The dissertation is a theoretical and experimental examination of the development of university students' digital competencies.
The primary objective of this study is to draw on international theoretical research on the development of university students' digital competencies, construct a model of digital competency development of university students, design an evaluation system and indicators for digital competency development of students in university education institutions based on the model, clarify the composition of university students' digital competencies, and conduct experimental and practical investigations.
The first section discusses the theoretical underpinnings of digital (ICT) competency development in higher education institutions (HEI) using blended learning. The second part is the modeling of digital (ICT) competencies of students in higher education in a blended learning environment, which includes the modeling of the teaching system, scientific justification of the development model, and technologies for developing digital competencies in institutions of higher education in a blended learning environment. The third part is an experimental study of the model of digital (ICT) competences of students of higher educational institutions in the conditions of blended learning. The organization and general description of the experimental research is presented, the dynamics of the development of digital competences of undergraduates in higher educational institutions is described, the features of scientific and methodological support of digital competences of undergraduates in higher educational institutions in blended learning conditions are described.
In the formative stage of the teaching experiment, we developed a system of digital competency development indicators and framework structure for undergraduate students in local HEI in China, refining the corresponding digital competency development techniques. The results of the final stage of the experiment show that we have developed a framework of digital competence composition of undergraduate students in line with the local HEI in China, and the corresponding system of evaluation indicators. The practical significance of the obtained results was confirmed by the certificates of Sichuan Normal University (Certificate No.31 of 3 September 2021), Neijiang Teachers' College (Certificate No.12 of 26 March 2023), Leshan Teachers' College (Certificate No.07 of 24 February 2023).On 4 March 2022, Chongqing Normal University (Certificate No. 22 of 13 March 2022); certain provisions of Sichuan Normal University on 10 March 2022 (Certificate No.08 of 20 March 2022).
The significance of the research is mainly in two aspects: firstly, it enriches the theory of digital competence development of college students in HEI at the theoretical level. Secondly, the evaluation index system of digital competency development of college students in HEI is formulated at the practical level, and a model of digital competency development of college students in HEI is constructed. Third, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of practices have been carried out in Chinese HEI to verify the effectiveness of the training curriculum, training methods, and enhancement strategies for digital competency enhancement of university students, which have been adopted by a large number of HEI.
The main results of this study: (1) A digital competency model of university students in HEI with good reliability and validity is constructed, which can provide a reference for the measurement of digital competency of university students in HEI in the future. (2) The regional differences in digital competency of university students in HEI in China mainly show significant differences in the dimension of basic literacy in using ICT in eastern China, while western China has the least satisfactory performance in this dimension. (3) Major and grade also affect the development of digital competency of university students, while gender does not affect the development of digital competency of university students. (4) The program plan and implementation plan of digital competency development of university students in higher education.
The innovation of this study is the construction of a digital competency model based on the characteristics of university students in HEI. The model is more specific and operational than the existing IT Application Competency Standards for Primary and Secondary School Teachers, and it specifies in detail the key competencies that university students in HEI should possess when using IT to solve problems, which helps university students in HEI to clarify their own strengths and weaknesses and thus make up for their shortcomings. In addition the research results have been verified by a large number of practices and provide planning solutions and standards for the future development of digital competencies of university students in HEI.
