Digital skills of students of the Doctorate in Education with a specialty in Research and Evaluation at the University de El Salvador, 2024

Abstract

This research exposed the students' valuations, meanings, feelings and experiences related to the handling of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The objective of the study was to describe the valuation of digital competence factors and experiences for meaningful learning of the Doctorate in Education with a specialty in Research and Evaluation at the University de El Salvador program students. The methodology used is of a mixed nature, applying a sequential transformative design (DITRAS), with two stages: a) the quantitative phase, which aimed to determine the value of digital competencies, through the implementation of a questionnaire, divided into 5 factors and, b) the qualitative phase, with the purpose of interpreting the experiences of students in the framework of digital competencies through a focus group. The results indicate that doctoral students give a high value to the different factors of digital skills, both for their daily lives and for the educational and work processes in which they work. For them, these competencies mean: agility, immediacy and speed. Within the framework of the postgraduate program, it has been key to integrate ICTs for the improvement of digital skills, without neglecting the role played by expert teachers in the different modules, since they have stood out for implementing creative and innovative teaching strategies for the development of content, accompanying and guiding their students, for the generation of meaningful learning.