DIGITAL LIBRARY
DIGITAL TEAMS FOR PURSUING EXCELLENCE IN ONLINE EDUCATION
University of Granada (SPAIN)
About this paper:
Appears in: EDULEARN21 Proceedings
Publication year: 2021
Pages: 2929-2937
ISBN: 978-84-09-31267-2
ISSN: 2340-1117
doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2021.0629
Conference name: 13th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies
Dates: 5-6 July, 2021
Location: Online Conference
Abstract:
Digital culture defines how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) influence the way society develops, communicates and interacts. Undoubtedly, the health crisis derived from COVID-19 has somehow forced the implementation of such digital culture in all aspects of our lives, including Higher Education. Although Universities had a fast and satisfactory response to the unexpected immersion in virtual environments, it also highlighted the need, more than ever, to continue investing technical and human resources to promote digital training and the acquisition of digital skills, both in students and teachers.

The University of Granada has promoted the implementation of Digital Teams devoted to improve the digital skills of University teachers. In this context, the Faculty of Pharmacy has scheduled a Digital Agenda which main objective is to provide the teachers involved in the different Bachelor's Degrees of the Faculty of Pharmacy (i.e., Pharmacy, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Food Science and Technology and the double degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics + Food Science and Technology), practical expertise on ICTs tools, which they could implement in their teaching.

It is evident that the integration of ICTs in the classroom is not an immediate process, but rather requires the development of knowledge, skills and active attitudes. Sharing didactic and pedagogic experiences in the use of virtual and innovative teaching methodologies and resources among colleagues, i.e., novel and senior teachers, as well as ICTs experts, has proven to be an excellent method to:
(1) enrich the teaching community,
(2) promote the effective integration and application of this kind of dynamics in the classroom, and
(3) improve the digital skills of teachers, thus significantly improving the learning experience of the student and the quality of the teaching-learning process.

In this work, our Digital Agenda and the schedule of the different activities planned during the academic course and the dissemination plan will be discussed. Furthermore, gathered experience on the implementation of new digital skills, suggestions for successful online teaching and outcomes from the present Project will be shared. Finally, the observed milestones in the Project as well as requests for future implementations will be also addressed.

Financial support from "Unidad de Calidad, Innovación Docente y Prospectiva" and "Centro de Producción de Recursos para la Universidad Digital (CEPRUD)" for the Project entitled "Formación Digital Integral enfocada a la docencia en la Facultad de Farmacia" is gratefully acknowledged.
Keywords:
Digital strategy, online teaching, digital skills, ICT, good practices.