DIGITAL LITERACY OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTRUCTORS IN THAILAND
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Abstract
Many students in post-secondary education nowadays expect online spaces for learning as they are used to be quasi-always online via social network services and streaming sites. How much can instructors cope with the challenges of digital technologies expected to be used in contemporary higher education institutions? Answers lead to the evaluation of digital literacy exhibited by students and instructors. Many definitions have been proposed to handle the concept of digital literacy adding to many more others that try to make the research and application of similar skill sets and competences manageable. This study aimed at assessing the level of digital literacy exhibited by instructors at higher education institutions in Thailand. Moreover, we investigated the attitudes towards the use of digital technologies for teaching expressed by the instructors. We collected data from a variety of institutions with the help of questionnaires as well as in-depth interviews and analyzed the data. Basic statistics such as mean, S.D. and percentage were used for quantitative data analysis. For qualitative data, content analysis technique was employed as a key method. According to the findings of the present study, the instructors showed moderate level of digital literacy and more than half of the participating instructors exhibited some key fundamental digital skills and literacy. In addition, they perceived positive uses of digital technologies. However several instructors still employed simple forms of digital technologies for their teaching and research work as they recognized the importance of TPACK, and some challenges and difficulties. The findings suggest that there is still a need for specific training for enhancing their digital literacy in order for them to suitably leverage technology or digital tools for their teaching practice and research in an effective way.
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