hub" is formulated, which is viewed as a center that ‎unites various educational initiatives with a focus on innovation and modern teaching approaches. The main idea of such a hub is to create ‎an environment where students, educators, and teachers can collaborate, share knowledge, and generate new ideas. The contributions of ‎faculty within the Department of Pedagogy, Primary Education, Psychology, and Management, along with higher education students, in the ‎activities of various educational hubs are described, highlighting lesson developments and author projects using different electronic ‎educational resources. The results of a training program within the educational hub focused on forming digital competencies for future ‎teachers are outlined, demonstrating its effectiveness. The program content included acquiring new knowledge and skills, mastering various ‎digital technologies, the ability to search for, analyze, and critically evaluate information from diverse sources, and skills in creating games, ‎presentations, interactive exercises, and mind maps. It also includes creating engaging content; developing critical thinking abilities and ‎problem-solving skills through digital technologies, and selecting appropriate digital tools to achieve educational goals, as well as ‎developing interactive tasks and projects‎.

With the rapid development of digital technologies, education is faced with the need to integrate modern digital tools into the learning process, which makes cyberpedagogy a prominent area of research. The purpose of the present study was to identify the effects of digital educational technologies on student engagement and academic performance, and to analyse the effectiveness of the Kahoot platform in the learning process. To fulfil this purpose, the study employed the methods of theoretical analysis of scientific literature, empirical research with questionnaire survey of students, as well as comparative analysis of control and experimental groups. The study assessed students’ digital competences before and after training in the use of the Kahoot platform. The study found that pre-training in digital tools positively influenced the level of mastery: in the experimental group, the number of students confidently using the platform increased by 46%, while in the control group the changes were minimal. The analysis revealed that digital educational tools helped to increase the engagement and interactivity of the learning process and improved the perception of learning material. It was found that the use of interactive platforms contributed to the development of students’ independence, stimulated their cognitive activity, and helped to form critical thinking skills. The key competences of a teacher necessary for the effective use of digital technologies in educational activities were identified, including technological literacy, adaptability, and the ability to integrate digital teaching methods. The practical value of the study lies in the possibility of using its findings by university and college teachers to optimise the educational process, as well as in the development of methodological recommendations for the implementation of digital educational tools in teaching practice, which will make learning more accessible, interactive, and effective

The integration of digital learning tools in school science classes has garnered significant attention, prompting an investigation into their effects on student engagement and achievement. This study examines the impact of students' access to technology, teachers' digital competency, and the frequent use of digital tools on the engagement and academic performance of middle school students in science subjects. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 309 middle school science teachers across 45 public schools in Punjab, Pakistan, through validated, self-administered questionnaires. Six hypotheses were formulated and tested using SPSS and SmartPLS. The findings indicate that access to technology, teachers' digital competency, and the frequent use of digital tools positively influence student engagement and achievement in science. Digital tools significantly enhance engagement by providing interactive and personalized learning experiences, leading to increased motivation and interest among students. Furthermore, improved academic outcomes are evident in higher test scores and performance in science assessments. Teachers also noted a positive shift in classroom dynamics, characterized by increased collaboration and inquiry among students. These results highlight the critical need for ongoing investment in educational technology and professional development for educators to fully leverage the benefits of digital learning tools.

The concept of digital competences incorporates the effective use of constantly-changing digital tools and media for learning and performing digital tasks, digital behaviours (such as online communication, teamwork, ethical sharing of information), as well as digital mindsets that value lifelong digital learning and development. The current pandemic crisis has accelerated the need to diagnose and understand more systematically Higher Education students’ digital competences and the way in which they shape academic performance and outcomes. This empirical study explores the digital competences of students, studying in Law related courses, by means of a self-assessment survey tool, which has been previously tested with information and library science students, and was developed to study students’ technology mastery (i.e. the abilities, competences, capabilities and skills required for using digital technology, media and tools) and their digital citizenship mindsets (consisting of attitudes and behaviours necessary to develop as a critical, reflective and lifelong learners). The study found age demographic differences, which presented significant correlations pointing to the presence of diverse levels of competences in the student group. Correlation statistics of the survey data demonstrated that students’ prior everyday participation as a digital citizen was connected to a number of important academic skills, such as the ability to identify information in different contexts, students’ digital learning and development, their digital abilities to complete academic work, their information literacy skills and their skills around managing their digital wellbeing and identity. Focus groups data with academics revealed that they valued the development of students’ digital competences for the purposes of learning, while studying at university and placed less emphasis on digital citizenship skills. These academics also considered the value of digital platforms and tools (the focus on ‘ICT Proficiency’) to be more relevant for academic study than digital citizenship mindsets.

