Digital Competence of Digital Native Students as Prerequisite for Digital Transformation of Education

Abstract

Current students of higher education institutions are referred to as digital natives and so they are expected to have a good level of digital competence. The aim of the paper is to examine whether digital native students of non-technical study programs consider themselves ready for the digital transformation of education and whether, from their point of view, they meet the preconditions for such digital education. A survey (questionnaire) was conducted for this purpose. The results showed that most students have appropriate technical support for online education (technical equipment, internet connection and access to the necessary software). Most students have a positive attitude towards the use of digital technologies in general and specifically in education too. This result is consistent with the characteristics of digital natives. Consistency was also found in their self-assessment of their own level of technical skill (77.4% of students do not need help working with digital technologies or only to a small extent and 84.4% of students can actively participate in online education). The results also indicate students’ propensity for multitasking as a feature of digital natives (during online education, 77% of students use multiple devices at once and a total of 85.2% of students also engage in other activities during online learning). Most students are also satisfied with the support of the subjects they study in the form of e-courses. However, the preference for a particular form of study materials (printed or digital) is not such ambiguous.