Educational trajectories of forming digital competences

Abstract

In the context of the development of a digital society, digital competencies are becoming increasingly important. The educational trajectories that help to form these competencies are investigated in the article. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the theoretical and methodological foundations for the development of digital competencies in higher education students through the implementation of an individual educational trajectory. Key documents in the field of education in Europe and Ukraine that contain provisions on digital competencies are analyzed in the article. In addition, the relevance and topicality of the available documents to the challenges of today is stated. Based on the generalization of approaches to interpretation was substantiated that the concept of «digital competencies» mainly reflects the ability of a person to use digital technologies to achieve goals in professional activities and to meet their own needs. Legislative and regulatory acts of Ukraine are studied for the presence of provisions that ensure the development of digital competencies of students. It was found that each level of education provides for the acquisition of these competencies. The authors note that the development of digital competencies should be ensured in stages at each level of education, as well as throughout life. The analysis of higher education standards for specialties in two fields of higher education (05; 07) revealed that at the second level of higher education, not all specialties provide for the acquisition of digital competencies by higher education students, which may lead to a decrease in their competitiveness in the labor market. At the same time, the main motives that motivate a person to master digital competencies (personal desire to improve their level of education for professional growth; rapid «aging» of digital competencies) are identified in the article. The influence and importance of digital competencies, as well as opportunities for acquiring soft skills and hard skills, are argued. Finally, the features of the development of digital competencies are substantiated (dependence on support, no binding to a specific physical location, dynamism, fundamentality, high degree of inclusiveness).