Fricción y desarrollo personal en entornos digitales

In this paper, we report on the digital experiences of students at a dual-mode, higher education institution in Ghana. Recognizing the role of digital technologies in an increasingly globalized and competitive economy, Ghanaian authorities have embarked on several initiatives to support the development of the digital skills and capabilities of its students to enhance learning and to improve their employability in the job market. However, evidence exists that despite these initiatives and the massive investment into digital skills development, students in Ghana are still grappling with the acquisition of the skills needed for the workplace of the 21st century. The question thus arises whether Ghanaian higher education institutions (HEIs) are sufficiently developing the digital capabilities of their students. This study used the ‘Digital at course level’ dimension of the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) - UK Digital Experience Insight Survey to determine the digital experiences of students in their chosen academic discipline to prepare them for their careers. Census sampling targeted all final-year students at a selected higher education institution. The online survey reached 14,286 students and 800 students (5.6%) responded. The results show that students use personal devices to support learning outside the classroom, despite limited attempts to embed the development of digital skills into academic disciplines. Therefore, digital technologies are rarely used to communicate and collaborate, to solve problems or to create digital artefacts in the classroom. The findings also revealed that gender and mode of study did not influence the students’ digital experiences. The limitation of the study is that the results for only one institution are reported.

The essential acquisition and development of digital skills in students and teachers is of vital importance for the teaching-learning process. That is why teaching strategies provide a support resource for developing skills that enable effective performance in the digital environment within the educational sphere. The objective of this study was to design a teaching strategy for developing skills in upper elementary students at the San Jacinto Educational Unit, located in a rural area. This study employs a descriptive design with a cross-sectional, non-experimental approach, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods. Using the empirical method, a survey was administered to students based on the ECODIES -40 v.2 questionnaire and another to teachers based on the “DigCompEdu Check-In” v.2021 instrument, both validated and based on the European Digital Competence Framework DigComp and DigCompEdu. The results revealed the heterogeneity of digital competencies among the student population in the five areas of digital competency. Among the main findings, the deficiencies presented by students could be a clear indication that educational institutions and other actors in the education system are not assuming their respective roles in the acquisition, development, and strengthening of digital competency skills.

Migrants encounter multiple challenges, such as learning new languages and adapting to a new life. While digital technologies help them learn, limited research has been conducted on their digital skills development. In this article, we report on migrants’ digital skills development while learning language through culture using a web app developed by an EU-funded project that aimed to promote social cohesion through a two-way exchange of knowledge and skills. Forty-six migrant and 43 home community members in Finland, Spain, Türkiye, and the UK participated in intercultural and intergenerational pairs to engage with and co-create interactive digital cultural activities in multiple languages. Participants’ digital, linguistic and cultural gains were measured before and after the workshops. We report on participants’ digital skills, measured by a digital competence self-assessment tool developed based on DigComp, and interviews with the participants. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were analysed deductively using the categories of the DigComp framework. Findings indicate statistically significant improvement in migrants’ self-reported digital skills. Highest gains were in the competency area of digital content creation. Comparison of migrants’ digital skill development with that of home community members did not show any statistically significant differences, supporting our argument against the deficiency perspective towards migrant populations. Interview data suggested overall positive evaluations and highlighted the role of the web app instructions for content creation. We conclude with suggestions for further research and argue for inclusive pedagogies, emphasising how both community members learned from and with each other during the workshops.

To prepare citizens for the digital era, the Vietnamese government has issued guidance for higher institutions to play a vital role in cultivating digital skills. However, these institutions face challenges due to limited digital technology capacity, resulting in inadequate skill development. To address this, they collaborate with industries through internships to provide students with opportunities to enhance their digital skills in real work settings. Nonetheless, the strategies that higher institutions have implemented in designing internships for the development of students' digital skills are questionable to the public. Hence, this study aimed to explore the educational strategies implemented by higher education institutions in Vietnam to design internships that enhance learners' digital skills. Using a qualitative approach, primary data was collected through interviews with six policymakers from a higher institution in southern Vietnam, and additional data was gathered from documents related to internship and curriculum designs. Thematic analysis of the data revealed several strategies implemented in internship design, including curriculum design, pre-internship preparation, stakeholder regulations during internships, and evaluation actions. These strategies were identified as major themes for effective internship designs and the development of students' digital skills. The study also suggests various applications for multiple stakeholders and highlights the need for further research in this area. Keywords: designing internships, development of digital skills, agricultural students, Vietnam

Any assumption that PSTs enter their initial teacher education degrees with skills in digital technologies equal to or exceeding their lecturers, or will be able to teach themselves whatever is needed, leaves all levels of education vulnerable to a mythology of practice. Rather than working from assumptions, this chapter focuses on explicit facilitation of PST digital literacy informed by the Digital Skill Development (DSD) framework, itself based on the facets and levels of autonomy of the Research Skill Development (RSD) framework. This chapter uses the DSD framework as a lens to examine PSTs’ understanding of what digital skills encompass. In a dedicated digital technologies unit at Monash University, 190 second year PSTs were encouraged to confront digital skill statistics that question the Digital Native myth, and were surveyed about their own digital competence. Five weeks later, they were asked to explain their understanding of digital skills and after 12 weeks they were surveyed about their digital competence. Findings were used to uncover which digital skill facets PSTs recognised and responded to and which needed more focus in the unit. More broadly, the conclusions will add to our understanding of the implications of explicit digital research skill development for the field of teacher education.

