Reframing Digital Capabilities in Higher Education

Higher education has experienced an increase in the design and provision of blended, hybrid and online programmes as a move towards flexible education. The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated universities, educators and students’ engagement with digitally mediated learning practices. It underscored the necessity for all university actors to develop digital capabilities to enact their roles skilfully. This chapter takes the form of a conversation among five academics from the United Kingdom and Australia who explore how digital capabilities can be conceptualised for responsive higher education futures and how to facilitate their development across the university ecosystem. This discussion highlights the need to reframe digital capabilities by considering their deeply relational and fluid nature, to transcend existing frameworks that primarily focus on individuals’ resourcefulness and skills. It proposes a shift towards collective and holistic development of digital capabilities, challenging established power dynamics between educators and students. Key dimensions discussed include cultivating a digital epistemology, encouraging critical and ethical decision-making and promoting social inclusion. Finally, by recognising the interconnectedness between digital capabilities and other educational priorities such as inclusive education, sustainability and employability, this chapter offers useful insights on harmonising their integration into learning and teaching.