Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 2024

e-ISSN: 2737-632x

Pgs 46-58

* MSc. Mayra del Rocío

Benavides Rodríguez

MSc. Teaching University of

Guayaquil,

mayra.benavidesrod@ug.edu.ec

https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3295-

4123

Mgtr. Fernando Chuchuca

Basantes

MSc. Teaching University of

Guayaquil,

fernando.chuchucab@ug.edu.ec

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3643-

4146

Received: November 2023

Approved: December, 2023

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31876/

ie.v8i1.266

http://www.revista-

iberoamericana.org/index.

php/es

How to cite:

Benavides, M., Chuchuca, F.

(2024) Digital teaching

competencies in the return to

face-to-face teaching. Revista

Iberoamericana De educación,

8 (1).

Digital teaching competencies in the

return to face-to-face teaching

Las competencias digitales docentes en el retorno a la presencialidad

Competências pedagógicas digitais no regresso ao ensino presencial

Mayra del Rocío Benavides Rodríguez*

Fernando Chuchuca Basantes**

Abstract

This research was conducted at the University of Guayaquil with the

purpose of knowing if the digital knowledge, skills and abilities

acquired by university teachers in the virtual modality during the

COVID 19 pandemic in the biennium from 2020 to 2022; digital

competencies that were consolidated in the four academic

quinquemestre and that are still in force in the current face-to-face

modality. To fulfill this research purpose, an approach to the teachers

of the disciplines selected for their academic development in the

face-to-face modality in the Early Childhood Education and Basic

Education Careers during the IC - 2023-2024 was foreseen, and to

collect qualitative data from this segment of teachers, which allows

us to know the truth beyond the evidence of their digital skills.

Keywords: digital competences, face-to-face

Resumen

Esta investigación se realizó en la Universidad de Guayaquil con el

propósito de conocer si los conocimientos, habilidades y capacidades

digitales adquiridos por los docentes universitarios en la modalidad

virtual durante la pandemia del COVID 19 en el bienio del 2020 al

2022; competencias digitales que se consolidaron en los cuatro

quinquemestre académicos y que siguen vigentes en la actual

modalidad presencial. Para cumplir con este propósito investigativo,

se previó un abordaje a los docentes de las disciplinas seleccionadas

para su desarrollo académico en la modalidad presencial en las

Carreras de Educación Inicial y Educación Básica durante el CI -

2023-2024, y recoger datos cualitativos de este segmento de

profesores, que nos permita conocer la verdad más allá de las

evidencias de sus habilidades digitales.

Palabras clave: competencias digitales, presencialidad

Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 202 4

Information and communication technologies and their contribution to the quality of the teaching-

learning process.

Resumo

Esta pesquisa foi realizada na Universidade de Guayaquil com o

objetivo de descobrir se os conhecimentos, competências e

habilidades digitais adquiridos pelos professores universitários na

modalidade virtual durante a pandemia COVID 19 no biênio 2020 a

2022; competências digitais que foram consolidadas no quatro

quinquemestre acadêmico e que ainda estão em vigor na atual

modalidade presencial. Para cumprir este propósito de investigação,

previu-se uma abordagem aos docentes das disciplinas selecionadas

para o seu desenvolvimento académico na modalidade presencial nas

licenciaturas de Educação Infantil e Ensino Básico durante o IC -

2023-2024 e recolher dados qualitativos junto deste segmento de

docentes, que nos permitam conhecer a verdade para além da

evidência das suas competências digitais.

Palavras-chave: competências digitais, presencialidade

INTRODUCTION

This research originates from the importance of assessing the digital

competencies acquired by university teachers during the 2020-2022

biennium, in the social and educational isolation, adopted in the

higher education system, due to the fulminant and deadly

consequences of COVID 19 in that period, The health cause that

motivated to change the mode of study of the student population in

almost all countries of the world, and with this decision to abruptly

enter the virtual mode and continue the training processes of the

active population in the schooling levels of basic education, high

school, undergraduate and graduate.

In order to make this virtual training process viable, educational

institutions carried out continuous training of their teachers and

students, although the latter proved to have closer links with

technology due to their millennial characteristics; these theoretical

and practical technological competencies were progressively

consolidated as transversal axes because they were used in the

processes of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary,

multidisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning and study

modalities.

Competencies are defined as those skills, abilities and knowledge that

a person has to efficiently perform a certain task. Competencies are

the knowledge that accredits someone to perform a certain activity in

a certain field of knowledge, which not only include theoretical

aptitudes, but also define thinking, character, values and the good

Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 202 4

Information and communication technologies and their contribution to the quality of the teaching-

learning process.

handling of problematic situations. Retrieved from "Meaning of

Competencies".

