Collaborative construction of a project as a methodology for acquiring digital competences

• Published in: Comunicar (Huelva, Spain) Spain), 2014-01, Vol.21 (42), p.15-24
• Main Authors: Pérez-Mateo-Subirà, María, Romero-Carbonell, Marc, Romeu-Fontanillas, Teresa
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• ISSN: 1134-3478; 1988-3293
• DOI: 10.3916/C42-2014-01

As a result of the emergence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) we are currently experiencing a period of major changes. Higher education plays a key role in helping students to acquire the competences which enable them to be autonomous in both academic and professional environments, where ICT literacy and collaborative processes are considered crucial. This study analyzes students’ perceptions about how the collaborative construction of an online project facilitates the acquisition of digital competences. It examines the methodological approach, within the context of the Open University of Catalonia, of the subject: «ICT Competences». This subject is conducted fully online at the UOC, and learners are required to engage in a collaborative project organized in 4 phases: starting, structuring, developing and concluding. Based on an evaluation research approach, quantitative and qualitative data from a survey have been triangulated. The results support the pedagogical methodology which forms the basis of this subject and indicates that collaborative projects facilitate the acquisition of digital competences, highlighting those linked to digital teamwork and digital attitude. The conclusions reinforce the importance of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) processes, the need to put forward pedagogical proposals for the acquisition of both digital and collaborative competences and the relevant role of the teacher in this process. Actualmente presenciamos una etapa de importantes cambios como consecuencia de la emergencia de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC). La educación superior ejerce un papel clave para ayudar a los estudiantes a adquirir las competencias que les permitan desenvolverse en los entornos académico y profesional. Entre éstas, las vinculadas a las TIC y los procesos de colaboración se consideran claves. La finalidad del presente estudio es analizar la percepción de los estudiantes a fin de evidenciar cómo la construcción colaborativa de un proyecto digital facilita la adquisición de las competencias digitales. Para ello, se aborda el planteamiento metodológico de la asignatura «Competencias TIC» de la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, la cual se desarrolla a través de un proyecto colaborativo en red organizado en cuatro fases: inicio, estructuración, desarrollo y conclusión y cierre. Mediante una investigación evaluativa se triangulan datos de naturaleza cuantitativa y cualitativa provenientes