Digital Transformation of Teacher Education by Bridging Digital Divide between Teacher Educators and Prospective Teachers

Abstract

Digitalization has profoundly transformed the organizational processes,
activities, experiences and teaching-learning models to fully persuade the
shifts and prospects of a blend of digital technologies and their elevating
effects across whole education sector in an ordered, strategic and
highlighted way. Teacher education is highly influenced by the digital
transformation globally. In Pakistan, it is imperative to digitally
transform teacher education so that by overcoming the current prevailing
challenges. Digital divide is one of the biggest challenges predominated
in teacher education which necessitates to be bridged for meeting
learning needs of prospective teachers. This research study was
conducted to analyze the need and ways to bring digital transformation in
teacher education by bridging the digital divide between teacher
educators and prospective teaches. The study was descriptive in nature
which followed quantitative method whereas sample of this study
comprised of prospective teachers and teacher educators from education
departments of three universities of Lahore. The study revealed that there
is a dire need to bring digital transformation in teacher education, while
there exists a prominent digital divide where prospective teachers are
comparatively more superior in digital competencies and digital literacy.
It was also found that digital transformation and digital divide are closely
related and occurrence of digital transformation is dependent upon
applying strategies to bridge digital divide. The study suggests that if
teacher education institutions employ some digital divide-bridging strategies like e-Training, digitization of curriculum, enhancing digital infrastructure and devising digital strategies, it is possible to beget digital transformation in teacher education.