Areas Of Competence Research Articles

Social Justice Competency Areas and the NASP Practice Model

Social Justice Competency Areas and the NASP Practice Model

Mapping of Iranian midwifery curriculum according to the International Confederation of midwives competencies

BackgroundEvaluating the curriculum based on its success rate in preparing skilled midwives proficient in performing professional skills is a fundamental component of the midwifery education system. This study aimed to evaluate the content, strengths, and weaknesses of the midwifery curriculum in Iran based on the most recent ICM midwifery education standards in all competence areas, as well as to obtain expert feedback on the necessary courses or lessons for the curriculum using the Delphi method.MethodsThis research was conducted in two phases: comparative analysis and the Delphi method. In the comparative analysis, the curriculum mapping tool was used to compare Iran’s midwifery curriculum for bachelor’s degrees to the international standards for midwifery education proposed by ICM in 2019 by a four-point Likert scale (adequate- relatively adequate- relatively inadequate- inadequate). Two individuals evaluated the curriculum independently for the presence of theoretical and clinical courses for attaining each relevant competency. In case of disagreement, the opinion of a third person was used. After identifying the academic deficiencies and weaknesses of the curriculum, the Delphi technique was used with the cooperation of the midwifery board members and directors of midwifery groups from across the country to collect feedback about new courses or lessons that need to be incorporated into the curriculum.ResultsAfter a comparative analysis, 24 out of 315 essential competencies for ICM in the midwifery curriculum were found to be inadequate or relatively inadequate based on the three experts’ opinions after reviewing the programmatic courses and lessons in the curriculum. In 79.5% of the knowledge area and 71.6% of the skill area, the curriculum for midwifery in Iran corresponded to ICM essential competencies. After surveying expert members during multiple Delphi rounds, the members agreed to add some lessons to the midwifery curriculum, design a new course, and hold related workshops to cover the competencies identified as inadequate or relatively inadequate in the comparative analysis.ConclusionThe Iranian midwifery curriculum for acquiring 24 items of ICM essential competencies was deemed inadequate or relatively inadequate. Therefore, it seems in addition to revising Iran’s midwifery curriculum following ICM competencies, providing midwifery policymakers with infrastructure and additional support to develop and implement effective midwifery training programs is necessary to ensure that midwives are trained and equipped with the necessary competencies for practice.

Medical Students’ Knowledge of Autism Compared to the General Population: A Pilot Study

Background: Historically, there has been some concern regarding the level of training in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for medical students. Throughout medical programs in the US, there is no standardised curriculum, and therefore, to make improvements in this area of medical training, a first step is to determine the current areas of competency of medical students. This pilot study investigated whether differences exist in knowledge among third-year medical students and a general population sample. Methods: We investigated beliefs about autism among a group of third-year medical students (n = 202) and among a crowdsourced sample of the general public (n = 858). A survey assessed autism knowledge regarding sources of information, causes, age of earliest diagnosis, front-line treatment providers, and diagnostic versus non-diagnostic symptoms. The third-year medical student sample was obtained from a Health Sciences Center in the Southwest. Third-year medical students were surveyed during their paediatrics rotation. The general public sample accessed and completed the survey through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform. Results: Results suggested that although third-year medical students had lower confidence regarding their autism-knowledge base, they possessed more knowledge of autism related to sources of information, causes, and diagnostic testing options than the comparison sample. Additionally, they were significantly better at differentiating diagnostic symptoms from non-diagnostic symptoms. Conclusions: Overall, the results suggest that by their third year, medical students know more about autism than the general public. Results from the current study indicate an improvement in medical students’ knowledge with respect to autism. Treatment options and the continued need for more training to enhance medical student confidence are discussed.

Moving policy to practice: role of advocacy in enabling provision of injectable contraceptives by pharmacists in Kenya.

