Developing the Digital Competence of Future Computer Science Teachers in Informal Education

Mykyta Zhurenko

Abstract

The article substantiates the relevance of developing digital competence in future computer science teachers through informal education as a strategic direction for professional training in the context of society's digital transformation. The essence of the concept of 'digital competence' is defined as an integrative formation that encompasses technical, cognitive and ethical components. The role of informal education as a tool for flexible and dynamic updating of professional knowledge and digital skills is emphasised, which meets the needs of individualisation, adaptability and independent professional development. The potential for integrating formal and informal education into the process of professional training of teaching staff is outlined, and conceptual foundations for building an effective model of digital education based on a combination of traditional and innovative approaches are proposed. Particular attention is paid to the principles of variability, modularity, fractality, and openness in the education system, which enable the content and structure of training to be adapted to the challenges of the digital age. The author presents approaches to creating open educational ecosystems that involve cooperation among higher education institutions (HEIs), IT companies, professional communities, and non-governmental organisations. The conclusion is made about the need to revise traditional models of professional training for future computer science teachers, and the prospects for further research in the direction of combining formal and informal educational practices are substantiated.



Keywords


digital competence; informal education; computer science teacher; professional training; digital transformation; teacher education



References


1. Vozniuk, O. (2009). Pobudova intehralʹnoyi pedahohichnoyi paradyhmy: postanovka problemy [Building an integral pedagogical paradigm: Problem statement]. Visnyk Zhytomyrsʹkoho derzhavnoho universytetu imeni Ivana Franka, 48, 22–26 (in Ukrainian).

2. Zhurenko, M. (2024). Tsyfrova dydaktyka: novitni metody formuvannya tsyfrovoyi kompetentnosti [Digital didactics: New methods of digital competence formation]. In Svit dydaktyky: dydaktyka v suchasnomu sviti (pp. 349–352). Kyiv (in Ukrainian).

3. Klieba, A. I. (2019). Tsyfrova kompetentnistʹ maybutnikh uchyteliv informatyky yak skladova yikh profesiynoyi kompetentnosti [Digital competence of future informatics teachers as a component of their professional competence]. Naukovyi chasopys NPU imeni M. P. Drahomanova. Seriya 5: Pedahohichni nauky: realiyi ta perspektyvy, 1, 223–226 (in Ukrainian).

4. Nalyvaiko, O. (2021). Tsyfrova kompetentnistʹ: sutnistʹ poniattya ta dynamika yoho rozvytku [Digital competence: The essence of the concept and the dynamics of its development]. In Kompetentnisnyi pidkhid u vyshchii osviti: teoriya i praktyka (pp. 40–65). Kharkiv National University of V. N. Karazin. doi: 10.26565/9789662856729.03 (in Ukrainian).

5. Ovdiichuk, V. (2025). Tsyfrova kompetentnistʹ yak odna z bazovykh kompetentnostei maybutnikh uchyteliv informatyky [Digital competence as one of the basic competencies of future informatics teachers]. Osvita. Innovatyka. Praktyka, 13(3), 64–69. doi: 10.31110/2616-650X-vol13i3-010 (in Ukrainian).

6. Skoryk, T., & Verhunova, V. (2021). Neformalʹna osvita yak chynnyk profesiynoho rozvytku maybutnikh uchyteliv [Non-formal education as a factor of professional development of future teachers]. In Synerhiya formalʹnoyi, neformalʹnoyi ta dualʹnoyi osvity maybutnikh fakhivtsiv doshkilʹnoyi ta pochatkovoyi osvity (pp. 86–89). Chernihiv (in Ukrainian).

7. Tolmachov, V. (2024). Formuvannya tsyfrovoyi kompetentnosti maybutnikh uchyteliv informatyky pid chas vyvchennya system i metodiv vizualʹnoho prohramuvannya [Formation of digital competence of future informatics teachers during the study of systems and methods of visual programming]. In Rozvytok pedahohichnoyi maysternosti maybutnoho pedahoha v umovakh osvitnikh transformatsiy (pp. 264–266). Hlukhiv (in Ukrainian).

8. Chiu, T., Falloon, G., Song, Y., Wong, V., Zhao, L., & Ismailov, M. (2024). A self-determination theory approach to teacher digital competence development. Computers & Education, 214, 105017. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2024.105017

9. Smith, A., & Seal, M. (2021). The contested terrain of critical pedagogy and teaching informal education in higher education. Education Sciences, 11(9), 476. doi: 10.3390/educsci11090476


Article Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Metrics powered by PLOS ALM

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.




Copyright (c) 2025 Mykyta Zhurenko

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.