The role of digital teaching skills in the contemporary university

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62452/8reb2p79

Keywords:

Digital skills, educational innovation, digital literacy, digital pedagogy

Abstract

This article analyzes the fundamental role of digital teaching competencies in contemporary universities, highlighting that technological transformation has radically altered teaching, learning, and research processes. It emphasizes that digital competence is not limited to the technical use of tools but rather entails a set of skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values that enable teachers to integrate technology in a critical, ethical, and pedagogical manner. Models such as DigCompEdu and the HeDiCom Framework highlight six key areas, including digital pedagogy, student empowerment, assessment, resource creation, and academic leadership, establishing international standards adaptable to local contexts. The article emphasizes that these competencies facilitate active methodologies, such as project-based learning, the flipped classroom, and collaborative learning, promoting student motivation, personalized learning, and educational inclusion. It also points out that the pandemic highlighted gaps in digital literacy, infrastructure, and access, but also generated opportunities to rethink university teaching and strengthen communities of teaching practice. The integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, learning analytics, and immersive environments requires a thoughtful, strategic, and ethical approach that considers data protection, equity, and information reliability. Finally, it is concluded that the systematic development of digital competencies, supported by institutional policies, ongoing training, and academic leadership, is an essential requirement for ensuring educational quality, pedagogical innovation, and the development of critical and competent citizens in digital environments.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Acosta-Servín, S., Veytia-Bucheli, M. G., & Cáceres-Mesa, M. L. (2025). Innovar en la práctica docente. Desarrollo de competencias digitales en la Licenciatura. Sophia Editions.

Cabero-Almenara, J., Romero-Tena, R., Barroso-Osuna, J., & Palacios-Rodríguez, A. (2020). Marcos de competencias digitales docentes y su adecuación al profesorado universitario y no universitario. Revista Caribeña de Investigación Educativa, 4(2), 137–158. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/7598/759879724009.pdf

Chávez-Cárdenas, M. d. C., Fernández-Marín, M. Á., & Lamí-Rodríguez del Rey, L. E. (2025). Web educativa e inteligencia artificial: Transformando el aprendizaje contemporáneo. Sophia Editions.

Dang, T. D., Phan, T. T., Vu, T. N. Q., La, T. D., & Pham, V. K. (2024). Digital competence of lecturers and its impact on student learning value in higher education. Heliyon, 10(17), e37318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e37318

De la Fuente-González, S., Menéndez Álvarez-Hevia, D., & Rodríguez-Martín, A. (2025). Diseño Universal para el Aprendizaje. Una revisión sistemática de su papel en la formación docente. ALTERIDAD. Revista de Educación, 20(1), 113–128. https://doi.org/10.17163/alt.v20n1.2025.09

Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Qadri, M. A., & Suman, R. (2022). Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review. Sustainable Operations and Computers, 3, 275–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004

Instefjord, E. J., & Munthe, E. (2017). Educating Digitally Competent Teachers: A Study of Integration of Professional Digital Competence in Teacher Education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 37-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.05.016

Lohr, A., Sailer, M., Stadler, M., & Fischer, F. (2024). Digital learning in schools: Which skills do teachers need, and who should bring their own devices? Teaching and Teacher Education, 152, 104788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104788

Markauskaite, L., Carvalho, L., & Fawns, T. (2023). The role of teachers in a sustainable university: From digital competencies to postdigital capabilities. Educational Technology Research and Development, 71, 181–198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10199-z

Martin, F., & Xie, K. (2022). Digital transformation in higher education: 7 areas for enhancing digital learning. EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2022/9/digital-transformation-in-higher-education-7-areas-for-enhancing-digital-learning

McKinnon, C. (2023). The importance of digital skills in education. Evolllution. https://evolllution.com/programming/teaching-and-learning/the-importance-of-digital-skills-in-education

Padilla Escobedo, J. C., & Ayala Jiménez, G. G. (2021). Competencias digitales en profesores de educación superior de Iberoamérica: Una revisión sistemática. RIDE. Revista Iberoamericana para la Investigación y el Desarrollo Educativo, 12(23), e056. https://doi.org/10.23913/ride.v12i23.1096

Redecker, C., & Punie, Y. (2017). Digital competence of educators DigCompEdu. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2760/159770

Samarguliani, N. (2016). The role of digital learning in contemporary education. European Scientific Journal, Special Edition, 32–38. https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/8581/8211

Silva, J., Usart, M., & Lázaro-Cantabrana, J. (2019). Teacher’s digital competence among final year Pedagogy students in Chile and Uruguay. Comunicar, 61, 33-43. https://doi.org/10.3916/C61-2019-03

Tondeur, J., Howard, S., Van Zanten, M., Gorissen, P., Van der Neut, I., Uerz, D., & Kral, M. (2023). The HeDiCom framework: Higher Education teachers' digital competencies for the future. Educational technology research and development: ETR & D, 71(1), 33–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10193-5

Zhang, J., & Wu, Y. (2025). Impact of university teachers’ digital teaching skills on teaching quality in higher education. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2436706

Zou, Y., Kuek, F., Feng, W., & Cheng, X. (2025). Digital learning in the 21st century: Trends, challenges, and innovations in technology integration. Frontiers in Education, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1562391

Published

2025-12-21

How to Cite

Mahdavi-Zargari, S. . (2025). The role of digital teaching skills in the contemporary university. Revista Metropolitana De Ciencias Aplicadas, 9(1), 64-70. https://doi.org/10.62452/8reb2p79