Quantitative measurement of the competencies of the employed population in the use of modern technologies makes it possible to characterize the resources for the development of the digital economy and the factors for the spread of digital innovations in the economic activities of enterprises in terms of the quality of human capital. Many empirical studies and analytical reports characterize digital skills using measures of the number of specialists in the field of information and communication technologies. However, this approach is limited, since the spread of digital business models and the introduction of technologies in all areas of the economy have increased the skill complexity of work in a wide range of occupations. Now, the personnel of the digital economy can be considered not only ICT specialists, but also those employees who intensively use computer and computing equipment and software systems.Purpose of the study. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology for quantifying the skills of using digital technologies among the employed population based on official statistical methodology, testing it on real data, as well as analyzing trends in the development of digital skills in recent years, including for various socio-economic and demographic categories of the employed population.Materials and methods. To achieve this goal, international and domestic experience in building summary indicators of competencies necessary for the operation of computer equipment and work with standard and specialized programs and applications was studied. A comparative analysis of such approaches has been carried out. The index method was used to calculate the digital skills indicator. Grouping methods, tabular and graphical methods, dynamics analysis methods, distribution variation analysis methods were used to form summary results and analyze them.The information source of the study was microdata from sample surveys of the Federal State Statistics Service. The indicators are presented in the annual frequency for 2016-2020 for the Russian Federation.Results. The advantages and disadvantages of digital skills assessment approaches were identified. A methodology has been developed for calculating the weighted average level of digital skills of the employed population. The calculation was carried out using this method based on the microdata of sample surveys for 2020. The changes that have taken place in the distribution of employees by levels of digital skills have been studied. The dynamics of the level of digital skills is analyzed, including by age groups, professional groups and types of economic activity.Conclusion. The results of the analysis of the development of digital skills can be used in studies on modeling the relationship between the level of user competencies of personnel in the digital environment and the development of the digital economy in order to study the features and patterns of digital transformation of economic activity in the Russian Federation in a deeper and more comprehensive way.

Background By 2009, 99% of U.S. classrooms had access to computers, with an average ratio of 1.7 students per computer, and 40% of teachers report using computers often in their classrooms. However, while K–12 schools are investing more heavily in digital technologies, only a small fraction of this investment is going to instructional software (7%) and digital content (5%). Education policy leaders have called for increased investment in and use of digital learning technologies in K–12 education, which has significant professional implications for the 40% of teachers who use computers often and, perhaps more importantly, for the 60% who do not. Objective This article explores for a broad audience the changing landscape of education in the digital age, the changing roles of teachers in a technology-rich education system, and the skills, knowledge, values, and ways of thinking that teachers will need to have to support students’ social, emotional, and intellectual development in a digital learning environment. Research Design This analytic essay reviews and synthesizes research on learning in a digital environment, providing theoretical framework for understanding the changing landscape of learning in technology-rich environments and the consequent changes in teacher preparation that this may entail. Conclusion We explore the influence of educational technologies on teaching and teacher preparation by looking at three kinds of learning technology: digital workbooks that help students learn basic skills through routine practice; digital texts, such as ebooks, virtual museums, and learning games, that provide students with mediated experiences; and digital internships that simulate real-world practices, helping students learn how to solve problems in the ways that workers, scholars, and artists in the real world do. We examine the extent to which these technologies can assume different aspects of teachers’ traditional functions of assessment, tutoring, and explication. We argue that increased use of these and other digital learning technologies could allow teachers to provide more nuanced curricula based on their students’ individual needs. In particular, teachers will likely assume a new role, that of a coordinator who provides guidance through and facilitation of the learning process in individual students’ social, intellectual, and emotional contexts. We suggest this may require changes to teacher preparation and in-service professional development to help both new and experienced teachers succeed in an ever-changing digital learning environment, as well as new methods of evaluating teacher performance that account for more than student achievement on standardized tests. Interesting things happen along borders—transitions—not in the middle where everything is the same. —Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash

