Yu Zhao

Bio: Yu Zhao is an academic researcher from University of Salamanca. The author has contributed to research in topics: Higher education & Knowledge society. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 5 publications receiving 20 citations.

Digital competence in higher education research: A systematic literature review

Abstract: In the information and knowledge society, where technology develops rapidly and penetrates deeply into our lives, the discussion about digital competence has become a hot topic today. After the emergence of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and with its huge impact on the education industry, the concern about digital competence has reached a new height. This systematic literature review uses Web of science and Scopus as databases to store and analyze the existing research on digital competence in higher education settings. The purpose of this review is to provide the scholar community with a current overview of digital competence research from 2015 to 2021 in the context of higher education regarding the definition of digital competence, dimensions used to evaluate digital competence, research purposes, methodologies, and results and limitations. Major findings include that the majority of publications cited both research and EU policy in describing the definition of digital competence. The review indicates that most university students and teachers have a basic level of digital competence. Besides, the institutions of higher education are encouraged to focus on the development students and teachers’ digital competence, create relevant learning strategies and use appropriate tools to improve the quality of education.

Digital Competence in Higher Education: Students’ Perception and Personal Factors

Abstract: University students are expected to have the appropriate digital competence to face the demands of the changing educational model and to meet the challenges of the future work. This paper describes university students’ perceptions of digital competence and analyzes the impact of personal factors on digital competence in a sample of 5164 students from all majors in the first and fourth year of their studies at Gansu Agricultural University (China). A quantitative methodology was followed, employing a non-experimental method and the survey technique to collect data. The results obtained show that students’ perceptions of digital competencies in terms of information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, and safety were positive. Furthermore, there were significant differences in students’ self-perceptions of digital competence related to gender, grade level, area of residence, and prior relevant training in the DigComp framework-based instrument. The development of key competency areas for digital competence, such as the creation of digital content, should be promoted, along with helping students to gain knowledge when dealing with everyday technological issues. The need for training related to the use of ICT and digital competencies was also highlighted, as well as supporting the promotion of female students in selected areas of digital competence and assisting lower grade students and students from rural areas in digital competence development.

The Impact of Gender and Years of Teaching Experience on College Teachers’ Digital Competence: An Empirical Study on Teachers in Gansu Agricultural University

Abstract: With the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the emergence of the Corona virus (COVID-19,) our way of life and even our education have been affected. The education approach has changed from traditional tutorials to online education. As a result, it has been a necessary for not only students but also teachers to improve their digital competence. The aim of this study was to describe in-service teachers’ self-perceptions of digital competence in the context of higher education and analyze the impact of gender and years of teaching experience on college teachers’ digital competence. For this purpose, a quantitative methodology has been used. A sample of 536 in-service teachers from Gansu Agricultural University, China, completed a questionnaire on digital competence. The data were collected in the academic year of 2019–2020. The results show that the sample considered themselves positively in information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, security and problem solving, while they self-evaluated their digital content creation negatively. Regarding the variables studied, significant differences were found in favor of male college teachers in the perception of digital competence. In relation to the teaching experience, teachers with less teaching experience thought themselves better in the areas of communication and collaboration, digital content creation, security and problem solving.

An Empirical Study of Students and Teaching Staff's Digital Competence in Western China: Based on a case study of Gansu Agricultural University

Abstract: The society in the digital age is constantly evolving and advancing. At the same time, the emergence of new media, combined with a sea of access to information has also led to changes not only in our daily life but also in education and educational system. Information and communications technology (ICT) tools have already played an important role in our lives. In the aspect of education, we cannot ignore their influences and new challenges they have brought. Amid constantly-changing digital environment that contains the new conditions of interaction technologies, technological tools, digitization, informationalization and multimodality, the traditional literacy becomes outdated and thus the digital competence has become an important factor when people integrate into the contemporary society, helping them adapt to the modern trends and improve their competitiveness. The main objectives of this doctoral thesis are to investigate the actual status about digital competence of university students and teachers in China, especially western China, create their own digital competence profile. First, a systematic literature review is conducted to introduce and clarify the concept of digital competence, compare relevant skills, related policy, literacy and its development for higher education in the knowledge society. Secondly, conduct an empirical study on students and teachers of Gansu agricultural University that located in the west of China as a case study, in order to analyze their digital competence level, attitude, difficulties in using technological tool in educational context and collect their suggestions, besides, provide information for new teaching strategies and recommendation for improving the digital competence.

