Our Learning Path -project had an opportunity to dig a little deeper into the subject of teachers’ digital competence development. The project coordinator finished her master’s studies this summer and with the master’s programme, she was able to combine the project work with her final thesis.
The thesis is a case study focusing on analyzing the Learning Path project’s development work in TAKK Tampere Adult Education Centre from leadership point-of-view. The purpose of the thesis was to enhance the continuous professional development of teachers’ digital competence by analyzing the effects of leadership on it and by exploring the role of management in supporting the teachers’ digital competence development.
The theoretical framework used in this development is the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu).
The thesis was a qualitative study and document analysis together with service design were used as research methods. The research included a service design workshop for TAKK management on leadership of competence development, analyzing teachers’ experiences on their development of individual learning paths, as well as analyzing the relevant responses to a self-reflection survey on digital competences (SELFIE), including the views of both management and teachers.
The main findings indicate that leadership influences teachers’ level of motivation and commitment to the development of their digital competence. Setting clear objectives and understanding their benefits together with effective communication helps leaders minimize change resistance and encourage continuous professional development. In this, leaders’ own attitude and behavior play an important role. Based on the results of the thesis, concrete steps for leading the development of teachers’ digital competence include creating and updating a digital strategy with clear objectives, enhancing communication, and actively supporting the implementation of teachers’ competence development activities.
The thesis is available at:
https://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/339890