This article addresses the l issue of digital competence of foreign language teachers of higher educational institutions. Digital competence plays an important role in the successful teaching and learning of foreign languages. The study presents findings on the digital competence of foreign language teachers before the COVID-19 pandemic and examines how crisis-induced changes have influenced their professional development. The research explores various aspects of digital competence among foreign language teachers, including knowledge of computer programs, application of Internet resources, integration of multimedia tools in the educational process, and effective use of digital tools for evaluation and student collaboration. The authors also research the existing training programs for teachers on digital technologies and suggest methods for organizing effective training courses on digital competence for foreign language educators. The article highlights the challenges encountered by teachers when incorporating digital tools into their work, such as limited resources, apprehension towards new technologies, and restricted access to educational platforms. Conclusions are drawn on the significance of digital competence for foreign language teachers and its impact on students’ foreign language proficiency, motivation, and engagement in the educational process. In conclusion, the article emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development for foreign language teachers in the realm of digital competence. It also underscores the necessity of creating a supportive environment that encourages the seamless integration of digital technologies in higher education institutions. Overall, the article contributes to the study of digital competence of foreign language teachers and the integration of digital tools into higher education.

Adoption of online teaching platforms for reaching learners and including technologies in lesson delivery was never so crucial before the Pandemic. The shift from regular classroom teaching to distant learning during the pandemic presented many challenges to educators. This study explored the correlation between teachers’ digital competency and their self-efficacy during distant teaching. This research employed a quantitative approach, and a questionnaire was administered to a sample of teaching staff from Karachi's southern region. 155 respondents participated in this research including 85 Nursery teachers and 70 from lower primary level(I–II). The questionnaire included questions on factors for digital competency and teachers’ self-efficacy in separate sections. The digital competency section assessed teachers' proficiency in using digital tools, platforms, and technologies relevant to online teaching. The self-efficacy section measured teachers' beliefs in their capabilities to perform specific tasks related to two factors, which were instructional strategies and students’ engagement. Data analysis included correlation analysis to find the relationship between teachers' digital competency and self-efficacy , instructional strategies and students engagement .Correlation values (.839) , (.727) and (.764) where p < .001 revealed statistically significant relationship between the research variables, concluding the significant role of digital competencies in online teaching. The findings further highlighted the importance of professional training in equipping teachers with technical knowledge and digital competence in order to use online teaching tools with high self-efficacy, which will eventually improve their overall performance in online lesson delivery. Additional qualitative and quantitative research is suggested on further factors that influence teachers’ self-efficacy in their online teaching through digital resources.

The seamless integration of new digital technologies into higher education teaching and learning has transformed education pedagogies and changed how students learn. The students are now required to have digital competencies to survive in the era of learning with technology; therefore, measuring the students' digital competencies is of utmost importance. This study evaluates the first-year university students' digital competencies at a higher education institute using a newly designed digital literacy measuring tool named digitlitfj. The digitlitfj is an online tool consisting of a 5 point Likert scale questionnaire ranging from `No understanding' to `Advanced level of understanding' that was piloted to the first-year university students. The results show that 86.15% of the students were average to very highly digitally literate. Also, Deep learning, Support Vector Machine, Random Forest and Decision Tree algorithms in RapidMiner were used to evaluate the most important and influential variables in predicting an individual's digital literacy competency. The results show that all the variables utilized in the research were important, with computer literacy being the most influential variable in predicting an individual's digital literacy.

