Digital Competence in Smartphone Use Among Higher Education Faculty

Abstract

This study examines teachers’ digital competence in the use of smartphones as a pedagogical tool in higher education, within a context characterized by the increasing digitalization of educational environments and the widespread incorporation of mobile devices into academic practice. Despite their extensive availability, previous research has identified a persistent gap between technological access and its effective pedagogical integration, particularly in relation to mobile learning (m-learning). In this context, the aim of the study is to assess the level of teachers’ digital competence related to the educational use of smartphones and to analyze its distribution according to professional variables, providing a specific approach focused on a particular device within the DigCompEdu framework, which has traditionally been applied from a more general perspective. The methodology follows a quantitative approach based on the application of a questionnaire specifically designed for this study composed of 44 items structured across the six competence areas of the DigCompEdu model, administered to a sample of 135 university teachers. Descriptive, factorial, and cluster analyses were conducted to identify differentiated competence profiles. The results show a concentration of teachers at basic and intermediate levels of digital competence, highlighting a predominantly instrumental integration of smartphones, with limited presence of transformative pedagogical practices. In addition, differences associated with teaching experience were identified, suggesting the existence of differentiated patterns in the pedagogical appropriation of the device. As a contribution, this study provides a specific empirical assessment of the pedagogical use of smartphones within the DigCompEdu framework, advancing towards a more situated conceptualization of teachers’ digital competence. The findings offer relevant implications for the design of training and institutional strategies aimed at fostering a more critical, reflective, and structured integration of mobile learning in higher education.