Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 30th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview WG7: Public Administration Education Author(s) Janez Stare University of Ljubljana Ljubljana Slovenia Maja Klun , Mitja Dečman Title DEVELOPING TEACHERS' DIGITAL COMPETENCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION PRACTISE File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Janez Stare Abstract We live in a digital society characterised by rapid and profound knowledge-based change (OECD, 2016). Citizens living in this society are expected to acquire knowledge through the selection of available information (especially on the internet) and to be able to deal with this information in order to use it properly in their personal and professional lives. The same applies to the field of education or higher education. The rapid technological progress highlights specific skills, new competences and abilities necessary. All of this is to a large extent linked to digitalisation. This brings teachers to the question of how they can meet these demands. The question relates to their competence and to the development of new content and the expansion and enrichment of pedagogical methods, especially with regard to the integration of digital technologies and practises. This change is not (yet) accepted by many in higher education, but it is becoming increasingly clear that it is the new reality of pedagogical work. This means that the transformation will only be successful if higher education institutions and teachers build their digital capacities, develop digital competences and 'become' digitally competent. Universities are largely aware of the rapid technological changes affecting education. They are developing various strategies and solutions to enable teachers to develop digital literacy. They promote an integrative pedagogy, andragogy and heutagogy. In this way, educators are willing and able to "deconstruct" their working technologies so that they can do interesting things in the classroom with their knowledge of technologies "inside and out". This implies the need to develop digital skills and ensure digital literacy. In higher education, the renewed EU agenda for higher education of 2017 already expressed the intention to "develop and deploy a digital readiness model" to help higher education institutions, their staff and students implement digital learning strategies and harness the potential of cutting-edge technologies, including learning analytics. The need to digitise the higher education environment brings teachers' digital skills to the fore. This paper discusses the process of transforming higher education pedagogy towards digitisation and technology-enhanced learning. It addresses the digital skills requirements of higher education teachers and the development of digital competences of higher education teachers as a key issue. This is linked to a preliminary definition of the digital competences required. To this end, the European Framework of Digital Competences for Teachers is presented. The framework is a basic, research-based document intended for the development of strategic orientations and the implementation of relevant tools and training programmes in each country, targeting teachers at all levels and sectors of education (including higher education). It is followed by a case study of teachers' digital competence development at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and a critical analysis of the perceived situation. Based on this, measures and solutions in the field of digital competence development of higher education teachers are proposed. Keywords: teachers' digital competences, digital literacy, university teachers, European framework for teachers' digital competences