The relevance of this study stems from the significant and growing role of digital technologies in the economy, particularly within the creative industries, where the digitalization of all aspects of life has become a prerequisite for competitiveness. Aim: To analyze the impact of digitalizing education on the development of entrepreneurial skills among young people. Methods: Theoretical analysis of scientific, industry-practical, reference, and educational literature to explore the influence of digitalized education on preparing youth for entrepreneurial activities in the creative industries; synthesis of theoretical information and empirical data to identify positive international practices in using digital educational technologies to prepare youth for career development; and a survey of young people to assess their readiness to apply digital technologies in starting and managing their own businesses. Results: Based on the theoretical analysis of research sources, it was established that integrating digital technologies into youth training significantly enhances their entrepreneurial competence and preparedness for entrepreneurial activities. The majority of surveyed students expressed a positive attitude toward digital innovations in education and confirmed the need for further development of digital skills through practical sessions, webinars, and workshops. Through the analysis of theoretical insights and the synthesis of empirical data, key factors were identified that improve conditions for developing entrepreneurial competence in future professionals. These include active involvement of the state and businesses in creating opportunities for digitalizing education, expanding youth access to digital resources, continuously updating educational programs to reflect the latest digital trends, incorporating modern technologies (such as VR/AR and artificial intelligence) into the educational process, and strengthening the practical component of training through business simulators and startup incubators. Conclusions: The digitalization of youth training for entrepreneurial activities in the creative industries is a critical factor in shaping competitive professionals capable of creating innovative products that meet the demands of the digital era.

Examining The main objective of the study is to examine the impact of digital learning environment on the information sustainability among higher education institutions. Meanwhile the study has also examined the impact of technology acceptance model namely perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, perceived ease of use, computer self-efficacy, and computer anxiety on the digital learning environment on the information sustainability among higher education institutions. Lastly, the study has examined the mediating role of digital learning environment in the relationship between the perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and perceived ease of use, computer self-efficacy, and computer anxiety information sustainability among higher education institutions. This study uses a quantitative methodology to explore the perspectives of employees in Thailand's industrial, commercial, and service sectors on their working conditions. Purposive sampling was used to select 500 students from various universities. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data, verify model accuracy, and assess scale dependability. SEM's ability to validate, refine, and test hypotheses allows for in-depth analyses of variable interplay. SEM is a confirmatory statistical method used to investigate structural theories, aiming to gain a more comprehensive understanding of causal processes impacting multiple variables. This study explores Learner Satisfaction in a Digital Environment (LSDE) and the role of information systems. Factors like computer self-efficacy, anxiety, enjoyment, ease of use, and usefulness influence satisfaction. The study highlights the importance of user-centric factors in creating a successful learning experience in digital environments, extending existing literature and highlighting the practicality of theories like Bandura's self-efficacy and the Technology Acceptance Model.

In the context of the digitalization of the economy, fundamentally new approaches are required in the training of engineers based on the capabilities of both modern digital technologies and the digital environment. The modern volume and quality of digital technologies create conditions for the development of new ways of their use in education, as well as the application of world experience in innovative solutions in the field of digitalization of education. One of the key peculiarities of open education is the widespread use of modern digital technologies in the learning process, open educational resources (OER), massive open online courses (MOOCs). There are two trends in the implementation of the concept of open education. The first trend is to use the advantages of OER and MOOCs to maximize access to the world’s highest quality educational services. To solve this problem, it is necessary to develop methods for the use of OER materials in education. The second trend is to create conditions for the design and constant updating of the personal educational environment of teachers and students based on modern digital tools. The use of OER and online learning technologies in the educational process have not become widespread yet. In fact, there is not enough attention which is paid to methodological support for the integration of both educational and digital technologies. These problems can be solved using blended learning technology, which allows combining the advantages of digital and pedagogical technologies, overcoming their disadvantages. Thus depending on the tools used in the digital educational environment, the nature of their application in the educational process, as well as on the degree of restructuring of the educational process, various options for the design and organization of blended learning can be developed. The obtained results of the study allowed us to propose the following recommendations: conducting an information campaign to reveal the prospects, advantages, strategies in the use of OER and MOOCs in higher education; creation of conditions for the development of innovative approaches to the use of digital technologies, the creation of methodological support for blended learning models, the processes of integrating both educational and digital technologies; for the continuous development and renewal of the competencies of teachers and students in the field of using digital resources.KeywordsIntegration of digital and pedagogical technologiesBlended learningOnline trainingMassive open online-courses