Expanding access to contraceptive services by making them available in pharmacies and drug shops is a family planning high-impact practice. In 2018, Kenya's Ministry of Health amended its family planning guidelines to allow pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists throughout the country to provide subcutaneous and intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate. Amending the policy did not necessarily mean that the policy would be implemented. The Advance Family Planning project launched an advocacy campaign to engage key stakeholders to work with the Ministry of Health to implement the policy. Consequently, a family planning training package for pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists was developed and rolled out. The advocacy process also led to strengthening family planning reporting by the trained pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists. To further enhance sustainability by ensuring a continuous pool of pharmacy professionals equipped with skills to provide family planning services, Advance Family Planning and its partners advocated with universities and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board to revise the pre-service training curriculum to include family planning as a competence area for pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists. A key lesson learned is that policy formulation does not necessarily translate to policy implementation. Advocacy is often needed to move policy to practice, especially where resources are required. Policy implementation also requires incremental achievement of milestones and the need for advocacy for each step in the process. Implementation of the policy provision that allows pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists to provide injectable contraceptives has implications beyond family planning programs. It provides a point of reference for allowing pharmacists to offer other primary health care services, such as immunization, injectable HIV prophylaxis, and other interventions that might not be provided for in policy.

Core Skills and Competencies for Inclusion in the Curriculum for Effective Performance of Extension Professionals

Changing situations and developments in agriculture in the 21st century demands extension workers to be equipped with a diverse set of competencies. Extension workers’ ability to adapt, communicate effectively and combine technical expertise with participatory approaches can significantly influence their job performance and ultimately, contribute to the growth and sustainability of the agriculture industry. Hence, an attempt has been made to know the level of need of core skills and competencies required for extension professionals to perform their job effectively. A scale was developed to measure the level of need of the skills and competencies thatan agricultural extension professional requires to perform their tasks. Twelve broad areas of skills and competencies required for agricultural extension professionals were identified and grouped. Professionals presently working in Karnataka State Department of Agriculture, Karnataka State Department of Horticulture and Coffee Board are considered as respondents. The results revealed that soft skills were ranked first, followed by entrepreneurship development skills and communication skills. Planning and designing need based programs, building teamwork skills, agricultural value chain extension, use of modern communication methods and AV aids, use of computer applications, monitoring and evaluation of extension programs, designing training programs, problem solving skills, knowledge on subject matter concepts, motivating farmers, innovativeness and stress management are the individual skills ranked first respectively on the listed twelve broad areas of skills and competencies. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that equipping extension workers with the necessary skills during their undergraduate and postgraduate education is crucial to ensure they are well-prepared to meet the evolving demands of the agriculture industry. By reorienting and enhancing the curriculum, agricultural universities and institutions can play a significant role in developing competent extension professionals.

Augmented Reality in the Science Classroom—Implementing Pre-Service Teacher Training in the Competency Area of Simulation and Modeling According to the DiKoLAN Framework

The digitalization of everyday school life has gained increasing importance for teachers in recent years. In Germany, this is especially true since the publication of the strategy on “Education in the Digital World” by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in 2016, which calls for the acquisition of digital competencies by students. In this regard, it is of great importance that future teachers acquire important skills in the field of digitalization during their teacher training in order to effectively and pedagogically use digital media in instruction. In this paper, we present the concept of an intervention on the topic of “Simulation and Modeling” from the competency framework DiKoLAN, which provides possible guidance in relation to the question “which competencies in the field of digitalization should be taught during teacher training?” One focus of the presented concept is the technology of “Augmented Reality,” which has already been described as an effective teaching and learning tool. Furthermore, evaluation results of the seminar are presented, which examine both the effectiveness in terms of conveying the desired competencies through the measurement of self-efficacy expectations, and the attitudes of the pre-service teachers towards the use of AR in science education. The evaluation of the intervention measure shows a significant increase in pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy expectations across all areas of competencies to be taught, as well as a significantly more positive attitude towards the use of AR in science teaching.