Digital Competence in higher education:A case study of teachers’ perception of working with technologies

Abstract: With the development of technological tools and the changing world situation, digital competence is becoming increasingly important to our current knowledge society and it has played an important role in the learning process. However, the measurement of digital competencies is a challenge in further understanding their development in practice. This study attempts to analyze the teachers’ perception of using ICT tools in educational activities and their digital competence in the context of higher education. A self-report questionnaire and an interview were used to collect data. The survey was completed by a sample of 536 teachers who worked in different faculties in Gansu Agricultural University in China. The results described the profile of participants' digital competence and revealed their thought about using ICT tools in class. We found that in general, teachers considered themselves as positive in several sections of digital competence, but they also expressed their weak point in digital content creation. Moreover, teachers expressed using ICT tool in class was very important with mentioned training that deficient digital competence related training may lead difficulties in the process of teaching.

The digital divide

Abstract: This paper asks the question, why, when computing is available in a socially situated, convenient environment, at no cost, do people choose not to compute?

Digital competence assessment methods in higher education: A systematic literature review

Abstract: The rapid increase in recent years in the number of different digital competency frameworks, models, and strategies has prompted an increasing popularity for making the argument in favor of the need to evaluate and assess digital competence. To support the process of digital competence assessment, it is consequently necessary to understand the different approaches and methods. This paper carries out a systematic literature review and includes an analysis of the existing proposals and conceptions of digital competence assessment processes and methods in higher education, with the aim of better understanding the field of research. The review follows three objectives: (i) describe the characteristics of digital competence assessment processes and methods in higher education; (ii) provide an overview of current trends; and, finally, (iii) identify challenges and issues in digital competence assessment in higher education with a focus on the reliability and validity of the proposed methods. On the basis of the findings, and as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital competence assessment in higher education requires more attention, with a specific focus on instrument validity and reliability. Furthermore, it will be of great importance to further investigate the use of assessment tools to support systematic digital competence assessment processes. The analysis includes possible opportunities and ideas for future lines of work in digital competence evaluation in higher education.

Track 16: TEEM 2019 Doctoral Consortium

Abstract: Once again, the doctoral consortium track plays a central role in TEEM Conference. This track exists since the first edition on the conference in 2013 and still looks for Ph.D. candidates present the advances of their theses and do networking with other peers and more experienced researchers. This track was born linked to the Ph.D. Programme on Education in the Knowledge Society of the University of Salamanca (Spain), but we are happy to receive exciting proposals from another Ph.D. Programmes around the world, enriching the debates and the networking.

Influence of Knowledge Area on the Use of Digital Tools during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Latin American Professors

Abstract: In this paper, quantitative, descriptive, and correlational research is carried out on the impact that the process of digitalization of academic activities in higher education has had on the habits of use of information and communication technologies (ICT) among professors and the influence of the area of knowledge on this impact. For this purpose, responses from 716 professors from different Latin American universities to a survey designed by the authors were statistically analyzed. Following the UNESCO guide on the use of ICT in higher education, the survey distinguishes the following teaching activities to measure the use of ICT: lessons, tutorials, sharing materials, and evaluation. The results show that the use of ICT has increased in all teaching activities, but unevenly, being particularly intense in those in which the use of ICT was less frequent during the pandemic—specifically, tutorials and evaluation, whose frequency of use has increased by around 50%. As a result of this uneven increase, the use of ICTs in different teaching activities has become more homogeneous after the pandemic. This increase was significantly higher among engineering and social sciences professors than in other areas of knowledge, as well as in evaluation and tutorial tools than in other activities. In addition, the ICT tools most used during the pandemic were those with which the professors or students were most familiar before the pandemic. It is recommended that universities increase the specific training of professors in the pedagogical use of ICT and that they should address the specificities of each area of knowledge.