Abstract:

Being digitally competent in today's world requires not only access and use of ICT's, but also the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes towards them. The Digital Economy and Society Index Report 2018 (DESI), a composite index that summarizes relevant indicators on Europe’s digital performance and tracks the progress of EU Member States in digital competitiveness, reveals that 43% of the EU population has insufficient digital competence, whereas 17% has no digital competence at all. This not only implies their limited access to labour market, but also to benefits of digital transformation being undertaken extensively over the last years.

According to data published by the Government, digital competences in Serbia are at an even lower level, with 51% of the population without any digital skills, and 14.8% with only partially skilled. Digital competences are essential for learning, work, and active participation in the society. They are among the vital skills for the 21st century, both for students and teachers. This was the motive for the reform of primary, secondary and higher education, which in higher education necessitates a competency-based approach to curriculum development in the domain of computer science, software engineering and business informatics.

This paper presents the theoretical and methodological approach used in the development of bachelor and master business informatics study programmes at the University of Novi Sad, in the field of social science. The paper advances the theoretical perspectives of competency-based curriculum as steps taken toward innovative curriculum development efforts, with further focus on the developed theoretical framework used in the analysis and design of a competency-based curriculum for a business informatics study programme. This theoretical framework was drawn from several guides and case studies on competency-based program planning and curriculum development. With the absence of a national framework, the following sources were used for identifying digital competencies: Digital competencies framework 2.0 (DCF) and the common European e-Competence framework 3.0 for ICT professionals in all industry sectors (e-CF). The identified digital competencies served as a basis for determining the content of the courses in business informatics study programme that would meet the primary objective and be relevant in the light of the global trend of digital transformation. This paper concludes that a competency-based approach is effective, sustainable, and can be customized to address the digital skill gaps in the rapidly evolving information professions.

Keywords:

Digital competence, eCompetence, business informatics, curriculum.