Digital competence and the use of technological tools in university teachers

The use of technology in Higher Education is essential due to its impact on the development of the competences , skills necessary for the 21st century. The aim of the study was to evaluate the digital mastery of the teaching staff in different competence areas, the frequency of the use of technological tools in the teaching process , the possible relationship between both constructs. To this end, a quantitative approach was adopted with a descriptive and inferential cross-sectional design. Data collection was carried out based on a questionnaire in which 220 teachers from a Spanish university participated. The most relevant findings show that teachers have an intermediate level of proficiency with variations depending on the competence areas. They also indicate that teachers use more frequently those tools that do not require a high pedagogical and didactic domain of technologies. Finally, they note that the frequency of use of tools with a strong pedagogical-didactic component is related to mastery in all competence areas. The study points out the need to provide training focused on this component to improve teachers' digital competence and the use of technological tools. Future lines of research are indicated to validate these preliminary findings.