Work package 2
DigCompEdu - from piloting to implementation
As part of Work Package 2, we reviewed existing actions and resources developed by others who address teachers’ competence development at the institutional level. Our aim was to draw inspiration, avoid reinventing the wheel, and use these materials as a starting point for deeper analysis and discussion of our own educational contexts.
We wanted to:
- Collect actions and resources created by others, and catalogue them in an accessible way.
- Analyse and discuss these materials, assess their relevance for our institutions, and adapt them where appropriate
- Design our own actions, building on and reusing insights from this analysis;
- Implement these actions within our institutions, then document and catalogue them for wider use;
- Disseminate both the actions and the conclusions drawn from our discussions and in-depth analysis.
What we'd like to share:
We designed a catalogue of actions aimed at supporting the institutional development of teachers’ digital competencies. While there is a growing number of openly available resources, which is encouraging and reflects a strong culture of sharing, it can also be overwhelming. A significant amount of time is often spent browsing through materials, and it is not always easy to quickly assess whether a particular action or resource is relevant or worth a deeper look.
The catalogue is intended to make it easier to navigate existing actions and resources that support teachers’ digital competence development. Each action is described using a concise set of key information, such as its purpose, target group, and the competencies it addresses. A system of tags and filters further supports efficient navigation, helping users identify actions that best match their needs.
Work package 3
Integrating students’ voices via co-creation
Work Package 3 focuses on integrating students’ voices into the institutional development of teachers’ digital competencies through co-creation. The underlying assumption is that meaningful and sustainable change in teaching practices cannot be achieved without acknowledging students as active partners in the educational process, rather than passive recipients of teaching.
Within this work package, we explored how student voice and student co-creation are currently understood, structured, and implemented at national and institutional levels. Building on this analysis, we tested and refined approaches that enable institutions to involve students more systematically in the development of teachers’ digital competencies. The work combined desk research, mapping exercises, piloting of models, and the creation of practical resources that institutions can adapt to their own contexts.
We aimed to:
- map existing research, policies, and practices related to student voice and student co-creation in higher education;
- analyse how these approaches relate specifically to teachers’ digital competence development;
- develop shared guiding principles that support meaningful and ethical student–staff collaboration;
- pilot and refine co-creation models in institutional settings;
- disseminate findings, tools, and reflections through openly accessible channels.
What we would like to share
The deliverables of Work Package 3 provide both conceptual grounding and practical guidance for institutions that wish to integrate students’ voices into their digital competence development strategies.
- A partnership-oriented perspective on student voice, presented in Connecting with Students’ Voices: Key Elements for a Partnership Strategy Transforming Higher Education. This publication outlines why and how students can be engaged as partners in institutional change, rather than consulted on an ad hoc basis.
- Clear guiding principles for student co-creation, offering a shared framework for collaboration between students, teachers, and institutions. These principles help set expectations, clarify roles, and support inclusive and respectful co-creation processes.
- A structured literature review, documenting the methodology and key findings of our desk research. This provides an overview of existing academic and policy work on student voice and co-creation, with a specific focus on teachers’ digital competencies.
- A mapping of national and local landscapes, showing how student voice and co-creation are currently addressed in different contexts and how they connect to institutional approaches to digital competence development.
- Practical desk research templates, designed to support institutions in conducting their own mapping exercises. These templates can be reused or adapted to explore local practices, policies, and initiatives related to student voice and co-creation.
Work package 4
Empowering HE Managers for local development
Work Package 4 focuses on strengthening the capacity of higher education managers to lead and sustain institutional development in the area of digital transformation. While frameworks, tools, and pilot actions are essential, their long-term impact depends on leadership that is able to translate strategic goals into coherent local practices.
This concluding work package addresses the role of leaders within institutions in shaping conditions for teachers’ digital competence development. It builds on the insights and materials developed in earlier work packages and shifts the focus from experimentation and analysis towards strategic application, implementation, and scaling at the institutional level.
The work package brings together several complementary actions, including consultation, the design and implementation of technical and organisational solutions, strategic guidance, and participation in external events. Together, these activities support managers in aligning institutional priorities, structures, and resources with the ongoing development of digital teaching and learning.
We aimed to:
- support HE managers in understanding their role in leading digital transformation at the institutional level;
- translate project findings into strategic approaches applicable in local contexts;
- provide practical guidance that links digital leadership with teachers’ digital competence development;
- create resources that can be reused for leadership development beyond the project duration;
- disseminate insights and practices through professional and policy-oriented networks
- develop materials for a course which brings together strategic, organisational, and pedagogical perspectives on digital leadership, drawing on the project’s findings and real institutional contexts. It is intended to support reflection, informed decision-making, and practical action at the local level.
What we would like to share
The main deliverable of Work Package 4 is designed to support higher education managers in developing the knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to lead digital transformation in a sustainable way.
Our primary output is the production and publication of a complete online course on ‘Digital Leadership in Higher Education’ using DigCompEdu as a framework to explore key aspects in how those responsible for a department, team, or programme/course can both more effectively use digital technologies to enhance learning and help develop the digital competence and confidence of their team, empowering such managers/leaders to make strategic decisions regarding technology and pedagogy.
The course brings together strategic, organisational, and pedagogical perspectives on digital leadership, drawing on the project’s findings and real institutional contexts. It is intended to support reflection, informed decision-making, and practical action at the local level.
- The course was run with a pilot cohort on Ireland’s Opencourses.ie platform in Oct-Dec 2025, information about which can be found here: https://opencourses.ie/opencourse/digital-leadership-in-higher-education/
- The course content (including ancillary materials) can be downloaded as a Moodle zipped package from here.
- Specific individual, ancillary resources can also be downloaded or accessed at the links below
- Interactive, DigCompEdu self-assessment tool (openly available)
- DigCompEdu competency checklist for reflection by leader/manager (excel spreadsheet)
- Printable cards summary version of DigCompEdu competences
- CUTIE catalogue of case studies and activities
| Topic/subject | Content | Activity types | OERS produced |
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| Introductory/overview | Announcements, discussion area, consent forms | Completion of forms | Copy of simple questionnaire for adaptation/re-use Two short videos which can serve as examples for how to design future courses. |
| Mapping your context (Lesson 1 of the full course) |
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| Digital Resources (Lesson 2 of the full course) |
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| Using Technology to Support Teaching & Learning |
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| Technology & Assessment |
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| Technology Strategy for Learner Confidence |
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| Digital Leadership, Strategy, and Values |
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| Additional resources used/referenced |
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