Talent Management Through Lecturers Competency Evaluation Rubic in Study Programs in Higher Education

Research with the title: Talent Management Through Lecturers Competency Evaluation Rubric in Study Programs Higher Education, where this research was conducted at the Faculty of Education, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Indonesia in the odd semester of the 2021/2022 academic year with the distribution of competencies for AIK courses, which are spread across various programs studies in FIP-UMJ, including PGPAUD, PGSD, PENDMAT, PBI, PBSI, POR, PTI. MTP. The number of respondents studied amounted to 27 lecturers, especially those who teach courses according to their competence. The research method with a qualitative descriptive approach. The results of this study indicate that based on the findings in this study there are still 0.11% who are irrelevant to the competency area, but based on the data obtained the person concerned has a background that supports the AIK learning process, especially at the Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta, Indonesia. There were three research objectives led the authors to conduct this study, namely: 1) to present the elements used in lecturers’ competencies evaluation rubric; 2) to analysis each of the element assessed in the rubric according to educational system and practice; 3) to report the extent in which this evaluation aligns with talent management practice. The findings revealed that first, the elements used in the rubric needs to be re-evaluated in terms of the statements presented in the questionnaire and the scale; second, each of the element in the rubric is suitable with the qualities mandated by Indonesian Acts for teachers and lecturers No. 14/2005 and proven to be effective by prior studies; third, this evaluation rubric is said to be align with the implementation of talent management in which competencies of the lecturers will obviously support the institution to compete with other private universities and reach its vision, missions, and objectives.

The association of socio-demographic characteristics of university students and the levels of their digital entrepreneurial competences

The aim of this article is to provide empirical evidence on the level of digital entrepreneurial competences (DEC) that higher education students acquire during their higher education and to investigate the relationship between their socio-demographic characteristics and the level of DEC. The first competence area (Identification of opportunities) of the DEC EmDigital competence framework was assessed together with its three sub-competence areas (Search for and analysis of information, Creativity and innovation, and Prospecting), and the relationship between the level of DEC and various socio-demographic characteristics of higher education students was investigated using logistic regression. The results show a relatively low DEC level of the participating students for the first EmDigital competence area. Location, field of study, level of study and employment status were found to be statistically significant for the acquisition of DEC, while the variables age and gender had little impact. The results of this study are a step towards the development of an DEC online assessment tool (using the Digital Competence Wheel as a role model) that universities and other stakeholders could use to assess the level of DEC their students acquire during university education. This research is the first study to assess the acquisition of DEC during university studies and the impact of different socio-demographic characteristics of students on their level of DEC.

Teachers’ digital competences in higher education in Portugal and Spain

The potential of DTIC has brought new and emerging challenges to teachers, making it essential to acquire digital competences, especially in virtual learning environments and online technologies. In this sense, based on the <i>DigCompEdu CheckIn</i> self-assessment questionnaire, validated for the Portuguese population by earlier studies, this research aims to identify the most fragile and robust areas of digital competences of Portuguese and Spanish university teachers. The quantitative methodological approach emphasizes teachers’ perception of their digital competences in three dimensions: teachers’ professional competences, teachers’ pedagogical competences and students’ competences and involved 347 teachers from Portugal and Spain. The results show that teachers of the two institutions have an overall moderate level of digital proficiency–level B1 and B2–and that the differences encountered between Portuguese and Spanish teachers (for example, Portuguese teachers have level A2 in area 4–assessment–, while Spanish teachers are already at level B2) highlight the need to invest in specific training that may address specific frailties, and therefore allow for the promotion of their digital competences. Results relating to teaching experience and age show that there is no direct relation between either factor or being digitally competent. Regarding gender, results reveal that men had slightly better results than women. Overall, what the results show is the need for teachers to increase the level of digital competence through specific training, prepared according to the specificities of each institution, and the importance of developing public policies that prepare teachers for a more digital education.

