This study profiles the digital readiness of university students in Georgia and Ukraine for fully online collaborative learning, theorized as an educational pathway to democratic transformation. The Digital Competency Profiler was used to gather data from 150 students in Georgia and 129 in Ukraine about their digital competences. The analysis grouped students into high-, medium-and low-readiness segments for 52 actions in technical, communicational, informational and computational dimensions. Findings show that large percentages of Georgian and Ukrainian students are ill-prepared for many online-learning activities, and there is generally greater readiness on mobile devices than desktops/laptops. However, large percentages of Ukrainian students appear in high-readiness segments for communicating online and using social networks. In Georgia, many students report high-readiness for technical and computational interactions. Therefore, the researchers recommend using the digital-readiness data in tandem with a well-chosen, online-learning framework to align these patterns of strengths with future educational innovation.

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Creating of digital models which transform learning and its outcomes, as well as the learner’s educational, developmental and educative achievements has become vital to provision of inclusion possibilities in a networked society. Researchers have produced several frameworks of using digital technologies in education, but these are generally do not appropriately incorporate socio-contextual perspectives. To explore this area and create a transformative model of teaching-learning at higher levels of education in Special pedagogy and social work an appropriate pedagogical provisions are needed to transform educational process as a system including: (a) meaningful and transforming objectives, (b) adequate for digital learning and leading to social change  pedagogical principles, (c) reflectivity with the domain of knowledge creation, (d) self-evaluation of learning and social inclusion, (e) transformations of teacher/educator activities towards social inclusion and knowledge share, as well as collaborative learning in organizational settings of emerging knowledge society. This study, focuses on tertiary education and doctoral investigations, reviews the literature on facilitated by transitions social changes, and introduces a theoretical underpinning of digital learning within a pedagogical model. The dominating method is theoretical analysis that includes reviewing, analysing and synthesising literature on the theme “in an integrated way such that new frameworks and perspectives on the topic are generated” (Torraco, 2005, p. 356; Hamilton & Torraco, 2013). The article introduces the theoretical approach to the project “Implementation of Transformative Digital Learning in Doctoral Program of Pedagogical Science in Latvia” and “Gender aspects of digital readiness and development of human capital in region”.

In support of ongoing educational transformation in post-Soviet nations, this article positions activity theory (in the tradition of Engeström) as a framework for modelling changes towards innovative forms of collabo-rative, fully online digital learning. A strength of activi-ty theory is that it adopts a holistic socio-technical per-spective in which teachers, learners, technologies, peda-gogical values, roles/identities and rules/cultures are considered together as interdependent elements of col-lective activity. An illustrative example is offered to model a current and envisioned (target) activity system. In addition, a few considerations to guide research are offered. These include an emphasis on measuring the general readiness of students and teachers, and the need to explore gender divides. The goal is to help envision program transformations towards online learning at two partner universities as part of Ukrainian and Lat-vian, government-funded projects.

PurposeEmerging forms of digitalisation are placing new demands on workforce entrants around the globe. This study, catalysed by innovation programs in Ukraine and Latvia, conceptualises, measures and compares key facets of dispositional readiness of university students in two post-Soviet nations for digitalised work.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data, addressing technology attitudes and personal–cultural orientations (PCO), were collected by project teams at universities in Ukraine and Latvia and delivered to the authors for analysis. The authors defined three characteristics of digitalised work, conceptually positioned five of the measured constructs as readiness factors and generated readiness profiles for the two national student cohorts. Investigation of significant differences between the groups was conducted using an Independent Samples T-Test. A composite profile was produced for comparing the overall dispositional readiness of both groups for digitalised work.FindingsThe factor-level profiles showed similar patterns of dispositional alignment and misalignment with digitalised work. For example, technology optimism and learning interest were reported by large percentages of Ukrainians and Latvians and tolerance for unstructured work by small percentages. However, significant differences were found in group levels of technology optimism, technology anxiety, ambiguity intolerance and empowered decision-making. In each case, the Ukrainian profile appeared more strongly aligned with the target.Practical implicationsThe global digitalisation of work requires students, educators, human resource professionals and business leaders to rethink workforce readiness assessment and adapt (re)training programs. Technology enthusiasm and learning interest should be regarded as crucial measurable attitudes motivating technical skills development. Also, cultural orientations should be positioned alongside personality traits and digital skills as factors shaping successful human–computer interaction.Originality/valueThis study initiates a new sociotechnical and cross-cultural trajectory of technology readiness research from data generated in two post-Soviet contexts. Moreover, it positions several measurable dispositions as factors influencing student readiness for digitalised work.

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