This construct helps us to understand that a person who has learned

a knowledge or ability in a meaningful way, and who uses it to solve

some contextual problem related to that knowledge, can be said to

have acquired competence.

Digital competencies are a set of skills, knowledge and attitudes in

technological, informational, multimedia and communicative

aspects, which generate as a result a complex multiple digital literacy

(Gisbert & Esteve, 2011), Cited by Zavala D. et al., 2016.

Consequently, these digital competencies are generators of a series

of actions in the educational platforms of higher education

institutions, capabilities that were acquired by teachers in multimedia

training processes and that are visualized in the performance in the

virtual modality,

The Lisbon European Council defines digital competence as "the

ethical, critical and safe use of ICTs for personal, educational,

occupational and communicational purposes". Quoted by Perdomo,

B., et al. (2020).

These concepts refer not only to technological knowledge per se, but

also to the broad and correct use of these multimedia practices, due

to this deontological link in the application of digital knowledge.

We also refer that: with the term Information and Communication

Technologies, we define the set of resources, tools, equipment,

programs, computer applications, which allow the compilation,

processing, transmission of information, such as voice, data, text,

video and images. Its use in the educational field gives rise to digital

competencies, which is synthesized in the definition: "to have skills

to search, obtain, process and communicate information, and thus

transform it into knowledge" Perdomo, B.; González-Martínez, O.A.

& Barrutia Barreto, I. (2020).

Digital skills, which were being incorporated into the profile of

educators through slowed training processes, are now being

vigorously resumed to mitigate the digital gap that separated us from

the first world countries, that historical distance was minimized by

the massive entry of teachers and students to the virtual contexts of

the higher education system, cyberspace and connectivity of

educational platforms, this access to technologies has grown

exponentially for its dynamism, connectivity, security, speed and

versatility of its applications.

For (Moreira, 2002)the change from face-to-face education to the

virtual classroom, increased the consumption and urgent

Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 202 4

Information and communication technologies and their contribution to the quality of the teaching-

learning process.

transmission of data, which converge in the technological

massification of the emerging virtuality caused by the pandemic;

today for university teachers of the XXI century, this knowledge,

capabilities and virtualized digital skills linked to technology are no

longer utopias, they are no longer unattainable knowledge, and have

become essential and daily practices, because they permanently

contribute to optimize the quality of educational practice in

university professional training.

Digital competencies lead a person to achieve relative autonomy in

information processing, to act responsibly, critically, reflectively and

efficiently when selecting, through the use of different technological

tools, the sources of knowledge that will nourish their educational

loop, with multiplying effectiveness when it is the teachers who seek

and channel data for the ubiquitous, autonomous and collaborative

learning process of their students.

(Gavilán et al., 2013). The aforementioned digital competencies are

progressively consolidated in the educational population in the return

to face-to-face, the new public policies related to national and

institutional information and communication technologies guarantee

the development of new academic activities in a context of face-to-

face with virtualization.

This aspiration, to provide the classrooms with technological

infrastructure and maintain the educational platforms and online

processes in force, will allow us to consolidate the digital and virtual

competences of teachers and students, and is a magnificent

opportunity to improve the quality of the university educational

system, if this option is not possible, the road travelled will be

diluted, and the effort deployed by the actors of the university system

to incorporate the new technological currents to the university

culture, will have been only a utopia. In this section we are going to

make visible some data, related to the educational policies at

planetary level, which directed the virtualization of the levels of the

educational system, including higher education; to avoid contagions

and to safeguard the health of the educational community; this

measure facilitated the teaching participation in synchronous and

asynchronous virtual classes through educational platforms, for both

andragogic activities, it was required an investment in technological

and virtual training of university professors under the responsibility

of the Higher Education Institutions.

For (Salvador-Cisneros et al., 2023) these continuing education

processes that led university professors to acquire several digital

habits and new educational practices, which were consolidated as

Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 202 4

Information and communication technologies and their contribution to the quality of the teaching-

learning process.