THE DIGITAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE SOCIAL WORKERS: SELF-ASSESSMENT

In 2022, a study was conducted to evaluate the digital competence of fourth year students pursuingdegrees in "Social Activities" at the Universit y “Neofit Rilski” of Blagoevgrad, both in full time and part time studymodes. The research encompassed a cohort of 30 students and aimed to gauge their digital proficiency based on selfassessment. This assessment relied on the Digital Competence Self Ass essment Matrix, aligned with the EuropeanDigital Competence Framework for Citizens ( which encompasses five core domains: Information andData literacy, Communication and Collaboration, Digital content creation, Safety/security, and Problem solvi ng.Resultsfrom the self assessment revealed that 55% of the students consider ed themselves proficient at a core levelin the first area of competence (Information and Data literacy), while 30% rated themselves at a cross functionallevel, and 15% assessed themselves as functional. Notably, 90% of the students could store and retrie ve digital files,use search engines, and apply filters when searching for information. However, only 25% used cloud services tostore data.Inthe second area of competence (Digital content creation), a mere 15% of respondents rated themselves asprofessionally competent, underscoring its significance in their future professional pr actice. The study indicated thenecessity for students to acquire skills in content creation, programming, and multimedia element integration,especially in the context of social media.Inthe third area (Communication and Collaboration), all students exhibited proficiency in basic digitalcommunication tools like mobile phones and e mail. However, only 25% considered themselves functionally adept inonline communication, highlighting the importance of digital communication skills in social work.Concerningthe fourth area (Problem solving), 55% of students assessed their proficiency as core, while 35% ratedthemselves as cross functional, and only 10% as functio nal. This underlines the need for further development ofproblem solving skills related to digital technologies.Thefifth and final area (Safety/ revealed that most students understood the importance of online privacy buthad limited skills in shaping their digital identity and monitoring their online footprint. Enhancing d igitalcompetence emerged as a crucial need for future social workers to navigate online risks and protect clients fromabuse.The study underscores the necessity of integrating digital competence into social work curricula. It advocates foradditional lectures, seminars, workshops, and internships to expand students' digital skillse t. In the digital age, socialworkers must improve their digital competencies to effectively communicate, advocate for marginalized groups, andprovide efficient social services. Developing these competencies within the educational framework is essential f orthe application of information and communication technologies in addressing the challenges of digital social work,ultimately promoting social equality and safeguarding clients in an increasingly digital world.

국내 대학생의 진로개발역량에 관한 연구동향 분석

The purpose of this study was to analyze research trends on the career development competencies of college students in South Korea. A total of 25 papers were analyzed, selected from the Academic Information Service (RISS) using keywords 'undergraduate' or ‘college’ and 'career development competencies'. Key findings are as follows. First, studies on career development competencies of college students have been consistently published since 2002, peaking in 2015, primarily in education-related journals. Second, the majority of research subjects were 4-year college students. Third, most studies focused on enhancing career education by exploring the relationship between career development competencies and related variables. Fourth, in terms of research method, it was found that quantitative research conducted as cross-sectional studies were the most. Fifth, the measures of Heejin Sung and Seung-il Na(2012) were the mostly used to measure the career development competencies. In addition, the sub-factors were self-understanding, major and occupational knowledge, career decision certainty, decision-making efficacy, relationship utilization efficacy, and job search skills. Sixth, career development competencies of college students were most often used as a dependent variable and had a positive relationship with employment support service experience, career exploration behavior, employment possibility, major satisfaction, and career decision-making. Based on the research findings, several future research directions in the area of the career development competencies are provided.

The expectations of generation Z regarding the university educational act in Romania: optimizing the didactic process by providing feedback.

In the university education system, the evaluation and provision of two-way teacher-student feedback are tools within the control function of educational management. Feedback can be defined as the process that takes place in the context of teacher-student interaction during university courses, both individually and in groups, for the development and achievement of the performance of the two actors involved through evaluation, appreciation, support, perception, and teaching. The research aims to develop an innovative feedback tool for the higher education engineering sector to support the improvement of learning outcome-oriented curricula and teaching activities to better meet the learning needs of Gen Z students while being relevant to the labor market and to society in general. The research had a number of subjects: 246 students (67.5% women, 32.5% men) and 7 teachers to whom two feedback instruments were applied (the SKS instrument and the standard instrument of Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu). After testing the four hypotheses, it was observed that the feedback provided by Gen Z is focused on four areas of competence: psychological, pedagogical, education management, and general impression. Each field includes a set of professional and transversal competencies. The SKS (STOP, KEEP, and START) evaluation form is more reliable in evaluating different disciplines than the standard evaluation form by providing a more homogenous type of feedback for each discipline or teacher.