The article defines the trends of digitalization in the training of teachers in the Republic of Poland. It concludes that modern education must keep up with the changing world by focusing on shaping teachers' digital competencies, personalizing teaching, using digital technologies and learning tools, actively implementing blended learning, lifelong learning, and project-based learning. By integrating and adopting these trends into the educational process in higher education institutions, future teachers will be better prepared for their future professional careers and will be able to respond to the challenges of the modern job market. Digital tools that influence the new role of the university include platforms and applications that facilitate distance learning and contribute to a paradigm shift in teaching and learning at higher education institutions. The article also explores the active use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the Republic of Poland. To achieve the research goals and objectives a combination of general scientific methods are used in the study, including theoretical methods such as analysis and synthesis to determine the main directions of research on the peculiarities of digitalization of teachers' training in Poland; empirical methods to study the regulatory and legal framework of the digitalization, the works of domestic and foreign researchers regarding the digitalization of teachers' training and education in general; and statistical processing of research results to obtain quantitative and qualitative data. Since the issue of digitalization trends in the training of teachers in the Republic of Poland is insufficiently studied, further research on the chosen problem is relevant and timely. It will contribute to adopting all the current positive trends in the educational space of Ukraine.

<p>Despite the increase in massive open online courses (MOOCs), evidence about the pedagogy of learning in MOOCs remains limited. This paper reports on an investigation into the pedagogy in one MOOC - Oxford Brookes University’s ‘First Steps in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’ MOOC (FSLT12).</p><p>FSLT12 was an open and free professional development opportunity for people moving into HE teaching. It was a small course (200 participants registered from 24 countries) which was focused on introducing HE teaching skills, and, uniquely, to deliberately integrate open academic practice as a vital part of professional development for HE teachers. A qualitative, case-study approach was used in the research, based on surveys, interviews, and social media, to provide evidence about how people learned in this course and consider wider implications for teaching and learning in higher education.</p><p>The evidence shows that participants who completed the course were able to learn autonomously and navigate the distributed platforms and environments. The most challenging issues were acceptance of open academic practice and difficulty in establishing an academic identity in an unpredictable virtual environment. An interesting and significant feature of the course was the support for learners from a number of MOOC ‘veterans’ who served as role models and guides for less experienced MOOC learners.</p><p>The research shows that small task-oriented MOOCs can effectively support professional development of open academic practice.</p>

The mass implementation of digital technology in professional activity and everyday life causes increasing demands for training future teachers who are responsible for preparing the young generation to participate efficiently in modern society. Thus, the article reveals the relevant issue of future teachers’ professional development through implementing digital competence framework. The development of teachers’ digital competence is a target of a number of foreign and Ukrainian researchers. The theoretical determination of the concept “digital competence” and “digital literacy” are represented in works by D. Belshaw, P. Gilster, N. Hockly, N. Sonck, S. Livingstone, E. Kuiper and others. Terminological clarification of these concepts are highlighted in the researches of Ukrainian scientists (V. Bykov, L. Havrilova, O. Danylchuk, M. Zhaldak, A. Kolomiiets, O. Sysoieva, I. Smyrnov, O. Spirin and others).The purpose of the paper is to present the theoretical justification of the digital competence framework for future teachers and in such a way to contribute to their professional development.In this paper, the author proves that digital competence is a constituent part of professional competence. The structure of digital competence is characterized and visualized. It contains the following elements: ICT fluency; data, information and media literacy; digital self-development; communication, networking, participating; digital innovation and creation. The detailed analysis of European Framework for Digital Competence of Educators shows the elements of the competence, such as professional engagement, digital resources, teaching and learning, assessment, empowering learners, and facilitating learners’ digital competence. The author emphasizes on the necessity to include the following element to the framework: motivation and positive self-perception, new methodologies for digital competence development. As they are essentioal for implementing digital technologies in educational process, as well as allows to establish indicators for evaluating the level of its development.It is concluded that regarding to the different aspects of future teachers’ digital competence, which we have expounded on in this paper, clearly reflects all the demands, which should be taken into consideration, while designing digital competence framework for educators in Ukraine according to educational reforming and upgrading process, as well as the relationship that must be established between the major components of teachers’ digital competence.

