Level of the dimensions of the digital competence in university students from different academic areas

Abstract

The digital competence in university students has taken on greater relevance as a response to a new teaching-learning modality and for graduates, it has meant facing the demands of the current labor market that demands new digital skills. The objective of this research is to compare the level of the dimensions of the digital competence by academic areas with an instrument with proven validity. Validation was performed by expert judgment and calculation of Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient. The survey was applied to university students in the areas of Law and Business Sciences, Social Sciences, Sciences and Engineering and Health Sciences of a university in Arequipa. The instrument used for the comparative study exceeded the cut-off levels, achieving content validity. Likewise, the internal consistency of the scores has good to excellent reliability. Most students have a high to very high level of knowledge of digital skills. In five indicators there is a significant difference between the levels of knowledge of the different academic areas. We concluded that the evaluated students are prepared to face current technological requirements, keeping in mind that it is a duty of the university to ensure that all of its students satisfy said requirements.