Algorithmic futures: an analysis of teacher professional digital competence frameworks through an algorithm literacy lens

ABSTRACT Algorithmic systems shape every aspect of our daily lives and impact our perceptions of the world. The ubiquity and profound impact of algorithms mean that algorithm literacy—awareness and knowledge of algorithm use, and the ability to evaluate algorithms critically and exercise agency when engaging with algorithmic systems—is a vital competence for navigating life in the 21st century. Professional digital competence (PDC) frameworks for teachers include technological, pedagogical, and social competence areas and are intended to illustrate the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes for digitally competent teachers. Using document analysis, we undertook a systematised review and evaluation of selected PDC frameworks through the lens of algorithm literacy. This analysis demonstrated that although some aspects of algorithm literacy could be inferred within the PDC frameworks analysed, there is a need for further explicit integration. Just as the DigComp framework for citizens has been updated to recognise the vital importance of understanding algorithmic systems’ impact, so should PDC frameworks be revised. Recommendations are provided for incorporating understandings of algorithmic governance and bias and ensuring digital Bildung development in PDC frameworks. Implications for teacher education programmes are also discussed.

Professional Competencies of Canadian LIS Graduates

This study aims to determine current competencies necessary for graduates of Canadian library and information science (LIS) programs. Perspectives from different communities of interest, including current students and graduates from LIS programs, staff and employers of LIS graduates, and library school faculty (full-time and contingent) from across Canada were gathered via a nationally disseminated survey in 2023. Competency areas include general skills as well as communication, user services, management, and technology. Early findings suggest the importance of established areas of practice, such as selecting and evaluating resources, while emergent areas of priority were also identified, including the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and understanding the responsibilities of libraries in decolonization, Indigenization, and reconciliation efforts.

Model for Digital Skills Training for SMEs

Concerning the level of digitalisation, SMEs are not as well positioned as large companies. Lack of affordable training and ability to obtain needed competences form significant obstacles for the digitalisation of SMEs. The present study discusses these challenges and proposes an experimental model developed in a project implemented in cooperation with a university of applied sciences and regional business development organisations. The project provides the tools necessary for SMEs to develop their digital skills in the South Savo region, Finland. Our research question is: How can SMEs be best supported to develop and grow their digital skills and business models? Earlier research shows that employees working in SMEs need a set of competences enabling them to work and prosper in the ever-changing digital environment. For SMEs, the question is, which set of employee competences is the most relevant for the company's commercial success, because digital competences play a vital role in most SMEs’ future success. The training model presented in the paper is based, firstly, on defining the relevant areas of digital competences and the most significant skills gaps for each SME and, secondly, on tailoring a company-specific syllabus for closing these gaps. There are over 180 SMEs participating in the project. The practical work with each SME starts with digital competence mapping in a meeting between a business advisor and a representative of the SME. Based on the competence mapping, the SME then receives a company-specific action plan, and a syllabus. The project provides participating SMEs with clear learning paths at both basic and advanced levels, longer training paths and coaching. By doing so, the model ensures that participating SMEs only concentrate on relevant issues and get appropriate particulars support for their businesses. The contribution of the study is the development of an efficient training model and testing it with 180 SMEs. Based on our results, the most important digital competences for each SME in developing and growing its business must be defined based on each SME’s specific business needs, grounded in its business model and context, and skills gaps related to these competences.

Competency needs of extension agents in disseminating weather fore-cast information in Kwara state, Nigeria

Agricultural extension agents play crucial roles in the dissemination of innovation and enhancement of the productivity of the farmers in Nigeria. The research examined the competency needs of extension agents in Kwara State, Nigeria. About 117 extension agents were selected for the study. Statistical tools such as frequency count, percentage and mean score were used to analyse the data. The result revealed about 54.7 % of the respondents were male, the average age of the respondents was 44.9 years and the mean income of the respondents was 49461.38 Naira. The training sessions (̅mean=2.36) was most important source of information on weather forecast. The rainfall variability (MWDS= 0.458) was the highest ranked area of competency needs of extension agents. The inadequate facilities to disseminate weather forecast information (mean=2.38) was the most severe factor limiting dissemination of weather forecast information. The study recommended the provision of timely and accurate information on weather forecasts to the extension agents so that the farmers would make use of it at the right time.

