Implementing Digital Competencies in University Science Education Seminars Following the DiKoLAN Framework

Abstract

Prospective teachers must acquire subject-specific digital competencies to design contemporary lessons and to promote digital competencies among students themselves. The DiKoLAN framework (Digital Competencies for Teaching in Science Education) describes basic digital competencies for the teaching profession in the natural sciences precisely for this purpose. In this article, we describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a university course based on DiKoLAN which promotes the digital competencies of science teachers. As an example, the learning module Data Processing in Science Education is presented, and its effectiveness is investigated. For this purpose, we used a questionnaire developed by the Working Group Digital Core Competencies to measure self-efficacy, which can also be used in the future to promote digital competencies among pre-service teachers. The course evaluation showed a positive increase in the students’ self-efficacy expectations. Overall, the paper thus contributes to teacher education by using the course as a best-practice example—a blueprint for designing new courses and for implementing a test instrument for a valid evaluation.