Development of digital competencies for teachers of the virtual modality in Higher Education

Abstract

The introduction of digital tools and resources arises as a response to technological advances, but to develop an adequate technological education it is not enough to introduce digital resources, but also to educate and develop the digital competencies of teachers and students. Currently, digital competencies are considered enablers of the knowledge society and both students and teachers should consider their participation in virtual environments as a development opportunity. The present study analyzed the digital competencies of 50 teachers of the Polytechnic School of Chimborazo (ESPOCH) in their pedagogical praxis. The survey technique was applied with a non-probabilistic purposive sampling method using the questionnaire as an instrument. The main results showed that there is an inverse relationship between the age of teachers and the use of ICT. However, teachers are able to create their own digital content and educational resources especially those with a working experience between 1 to 5 years and between 6 to 10 years. This study concludes and recommends continuous training of teachers in the use of ICT to improve their teaching-learning process.