3. Digital Competency Framework for Teachers – DigCompEdu
DigCompEdu (Digital Competence Framework for Educators) is a European framework that provides a detailed map of digital competencies specific to the educational context. The Croatian version of the DigCompEdu framework is available in CARNET's publication at the link. Although the framework is applicable to all levels of education, its importance for higher education teachers lies in the ability to take a structured, comprehensive and developmental approach to improving their own digital literacy, with a particular emphasis on the pedagogical application of technology. It consists of 6 areas and 22 specific competencies that encompass all aspects of teaching work.
Areas include:
- Professional engagement
- Digital sources and materials
- Learning and teaching
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Student empowerment
- Enabling the development and guidance of students' digital competences.
Within each area, competencies are listed.
1. Professional engagement includes these competencies:
- communication within the institution
- professional cooperation
- reflection on work
- continuous professional development supported by digital technologies.
2. Digital sources and materials include these competencies:
- digital sources and materials
- creation and adaptation of digital materials
- managing digital resources and materials, protecting them and sharing them.
3. Learning and teaching encompass these competencies:
- teaching
- guidance and direction
- collaborative learning
- self-regulated learning.
4. Monitoring and evaluation include these competencies:
- monitoring and evaluation strategies
- analysis of collected data
- feedback and planning of further activities.
5. Student empowerment encompasses these competencies:
- accessibility and inclusion
- differentiation and personalisation
- active involvement of students.
6. Enabling the development and guidance of students' digital competences encompasses these competencies:
- information and media literacy
- digital communication and collaboration
- digital content creation
- responsible use
- solving problems using digital technologies and those related to digital technology.
DigCompEdu recognises six levels of progression (from A1 to C2), which allows for monitoring development and individual guidance of education:
Newcomer (A1)
Newcomers are aware of the possibilities that digital technologies offer them if they want to improve their pedagogical and professional skills, but they have relatively little exposure to digital technologies and use them mainly for lesson preparation, administrative tasks or communication within the institution where they work. They need to be guided and encouraged to expand their repertoire and apply what they know about digital technology for pedagogical purposes.
Explorer (A2)
Explorers are aware of the opportunities that digital technologies offer them and want to explore further to improve pedagogical and professional practices. They have started to apply digital technologies in some areas of digital competence, but they are not comprehensive and consistent in doing so. They need to be encouraged and offered inspiration and insight into examples of the work of colleagues, perhaps in the form of collaborative exchange of experiences.
Integrator (B1)
Integrators explore the possibilities of digital technologies in different contexts and for different purposes, incorporating them into the habits they have already developed. They use them creatively to enrich different aspects of their professional engagement and want to expand their repertoire even further. However, they do not yet fully understand which tools are most appropriate in certain situations, nor how to align individual digital technologies with pedagogical strategies and methods. They still need some time to become Experts. They will reach this level through experimentation and reflection, and through collaboration and knowledge exchange with colleagues.
Expert (B2)
Experts use a wide range of digital technologies to enhance their professional practice. They do so with the necessary confidence, are creative and reflect critically on their actions. They purposefully choose digital technologies for specific situations and try to understand the advantages and disadvantages of different digital strategies. They are curious and open to new ideas but are aware that there is still much that they have not tried. Through experimentation, they expand, structure and consolidate the repertoire of strategies at their disposal. When it comes to introducing innovations into practice, expert-level educators are the foundation of every educational institution.
Leader (C1)
Leaders consistently and holistically approach the application of digital technologies to improve pedagogical and professional habits. They rely on a wide repertoire of digital strategies and choose the most appropriate one in each situation. They constantly reflect on their actions and build on them. By exchanging experiences with colleagues, they learn the latest news in the field in which they work. They are a source of inspiration for others and transfer their professional knowledge to them.
Pioneer (C2)
Pioneers question the adequacy of contemporary digital and pedagogical practices in which they have achieved the level of Leader. They are troubled by their potential limitations or shortcomings and are driven by the desire to introduce further innovations in education. They experiment with the application of highly innovative and complex digital technologies and/or develop entirely new pedagogical approaches. Pioneers are a unique and rare breed of educators who are always the first to introduce innovations and serve as role models for younger educators.
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