Matching of advanced undergraduate medical students’ competence profiles with the required competence profiles of their specialty of choice for postgraduate training

BackgroundMatching between undergraduate students and their chosen specialty has implications for their personal job satisfaction and performance as well as societies’ needs regarding health care quality. Knowledge regarding student-specialty fit can help improve students’ decisions and detect potential deficiencies in specific competences. In this study, we compare self-assessed competence profiles of medical students close to graduation with the competence profiles of their specialty of choice for postgraduate training.MethodsSelf-assessed competence profiles were collected with the modified requirement-tracking (R-Track) questionnaire from 197 final-year medical students close to graduation in 2022. To determine student-specialty fit, difference scores between students’ self-assessed competences and physicians’ requirements for specific specialties were calculated across the R-Track’s six competence areas “Motivation”, “Personality traits”, “Social interactive competences”, “Mental abilities”, “Psychomotor & multitasking abilities”, and “Sensory abilities”, which were assessed on a 5-point Likert scale (1: “very low” to 5: “very high”). Mean difference scores across competence areas were calculated and compared between specialties with multivariate analysis of variance. Student-specialty fit was also calculated independent of students’ choices.ResultsThe competence area “Motivation” scored highest for both students and physicians across specialties. However, students’ scores were lower than physicians’ requirements for “Motivation” as well as “Personality traits” across all specialties. Difference scores for “Social interactive competences” were either close to zero or showed higher scores for students. A similar competence pattern for internal medicine, general medicine, paediatrics, and gynaecology was identified with higher than required student scores for “Mental abilities”, “Psychomotor & multitasking abilities”, and “Sensory abilities”. All other specialties showed higher physicians’ requirements for at least one of these competence areas. Independent of students’ specialty choice, we found the highest difference score in favour of student scores for general medicine (0.31) and the lowest difference score for internal medicine (-0.02).ConclusionsStudents’ competence profiles overall show better fit with person-oriented specialties. “Mental abilities”, “Psychomotor & multitasking abilities”, and “Sensory abilities” show higher requirement scores for more technique-oriented specialties. Students interested in such specialties could focus more on basic skill development in undergraduate training or will develop specific skills during residency.

Digital competence landscape in public libraries: examining the role of age and gender in the development of digital skills

PurposeAs part of the EFOP-3.3.3-VEKOP-16–2016-00001 “Museum and Library Development for All” project, a national representative digital literacy survey was conducted in Hungary's public libraries at the end of 2019. The aim of the present study is to provide a deeper analysis of the data collected during the survey to answer the question of the role of gender and age in the development of digital skills amongst librarians working in public libraries. This study was designed to answer the following four research questions: Are there levels of proficiency defined by DigComp 2.1 that are more specific to men or more specific to women? Are there areas of competence and competences that are clearly perceived as stronger or weaker for men or women? Are there areas of competence that are clearly influenced by age and others that are not or only moderately influenced by age? Which competences are clearly age-related, and which are not or only slightly affected by age?Design/methodology/approachThe main target group of the study were library professionals working in county libraries. The survey, based on the DigComp 2.1 (Gomez et al., 2017) framework, was conducted using an online questionnaire in the form of a self-assessment and explored four levels of digital literacy. A 30-question questionnaire was completed by 1,868 respondents. The sampling procedure was essentially stratified sampling. The large number of respondents and the sampling procedure combined with the representativeness of the sample meant that the results of the survey can be considered as generalisable to the whole Hungarian public library sector.FindingsOf the five competency areas assessed by the DigComp framework, librarians were found to be most competent in information and data literacy, and least competent in content development, according to the proportion of those with basic skills. 32 percent of women and 22 percent of men working in libraries rated their digital skills as basic, and both groups were weak or less weak in the same skills, with a few exceptions. At the intermediate level, there is a predominance of women. In the information and communication competency areas and in the content development and integrating and re-elaborating digital content in the content creation area, a high proportion of women consider their digital skills to be medium. Relatively few men rate their own competence in these areas as average. They are most likely to have advanced and highly specialised skills. The advanced level in DigComp2.1 implies, in addition to strong digital skills, the willingness and ability to help others, while the highly specialised level requires innovative and creative use of digital technology and knowledge transfer. These top two skill levels are more common amongst men. 34 per cent of men and 27 per cent of women have advanced skills, while 13 per cent of men and 6 per cent of women have highly specialised’s level. The age of librarians has only a minimal influence in certain areas of competence and for certain competences. Skills in the information and data literacy competency area are less age sensitive. For the data management competency, which requires more technological skills, a stronger correlation between age and skill levels is observed, especially for basic and highly specialised skills. In the communication competence area, the youngest age group of librarians has the highest percentage of advanced and the lowest percentage of basic level. The proportion of advanced learners decreases steadily as age groups progress and the proportion of basic learners increases at a similar steady rate. The effect of age on the content creation is much more modest than expected. Age clearly has an impact on the safety competence area. As age increases, the proportion of those at advanced level decreases and the proportion at basic level increases. Age also has a significant effect on the problem-solving competence area. One in two librarians in the 50 and 60s have only basic level skills, compared to one in four in the youngest age group and one in three in the 40s.Originality/valueUsing the DigComp 2.1 framework, a digital competence survey of a whole professional group of library professionals working in public libraries in Hungary was carried out. The study provides new insights into the impact of gender and age as variables on digital competence.

