DIGITAL COMPETENCE OF TEACHERS WORKING IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS OF ODISHA

The objectives of the study were to study the level of digital competence of teachers working in higher education institutions and to compare the digital competence of teachers working in higher education institutions with respect to gender, age, qualification, and experience. A survey was conducted with a sample of 53 higher education teachers selected through stratified random sampling techniques. A self-developed rating scale consisting of 41 items based on five components of digital competence, such as information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, safety, and problem-solving, was used as a tool for data collection. The collected data were analysed using frequency count, percentage, and chi-square in SPSS software. The findings of the present study indicated that more number (47.16%) of the teachers were an average level of competence. There is no significant difference in the digital competence of teachers working in higher education institutions with respect to gender and qualification. The study also indicates that teachers with age group up to 40 years have better digital competence than teachers with higher age group and teachers with less than ten years of experience have better digital competence than teachers with higher experience group. It is proposed that teachers in higher education should be encouraged and motivated to learn digital skills and competence. The state authority can organize capacity-building programs to enhance teachers' digital competence through the use of ICT in teaching and learning.