Over the last decade, learning and working in medicine have been increasingly influenced by digital tools and the “digital transformation” is now a popular topic. Today’s medical students are growing up in a digital age in which digital tools and devices are a regular part of their professional life. Digital transformation in healthcare is not just about technology but strategy and new ways of thinking. Developing digital competence is essential to health professional education to increase confidence in accessing the best evidence for clinical practice. Healthcare lecturers play a crucial role in promoting the acquisition of digital competencies and therefore need to be digitally competent themselves. This study aims to identify teachers’ digital competence at one medical college using the framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu). A total of 47 medical college teacher participated. The results confirmed that the self-assessment instrument developed is reliable, valid, and thus suitable for measuring teachers’ digital competence. Generally, values are centred across the four major competence categories, and most participants obtain a score at the intermediate (B1) level. Investing in teacher training aimed at practical work with students is necessary, as the area showing the most significant weaknesses is Area 5: Empowering Learners. In particular, teachers also need to help their students use technologies in their education.

In today’s complex world, a continuous upgrade of knowledge is crucial. Digital literacy, as one of the key competencies of the 21st century, is becoming more critical since it enables an efficient use of digital devices and tools. The European Union has set five key competencies for digital literacy, including informational and data literacy, digital content creation and communication and collaboration. In education, communication is widely accepted as a crucial skill for achieving common goals. Collaborative learning has proven to be a practical approach to teaching since it encourages the active participation of learners, provides many valuable and innovative solutions, and enables the development of key competencies. The collaborative workability can be further enhanced through cross-curricular integration, where learners are taught independent learning, information-seeking skills and critical thinking. In the school context, combining digital competencies, collaborative learning, and cross-curricular integration is key to preparing students for life in the modern world. This research presents an example of developing digital competencies in technology engineering lessons. The example above is offered in three stages and covers a period of ten school lessons. In addition to digital competencies, students are developing other competencies that will benefit their daily lives. Research is aimed at teachers who want to build digital competencies in their students through experiential learning, collaborative work, and cross-curricular integration, as well as prepare them for future challenges. Keywords: digital competences, digital literacy, cross-curricular approaches, cooperative learning, technology and engineering learning, technology and engineering literacy

The article examines the essence of the concept of "digital competence" and establishes that it is an important component of the general professional competence of a modern teacher. Its components and content are outlined, it is stated that digital competence includes interaction with digital devices and modern technologies for learning, work and social activities. Particular attention is paid to the conditions for future elementary school teachers to acquire digital competence in the modern digital informational educational environment. The main advantages of the modern digital information educational environment are: ensuring wide access to learning at a convenient time and, accordingly, increasing the speed of passing the educational program by individual students; creation of conditions for implementation of differentiated and complex training; changing the main role of designing educational tasks from the role of the teacher; transformation of the organization, management and evaluation of education, presentation of educational materials and management of the educational process. It has been proven that digital competence requires constant development for effective professional activity in today's changing environment. Acquiring digital competence contributes to the general development of the competencies of the future primary school teacher, increases his professional skills, ensures competitiveness in the labor market, promotes personal development, continuous education, develops the ability to apply acquired knowledge and integrate it into existing knowledge, actively use digital technologies in the educational process, increases the quality of education. The formation and development of digital competence is considered as a process of acquiring stable, integrated and systematized knowledge in pedagogy, psychology, informatics, computer technologies, teaching methods, the ability to apply them in new situations, personal qualities and the ability to achieve significant results in professional activities. It can be concluded that the implementation of digital technologies in education is not only the use of new digital tools, but above all the creation of an environment that offers innovative learning opportunities, designing individual educational routes and creating unique educational electronic/digital products.

The purpose of the article is to expand on the knowledge of playful learning in higher education through a Design-Based Research study across Danish social education and teacher education. It aims to develop a conceptual framework for playful learning in boundary-crossing collaboration within higher education pedagogy, with the study's empirical analysis examining three distinct voices of playful learning of experimentation (e.g., explorative, open-ended, creative collaboration), affectivity (e.g., emotional, sensory, and atmospheric collaboration), and relations (e.g., cultural, democratic, and polyphonic collaboration). The voices are polyphonic, though they are all expressed as social, active, and experiential ways of knowing and learning situated in playful framings outside 'ordinary' taéaching and learning. Finally, the article discusses tensions in developing playful learning in boundary-crossing collaboration between paradoxical longings for both conceptual unity and diversity, amid control and openness, which influences both practical applications and theoretical implications of developing playful learning in adult higher education.

Digital competence in higher education research: A systematic literature review