Self-perception for teachers' digital competence in Latina University

Authors

DOI: https://doi.org/10.6018/riite.642381
Keywords: Teachers digital competence, Self-perception, Higher Education, Educational Technology

Abstract

It is essential for higher education institutions to prioritize strategies and procedures aimed at enhancing digital teaching skills among faculty. This research focuses on a self-perception evaluation to determine the level of Teacher Digital Competence (TDC) and its correlation with factors such as gender, age, university faculty and type of contract.

The study utilized the COMDID-A self-assessment instrument to measure TDC across four dimensions: Didactics, Curriculum and Methodology; Planification, Organization, Space Management and Digital Technological Resources; Relationships, Ethic, and Security, and Personal and Professional Development. The findings revealed that teachers, on average, possess a medium level of digital competence. Notably, male teachers under the age of 61 from the faculties of Engineering and Technology, as well as from Graduate School, reported higher self-perceived TDC levels compared to the average across other faculties. However, these results did not show significant correlation between the TDC self-perception and the type of contract held by teachers. Furthermore, no substantial differences were found between faculties regarding the individual dimensions of TDC, though the Personal and Professional Development dimension tended to be perceived more strongly.

These findings underscore the need for targeted training initiatives, potentially through innovative pedagogical models or projects, to further enhance faculty digital skills. Additionally, future research should explore the relationship between TDC dimensions and factors such as years of experience and academic discipline across university faculties.

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Author Biographies

Aleida Chavarría, Universidad Latina de Costa Rica

Aleida Chavarría is a Professor at the Graduate School and Dean of Social Sciences of Universidad Latina de Costa Rica with a Bachelor degree in Preschool Education from Universidad Nacional of Costa Rica, a Master of Science from East Carolina University and active student of the Doctorate program Educational Technology, Universidad Rovira i Virgili from Tarragona, Spain. She has taught several undergraduate and postgraduate courses from the School of Education. She has been involved in the research area, addressing studies about the use of platform technologies, teacher digital competences, hybrid learning environments, remote teaching, bilingualism in early childhood education and participated in various national and international conferences. Being the main fields of investigation the sciences of the educational, pedagogy and social sciences, she publishes scientific articles.

Ramon Palau, Universidad Rovira i Virgili

He has a doctorate in Educational Technology and works as a researcher and professor at the Rovira i Virgili University. His research work is carried out within the ARGET research group, focused on educational technology and its applications in teaching and learning processes. Throughout his career, he has actively contributed to various projects and has taken on the role of principal investigator in two competitive research projects.

The author's research covers three different lines. First, it explores topics related to the concept of the Smart Classroom. The second line of research delves into the Flipped Classroom and Flipped Learning, along with their evolution. The last line of research focuses on the evaluation of teachers' digital competence. The results of these investigations are disseminated through the publication of more than 80 articles.

Raul Santiago, Universidad de La Rioja

Raul Santiago is a Doctor of Educational Sciences from the University of Navarra. Currently, he is tenured professor (on leave) of the Area of Didactics and School Organization at the University of La Rioja.  He has been the director of the Multimedia Resources Area and the Higher Language Center of the Public University of Navarra. He is a professor in the degrees of Social Education, Pedagogy, and Psychology at the National University of Distance Education (UNED).  He is the author and co-author of several books and is the coordinator of the worldwide research group on the Flipped Learning model. He collaborates with various educational institutions in Chile, Argentina, Panama, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru and the United States in advising on the implementation of methodological and didactic transformation programs.  He is currently the director of Learning and Development of 3PBiovian, developing his work in corporate training.

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Published
01-06-2025
How to Cite
Chavarría, A., Palau, R., & Santiago, R. (2025). Self-perception for teachers’ digital competence in Latina University. RiiTE Interuniversity Journal of Research in Educational Technology, (18), 49–67. https://doi.org/10.6018/riite.642381
Issue
No. 18 (2025): In memorian Francisco Martínez
Section
ARTÍCULOS

Copyright (c) 2025 Aleida Chavarría, Ramon Palau, Raul Santiago

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