Using the DigCompEdu framework in libraries

2 June 2020

The editors of the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) describe it as a “scientifically sound framework describing what it means for educators to be digitally competent. It provides a general reference frame to support the development of educator-specific digital competences in Europe.” As we have based our resource mapping on the 5 areas of the DigComp 2.1 framework, it is fitting that we use a complementary framework in teaching digital competences.

The structure of the DigCompEdu includes six areas of competences for digital educators:

1.Professional Engagement (using digital technologies for communication, collaboration and professional development)

2.Digital Resources (sourcing, creating and sharing digital resources)

3.Teaching and Learning (managing and orchestrating the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning)

4.Assessment (using digital technologies and strategies to enhance assessment)

5.Empowering Learners (using digital technologies to enhance inclusion, personalisation and learners’ active engagement)

6.Facilitating Learners’ Digital Competence (enabling learners to creatively and responsibly use digital technologies for information, communication, content creation, wellbeing and problem-solving).

Each area is described through a few categories and covers various skills and competences. This is then covered by the six proficiency levels, showing possible progress in competency development: (1) Newcomer, (2) Explorer, (3) Integrator, (4) Expert, (5) Leader and (6) Pioneer. All of them expressed through specific proficiency statement, almost ready to use e.g. in the evaluation questionnaire. Additionally, to make it more understandable some exemplary activities are described to illustrate particular categories. For example, for the “teaching” category under Area 3 activities such as: using classroom technologies to support instruction, setting up activities, lessons, and interactions in a digital environment fall under this. The DigCompEdu framework stresses in competency area 6 that digital competence is a transversal competence which must be instilled in learners by educators. This ability is an integral part of an educator’s digital competence and aligns itself with the DigComp 2.1 framework’s areas of competence.

The DigCompEdu framework can be used in various ways. For the Digital Travellers project, we will be focusing on encouraging librarians to develop the competences outlined above and using the framework as a needs assessment tool. At its core, this project is a “train-the-trainer” project and we want to equip librarians with the knowledge and skills for strong digital education programmes. To achieve this, we will use the DigCompEdu framework to support librarians in developing the relevant skills and knowledge for digital education and to help them design digital education programmes. The DigCompEdu framework will also be used throughout the project to evaluate changes in proficiency levels in the people trained by librarians.