Abstract:

Learning from the COVID-19 crisis, in which technology is being used on an unprecedented scale in education, educational institutions have a mission to make education and training systems to the digital area. It requires appropriate infrastructure, effective planning, competent teachers, high quality teaching content, user-friendly tools, as well as competent students.

Digital competences include 5 main areas of competence: information and data literacy; communication and cooperation; digital content creation; security and problem solving.

The aim of this study was to summarize the self-assessment of engineering students about their digital competences through distance learning during COVID-19 and about the required digital competences in the future labor market. The sample size of the study consisted of first and second year students from the engineering faculties of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LLU).

Objectives of the study are:
1) to study what digital skills problems students encountered in the learning process, and in the everyday life during distance learning;
2) to study what psychological problems students encountered during distance learning;
3) to find out what opportunities students use to develop their digital skills;
4) to identify what digital skills students need to improve in order to enter the future labor market.

The analysis of results of digital skills shows that the biggest problems for students were with solving digital problems such as moving files between different devices, install apps / software, change software settings and uploaded self-created content online. Research has shown that digital competences were sufficient for students to solve everyday problems. Regarding psychological problems, the most important were not only the lack of direct contact with peers, but also the lack of direct contact with the teacher who would help in the study process, as well as the lack of self-regulated learning.

Keywords:

Digital competences, distance learning, remote studies, psychological problems, skills for labor market.