Abstract:

Given the need to improve ICT incorporation processes, Colombia has promoted the construction of public policies that institutionally support technological mediation in productive, commercial, and governmental environments, to name a few. Specifically, the adoption of technological innovations such as the internet of things, big data, data analytics, blockchain, and artificial intelligence, among others, is promoted. Particularly in the education sector, ICTs such as digital books, blogs, repositories, and social networks, digital whiteboards, interactive tables, tablets, software, or specific online applications, and, in some cases, virtual reality have been positioned.

The ICT Plan 2018-2022 proposed by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (Mintic) has designed a series of strategies to "energize the synergy between Academia, Industry and the State, who work together for the strengthening of Science, Technology and Innovation" (Mintic, 2020). Specifically, the education sector in Colombia has promoted the appropriation of ICTs with programs such as "Computadores para educar", "En TIC confío" and "ciudadanía digital" as suggested by Mintic.

Given these institutional policies and the demands of the sectoral context for the adoption of ICTs, higher education institutions are faced with the need to restructure and acquire materials (infrastructure, networks, computers, software) to adapt to these technological mediations, as well as to transform the way they manage their processes, programs, methods, procedures and techniques (Lache et al, 2019) and how organizational actors communicate. Also, the pandemic situation caused by the COVID virus19 has generated a structural transformation in the educational sector, which has forced Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in particular to migrate to online learning or to use information and communication technologies (ICT) as the official means for communication with their stakeholders and the development of their teaching and learning processes.

In this context, this research aims to design a methodological route for the development of teaching competencies and organizational capacities in teaching and learning processes mediated by ICTs in Colombian higher education institutions. For this purpose, a case study is developed in the Faculty of Administrative and Economic Sciences of the Tecnológico de Antioquia, University Institution -TdeA-. The theoretical framework is the theory of dynamic capabilities. The techniques used to generate information are opinion surveys, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups with students, professors, and administrative staff. The main results are a path to develop institutional absorption and adaptation capabilities, in addition, the most important digital competencies that teachers need to strengthen are communication and collaboration, information literacy, and problem-solving. It is expected that this research will contribute to the development of institutional strategies to strengthen teaching competencies and to recognize the organizational factors that enhance and limit ICT-mediated teaching and learning processes, thus generating recommendations for the design of relevant strategies in the educational context of HEIs.

Keywords:

Organizational capabilities, ICT, teacher digital skills, higher education institutions, Colombia.