Developing Digital Literacy in Pre-Service Primary School Teachers Through a Massive Open Online Course and Project-Based Learning

Oct 15, 2026

The paper examines how implementing a massive open online course combined with project-based learning supports the development of digital competences in pre-service primary school teachers. The course design draws on the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens, and the study evaluates effectiveness and student satisfaction. Across two academic years, 166 students completed compulsory online course and project components within the ICT in Education subject. Anonymised feedback and assessment results show significant progress in digital skills, particularly creating digital educational content, with high satisfaction regarding delivery, mentor support, and feedback.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Digital literacy in teacher preparation

Digital competence beyond technical skills

Received: 22 April 2025, Accepted: 5 November 2025 DOI: [https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.2131](https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.2131) Developing Digital Literacy in Pre-Service Primary School Teachers Through a Massive Open Online Course and Project-Based Learning Alenka Žerovnik1 • The present paper examines the implementation of a massive open online course and project-based learning to develop the digital competences of preservice teachers. The course design was based on the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens. The study evaluates the effectiveness ofthe implemented massive open online course and project-based learning in developing digital competences and assesses student satisfaction with these methods. A total of 166 students participated in the study during two academic years. The massive open online course and project assignments are compulsory components ofthe ICT in Education course. Students completed the massive open online course in an online classroom and demonstrated basic knowledge and understanding by achieving a passing grade. Through project-based learning, they developed digital competences at higher cognitive levels. Atthe end of the academic year, anonymised student feedback was collected on satisfaction with the lessons delivered, the support received from the mentors, the feedback received, and assessment through the massive open online course and project-based learning. The results indicate significant progress in digital skills, especially in digital educational content creation. The study also revealed high levels of student satisfaction with the lessons delivery, mentor support and feedback. The students rated the assessment through projectbased learning positively, indicating the effectiveness of this method. Recommendations are made for improving training and promoting digital competences of students. The study contributes to understanding the importance of integrating digital literacy into educational programmes and provides guidelines for developing effective approaches to promote digital literacy, which is essential for preparing students for future professional challenges and active citizenship in a technologically advanced world. Keywords: digital literacy development, massive open online course implementation, project-based learning, pre-service teachers, student results and satisfaction 1 Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; Alenka.Zerovnik@pef.uni-lj.si. 38 developing digital literacy in pre-service primary school teachers through ... Razvijanje digitalne pismenosti bodočih učiteljev razrednega pouka z masovnim odprtim spletnim tečajem in s projektno zasnovanim učenjem Alenka Žerovnik • Prispevek obravnava implementacijo masovnega odprtega spletnega tečaja in projektno zasnovanega učenja kot pristopov za razvijanje digitalnih kompetenc bodočih učiteljev. Zasnova tečaja je temeljila na Evropskemokviru digitalnih kompetenc za državljane (DigComp). Raziskava vrednotiučinkovitost izvedenega masovnega odprtega spletnega tečaja in projektno zasnovanega učenja pri razvijanju digitalnih kompetenc ter analizira zadovoljstvo študentov z obema izobraževalnima oblikama. V raziskavi je vdveh študijskih letih sodelovalo 166 študentov. Opravljen masovni odprti spletni tečaj in projektne naloge so obvezni elementi predmeta IKT v izobraževanju. Študentje so tečaj opravili v spletni učilnici ter s pridobitvijo pozitivne ocene izkazali osnovno raven znanja in razumevanja. S projektno zasnovanim učenjem so razvijali digitalne kompetence na višjih kognitivnih ravneh. Ob koncu študijskega leta so bili zbrani anonimizirani odzivi ozadovoljstvu študentov z izvedbo učnih enot, s podporo mentorjev, prejetimi povratnimi informacijami ter z ocenjevanjem v okviru masovnega odprtega spletnega tečaja in projektnega dela. Izsledki kažejo na pomemben napredek v digitalnih spretnostih, zlasti na področju ustvarjanja digitalnihizobraževalnih vsebin. Raziskava prav tako poudarja vis

FAQs

What learning approaches does the study evaluate for developing digital competences?

It evaluates a massive open online course implementation together with project-based learning, designed to build digital competences in pre-service teachers.

How was student achievement and understanding assessed in the massive open online course?

Students completed the massive open online course in an online classroom and demonstrated basic knowledge and understanding by achieving a passing grade.

What outcomes indicate effectiveness and satisfaction in the study?

The results show significant progress in digital skills, especially creating digital educational content, alongside high student satisfaction with lesson delivery, mentor support, feedback, and assessment through project-based learning.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by A glass of water