A new type of social inequality has arisen in the information society – the digital divide. The current understanding of this phenomenon is not so much connected with the problem of Internet access, but rather with the ability of users to employ digital technologies to improve their lives. Digital inequality creates new “social elevators” – the level of IT skills becomes the most important differentiating factor which sets a new framework for socialization system. A way to overcome the digital divide is to develop and implement a digital inclusion policy. Digital inclusion is a type of social inclusion in a digital society, aimed at overcoming inequality, digital isolation of citizens. It focuses on the social implications of differences in the use of IT by groups or individuals. Ultimately, the digital inclusion policy does not focus on the development of digital infrastructure or skills, but on ensuring the emergence of “visible” social results of online interaction among citizens (increment of economic, cultural and other forms of capital) due to the use of web resources. Based on comparative analysis, the manifestations of the digital divide in foreign countries and Russia are shown, the main types of digital inclusion policies and the agencies for their implementation are identified. The priorities of digital inclusion policy and the structure of its management depend on socio-political realities in each particular country. Overcoming regional and generational aspects of the digital divide is a priority for Russia. The European digital inclusion strategy is to provide digital benefits to all citizens, regardless of gender, age, education, income, geography. Mastering digital skills is shown as a fundamental indicator of digital inclusion in the modern sense. The key agencies of digital inclusion policy are nation-state and education system, however, the role of intersectoral interaction, NGOs, local communities, libraries in the development of digital skills among various population groups is significant. The monitoring system for digital inclusion policies is briefly described.

Under the impact of today’s digitally driven world, digital skills integration into education becomes essential for equipping learners with the competencies mandatory for success in the 21st century. This paper investigates the transformative capability of digitalisation in education and intends to explain its impact on the development of digital literacy and digital skills among Gen Z. The current scientific literature highlights the crucial role of digital skills in fostering employability, promoting innovation, and driving social progress. However, there remains a significant gap in understanding how digitalisation proposals within education affect skill acquisition, educational equity, and broader societal implications. This research paper applies a powerful mixed-method research technique and blends qualitative analysis - through study and analysis of field literature and European-level reports - with quantitative analysis of statistical data. The research question that governs this investigation aims at examining discrepancies in access and use of digital resources across various demographic groups. The main results of this investigation uncover a complicated relationship between digitalisation and skills development across EU-27. While cyber technologies provide many opportunities for customised learning and collaboration, gaps still persist and exacerbate already existing inequalities. Additionally, this paper identifies the need for extensive educational methodologies that ensure a harmonious incorporation of digital tools into educational curricula. Consequently, this paper is instrumental to the field of knowledge because it provides a broad analysis of the digitalisation of education and links theoretical judgements with empirical evidence. Finally, this research is disclosing the challenges and opportunities inherent in the development of digital skills, which present eloquent insights for policymakers, professors, and researchers determined to channel the full potential of digital technologies in education.

Scrutinizing environmental governance in a digital age: New ways of seeing, participating, and intervening

The paper examines the effect of perceived ease of use, user acceptance, and quality assurance practices on the acceptance of digital technology among mechanical engineering teachers in Technical Universities in Ghana. The paper adopts a quantitative research approach using a descriptive survey design. A sample of 167 mechanical engineering teachers was selected using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire that included demographic information and variables related to digital technology acceptance. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with the aid of SmartPLS 4 software. The study's findings reveal that perceived ease of use, user acceptance, and quality assurance practices significantly and positively influence mechanical engineering teachers' acceptance of digital technology. Specifically, the acceptance of quality assurance practices was found to have the strongest impact on technology acceptance among the three factors examined. The study focused on mechanical engineering teachers in Ghana's Technical universities, limiting the generalizability of the findings to other educational contexts. Future research should consider expanding the sample size and including participants from different educational institutions and other disciplines. This study contributes to the existing literature on digital technology acceptance by examining the specific context of mechanical engineering education in Ghana. The findings also contribute to the broader discourse on digital skills development and closing the digital divide in educational settings.

Digital technologies are increasingly used in the interpretation and presentation process at cultural heritage sites, shifting the manner of heritage display from previous ways, which tended to be monolithic and static, to a more diversified, experiential, and interactive approach and enabling new connections between heritage and the public. Digital experience is gradually becoming an important component of visitors’ heritage experience. However, little attention has been paid to the influence and effects that these technologies have on the visitor experience, and a corresponding measurement framework for the heritage digital experience is still lacking. To contribute to the design, implementation, and management of digital display systems at cultural heritage sites, this research aims to evaluate visitors’ expectations, acceptance, and experience of digital interpretation and presentation technologies. A mixed methodology, combining questionnaires based on a digital experience evaluation framework and semi-structured interviews, was adopted and used in Old Zuoying City (OZC), a typical heritage site for the application of digital display technologies in Taiwan. Our study indicates that digital display technologies received high acceptance from heritage visitors and had a positive impact on some specific aspects, such as encouraging their exploration of and further learning about the site, helping them better visualize the richness of heritage, and creating new experiences of perceiving, engaging, and communicating with history. In addition, based on the survey findings, a number of recommendations for the current stage of digital display design are presented. The survey results and evaluation framework can be used as a reference for other research on heritage visitors and to improve digital interpretation and presentation design.