digital competencies of teachers, among these practices can be

mentioned, navigation and permanent search for information in

digital databases, downloading digital information and organization

of multimedia teaching materials such as videos and pdf files,

entering the institutional virtual classroom, to upload individual and

team assignments, grade and download files, participate in

cooperative and collaborative work, online management meetings

and virtual tutorials, use digital applications, dynamic

communication with students, managers and directors, daily use of

institutional mail and/or wasap to send and receive academic

information, among others, which demand a consolidated habit to

move through the platforms and cyberspace. These arguments

coincide with the approach of Velásquez O. (2019), (Cevallos et al.,

2023), (Ley Orgámica de Educación Superior, 2010) who considers

that the role of the virtual teacher is transformed into a subject of

accompaniment, facilitation, motivation, mediator of information

and knowledge, catalyst of learning, because he/she fulfills multiple

roles and functions. To corroborate the above, we recover the

following text from IESALC-UNESCO, 2021, which states that: in

order to favor pedagogical continuity, universities did not propose a

single methodology. The majority recommended the use of the

corresponding virtual classroom, but virtualized synchronous classes

were also encouraged. About 78% of the universities participating in

the study promoted this approach. The second option preferred by the

universities is the use of lectures delivered as videos, synchronously

or asynchronously, which occurs in 41% of the universities. As can

be seen in this quantitative data, the proposal of the university

system, in its two modalities synthesized in previous paragraphs, had

a global acceptance of the universities in 78% and 41% respectively,

modalities that demanded a digital learning and practice of their

teachers and students, to transit through the institutional platforms.

Quintana (2000), developed a model that was proposed and

implemented in Spain with the objective of standardizing the levels

of ICT competency training of basic education teachers, digital

competence is the mastery of knowledge, skills and attitudes that

allow them to effectively use ICT as a support to their professional

training and resources that facilitate student learning. Cited by Zavala

D. et al., 2016.

This proposal, implemented to improve the professional performance

of Basic Education teachers in the field of Information and

Communication Technologies, was undoubtedly more than two

decades ahead of the pandemic, and managed to substantially

Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 202 4

Information and communication technologies and their contribution to the quality of the teaching-

learning process.

optimize the training quality of these professionals and their work

performance.

In studies conducted by Rangel (2015), he describes the new role of

the 21st century teacher as that of training teachers with a set of

resources, those that allow them to interact with information,

intellectually manage the different systems and codes, read and

decode not only in a linear way but also hypertextual and hypermedia

and evaluate the information discriminating the valid and useful for

their educational, communicative and action project. Cited by Zavala

D. et al., 2016.

This proposal also has technological features, since it approaches in

a linear and transversal way all the fields of knowledge and

additionally incorporates images, sounds, videos, audios and texts

that are resources of the hypermedia current, because the vertiginous

development of virtuality contributes systemically and significantly

in the experiential learning of students, when your main senses

participate simultaneously.

This requires investments in digital literacy and infrastructure, in

addition to strengthening the linkages between the formal and

informal sectors of education" (UN, 2020). Cited by Díaz D. et. al.

2021

This state investment in continuing education, digital literacy and

technological infrastructure should be channeled by governments

through their portfolios and state secretariats, complemented by the

governing bodies of the university system, to monitor compliance

with public policies for the development of technologies in the higher

education system and progressively in other educational systems.

In such a case, there is a need for a digital literacy that links schools

with society, improving the acquisition of digital competencies for

collaborative learning, autonomy, effective communication, ethics

and digital citizenship (Días -Trindade, et al., 2020; Cited by Díaz D.

et. al. 2021

This quote establishes a general link between the educational

system and society, because the national educational system trains

high school graduates for the exercise of citizenship, when the young

person reaches the age of majority, and the university system trains

professionals for labor activity in the national socioeconomic system,

since university education has a graduation profile with a high digital

component, labor insertion has greater possibilities.

At the same time, it suggests that education systems must urgently

move towards "(...) progressive systems that deliver quality

education for all as a pathway to achieving the Sustainable

Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 202 4

Information and communication technologies and their contribution to the quality of the teaching-

learning process.

Development Goals. This requires investments in digital literacy

and infrastructure, in addition to strengthening linkages between the

formal and informal sectors of education" (UN, 2020). Cited by Díaz

D. et. al. 2021.

This social policy direction to improve the quality of education and

insert our university system in the international context, on a par with

developed countries, provides the opportunity to improve the social

conditions of future professionals and the population in general, and

consequently improve their quality of life.

As a result, we can conclude that the purpose of this research is to

know which are the digital competences of university teachers, many

of them acquired during the pandemic, and which of these

technological abilities and skills they are using in the return to the

face-to-face modality, which could mean the optimal use of these

significant digital learning.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This qualitative cross-sectional study, framed in the descriptive,

phenomenological and hermeneutic methods, was announced to

know the digital competencies acquired by university teachers during

the pandemic, through continuing education processes planned by the

institution, and applied in the labor exercise of the virtual modality,

in the semesters from 2020 to 2022, highlighting the pragmatic and

multidisciplinary value of technological skills, because these

knowledge, skills and abilities, favor the dynamics of teaching work,

using the multiple formats provided by the multimedia environment.