국내 의약품 규제업무(RA) 전문인력 양성에 필요한 역량과 지식에 대한 산업체의 교육요구도 분석

Education in regulatory affairs for pharmaceuticals is crucial in order to equip experts with the necessary competency and knowledge to navigate the legal and scientific regulations involved in managing the drug lifecycle. In order to develop the framework which ensures the competency and knowledge, 6 competency requirements and 48 knowledge items were derived from the previous studies. These were then reviewed by 16 experts in three rounds of a Delphi process to assess their validity and reliability in terms of both present and required levels. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranked Test was subsequently conducted to determine whether there was a statistically significant difference between the required and present levels. and Borich's educational needs and the Locus for Focus Model were used to confirm the 12 knowledge and 1 competency areas that were identified as having high priority. Based on the findings of this study, a systematic educational program focusing on the necessary competencies and knowledge required for professionals in regulatory affairs of pharmaceuticals should be developed and established.

The digital literacy of first-year students and its function in an online method of delivery

PurposeThis study aimed to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the digital literacy skills possessed by first-year students and how they impact students' participation in online classes.Design/methodology/approachThis research was conducted using a quantitative method to investigate first-year students' digital literacy and its effect on their interaction in online learning. Nine hundred and two students from 19 online English writing classes were invited to complete an online survey questionnaire. The sampling approach was conducted by a nonrandom method. Prior to the data collection, the instrument was reviewed by researchers and peers with quantitative and Indonesian language backgrounds. The procedure was conducted to ensure that the instrument covered the objective of the research.FindingsThe results showed that students digital literacy in the first semester, in general, is still in the low category. The average score for each competency area still varies. The average score on information and data literacy competence was low. The average score for communication and collaboration competence was in the medium category. The average score for the digital content creation competence area is low.Practical implicationsThe authors suggest that educational institutions should consider organizing primary student digital literacy training or optimizing the lecture process to improve students' digital literacy and further research could usefully explore how information and communication technology (ICT) skills affect student performance.Social implicationsThe study reveals the importance of digital literacy of students for online teaching learning. In order to achieve quality teaching in online methods, the digital literacy is a must for students. The study highlights the limitations of the study and indicates the necessity for further research in this area. The findings have immense implications for practice in a distance learning university, where online teaching learning has become a new normal post-Covid-19.Originality/valueThe authors present new findings on the digital literacy of first-year students and their effect on their interaction in online learning. The authors also make connections between digital literacy and student engagement in online classes, which is a significant contribution to the field. This paper also provides a comprehensive review of the literature on digital literacy and e-learning, which adds to the scholarship in the field.