Pedagogical Staff and Digital Competencies: Professional Development in the Academic Digitalization

Abstract

Modern university teaching staff require digital competencies, but their development in the digitalization epoch still remains understudied. The organization and content of digital training in the system of continuing pedagogical education also need a unified approach. The article focuses on digital skill development in faculty members as part of life-long learning. The authors defined the concept of digital competency and created a professional retraining program of Digital Technologies in Teaching, which they put to an evaluation test. The course lasted 72 hours and consisted of several stages and a final assessment. The research objective was to identify the level of digital competencies in the course graduates. The study involved a review of relevant scientific publications, an analysis of normative documents, and various methods of observation. The program provided a well-structured learning process and enabled the participants to create digital syllabuses of their own. It can be recommended for teaching staff of all education levels who would like to increase their digital competency.