In order to gather empirical information, qualitative and subjective

data on the work practices of teachers of humanistic, pedagogical,

technological and specialization disciplines, in the Early Childhood

and Basic Education careers, morning and evening shifts, who

worked in the on-site modality during the IC 2023-2024, at the

University of Guayaquil, were requested.

The selected sample consisted of 16 teachers of both sexes, who

returned to the face-to-face modality, equivalent to 20% of the total

number of teachers in the initial education careers and 20% of the

basic education teachers, that is, 8 teachers per career, who, during

the pandemic worked in the virtual modality and during this cycle

that has been selected as the field of study, in the face-to-face

modality.

The survey technique was used with a questionnaire of 20 questions,

related to the two categories of analysis, with a rating scale of five

quantitative-qualitative alternatives, according to the Likert model,

Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 202 4

Information and communication technologies and their contribution to the quality of the teaching-

learning process.

so that the informant teachers could choose the option closest to their

reality, according to the following alternatives, 5 = Totally agree-

Always, 4 = Agree - Almost always, 3 = Partially agree - Neither

almost always nor almost never, 2 = Disagree - Almost never and 1

= Totally disagree - Never.

The survey was sent and received by institutional mail and by wasap,

the digital files were downloaded for tabulation, the qualitative data

obtained in this way were processed according to statistical

guidelines, to condense, describe and interpret the empirical

responses.

RESULTS

The double-entry table that is presented with a single visual structure,

collects in a simplified way the quali-quantitative values that the

informants assigned in the different levels of the Likert scale to each

of the 20 questions that were asked in the survey technique, the

information that was requested was related to the categories in the

contexts of the virtual and face-to-face modalities. Therefore, we

have grouped all the questions and their answers into five levels, with

the purpose of facilitating the interpretation of these data.

The answers to the questions posed from the categories of analysis

linked to the focused problem and to the modalities of university

work were processed, which made the following information

possible:

The first five questions are related to the information management

competency, which allows the user to navigate in cyberspace to

search for information and resources for interlearning sessions and at

the same time classify files by their formats, validity, updating and

reliability of sources to organize his or her personal library.

Question 1 inquired about the teacher's navigation to search for

information in digital databases during their work in the virtual

modality, a question to which 9 teachers responded with 5-always, 6

teachers responded with 4-almost always and 1 teacher responded

with 3-in partial agreement. Question 11, which requested the same

information, but during the face-to-face modality, and the answers

were 4 teachers 4-almost always and 12 teachers 3- Partially agree.

This already denotes a significant decrease in the level of online

management of teachers because they performed the same activity

with less intensity in the face-to-face modality.

Question 2 requested information related to the downloading of

digital books and pdf files for their students during the virtual

Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 202 4

Information and communication technologies and their contribution to the quality of the teaching-

learning process.

modality, the response was 12 teachers 4=almost always and 4

teachers 3=partially agree. Question 12, which asks about the same

content, was answered by only 2 teachers with 4=almost always, and

14 teachers in the alternative 3-partially agree, i.e. there is evidence

of a decrease in this activity, which was more intense in the virtual

modality.

Question 3 requested information related to the downloading of

videos and multimedia material for their students, during the virtual

modality, which motivated the response of 13 teachers with 5-always

and 3 teachers with 4 almost always. Question 13, which inquired

about the same activity of the previous question but during the face-

to-face modality, yielded the following result: 3 teachers responded

with 4 almost always and 13 teachers with 3-partially agree, which

shows a downward trend in this information management activity.

Question 4 inquired about the organization of academic activities on

the institutional platform by teachers during the virtual modality, 11

of the teachers responded with 5-always and 5 teachers, with 4-

almost always, which shows that the teachers were in charge of

organizing the virtual classrooms; Question 14, related to the

previous question but in the face-to-face modality, the answers differ

from the previous ones, in this case 3 teachers answered with 4-

almost always and 13 teachers with 3-partially agree, results that

confirm this decrease in the trend as in the previous questions.

Question 5 was formulated to know if the teachers used the virtual

platform to download and grade assignments, in the virtual modality,

the answers of the 16 teachers were positive, that they always used it

during the semester; question 15 is related to the same activity, but

in the face-to-face modality, 2 teachers answered with 3-partially

agree and 14 teachers with 2-almost never, answers that confirm the

tendency of less use of technological resources in the face-to-face

modality.

The five questions we analyze below are related to the Digital

Communication competency that includes among its activities the

participation in meetings with managers, tutorials with students,

training seminars through video conferencing tools.

Question 6 was formulated to know if the professors used the ZOOM

or Teams applications to participate in teaching work meetings

during the virtual modality, the answer of 12 professors was that they

always did and of 4 professors, that they almost always did. With

question 16, we inquired about the level of teacher participation in

work meetings through the mentioned applications during the face-

to-face modality, 12 professors responded with 3 - partial use and 4

Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 202 4

Information and communication technologies and their contribution to the quality of the teaching-

learning process.

professors with 2 - almost never used because the meetings were

face-to-face.

Question 7 was designed to analyze if the professors organized

virtual or asynchronous tutorials, with the purpose of reinforcing

some academic content, during the virtual modality, their answers

identify the almost total use they made of the technological resources,

since 14 professors expressed with 5 that they always made use of

those resources and 2 professors responded with 4 that they almost

always did. Question 17 was included for the same activity

mentioned in the face-to-face modality, in this case, their reports

were different, 1 professor expressed that the use of technological

resources was partial, responded with 3 of partial use and 15

professors indicated that they almost never used them, therefore they

marked option 2 on the Likert scale.

Question 8 was posed to find out if the professors used institutional

e-mail as an internal communication tool in the virtual modality, and

the answers were conclusive, since 16 professors answered that it was

always the ideal resource; with question 18, we inquired about the

same concept, but in the face-to-face modality, 14 professors

answered that they always used this resource to communicate, but 2

professors answered that they almost always used it.

Question 9 was established to know if they authorized the use of

technological devices by their students (cell phones, tablets, laptops)

during their classes, in the current virtual modality, the 16 teachers

of the sample responded that their students always used them; with

question 19, the same information was required, but in the face-to-

face modality, 8 teachers responded with 3- partial use of these

devices, 4 teachers responded that they almost never used them and

4 teachers that they never used them in their classes.

Question 10 was formalized to know if the teachers used the

technological tools of the institutional platform to evaluate the

learning of their students during the virtual modality, to which 16

teachers, equivalent to 100% responded that they always used them,

question 20, with the same concern, but in the face-to-face modality,

had other answers, 8 teachers responded with 2-almost never, and 8

teachers with 1-never, is the Likert scale, which shows a significant

decrease in the use of technological tools in the university teaching

activity. The analysis leads us to conclude that, despite having

achieved significant progress in improving the digital competencies

of teachers, which were used during the semesters carried out in the

virtual mode, today, upon returning to face-to-face teaching, the

progress acquired with great effort, with budgetary, technological

Revista Iberoamericana de la Educación, Vol - 8 No. 1, January - March 202 4

Information and communication technologies and their contribution to the quality of the teaching-

learning process.

and human investment, overthrowing even the generational

prejudices of teaching from the 60s onwards, to adapt them to the

new educational approaches with digital support, today we see with

concern how these achievements are diluted in the first months of

face-to-face academic activities.

The answers are testimonies of the progress achieved by university

teachers in the technological field, as they learned the processes of

entry and use of these digital tools, adapted to the requirements and

protocols established and fulfilled their role in a different scenario to

the one they had worked in, as many of the teachers with an extensive

experience in the classroom modality, saw themselves as actors in a

new scenario, such as Zoom and Teams, two of the applications with

which they were familiarized because they worked with them for two

years in continuous activities.

These concepts lead us to reflect on the redesign of teacher training

careers, because teachers today surf the Internet, search for

information, download files, videos, games and multimedia material

as a normal activity, enter a virtual platform, schedule their classes,

tasks, exams, upload didactic material, organize online meetings,

with an amazing normality, and these new scenarios must be

assimilated and used by the new generations of teachers.

In this sense, we consider pertinent the proposal made by García

Aretio, 2020, of some authors who propose to place the face-to-face

modality as an extension of virtual education, since the use of

technologies in this traditional modality guarantees the pedagogical

link.

It is also necessary to recover some concepts expressed in the 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development of the UN, which points out

the importance of the dissemination and adoption of information and

communication technologies, such as the global interconnection they

provide to accelerate human progress, constructs that show that

beyond information and communication as fundamental elements of

society, these require the development of technology for the

planetary integration of social groups, is the reality that has been

experienced in the educational systems in the 2020-2022 biennium.

The same agenda argues that digital transformation implies a high

degree of investment in network infrastructure and connectivity in

the countries. The pandemic implied an extraordinary increase in the

number of devices connected at home simultaneously, using data and

videoconferencing platforms and a strong increase in work in the

cloud, which has led to an exponential increase in data traffic and has

created a bottleneck in wifi routers operating on unlicensed spectrum,