Digital Competence for Educators: DigCompEdu and the National Capacitacao Digital de Docentes

Rationale

The Plano de Acao para a Transicao Digital (RCM 30/2020) made teacher digital capacity a binding policy obligation, and the DGE Plano de Capacitacao Digital de Docentes operationalizes the DigCompEdu framework across three national proficiency levels. This course addresses the ICT training area recognized by the CCPFC and maps directly to a named priority in Despacho 779/2019. It equips teachers to self-assess, develop and evidence digital competence in professional engagement, digital resources, teaching and learning, assessment, learner empowerment and fostering learners' digital competence, while integrating online safety (SeguraNet), data protection and inclusive-accessibility duties under DL 54/2018. The course produces a DigCompEdu portfolio artefact that satisfies CCPFC accreditation requirements under Decreto-Lei 22/2014.

Part I: Foundations (Lessons 1-4)

Lesson 1. The national digital-transition mandate

This lesson establishes the policy context that makes teacher digital capacity a statutory obligation rather than an optional skill. Participants examine the Plano de Acao para a Transicao Digital (RCM 30/2020) and its three pillars: digital capacity building, digital transformation of schools, and digital inclusion. The lesson traces how the Council of Ministers resolution created the DGE Plano de Capacitacao Digital de Docentes and linked it to the DigCompEdu framework. Participants analyse the timeline for school-level digital-development plans (PADDE) and the expectation that every teacher progresses through three national proficiency levels. The session includes a guided reading of the resolution's key articles and a discussion of how the mandate affects career-progression expectations under the Estatuto da Carreira Docente. By the end of the lesson, participants can explain the legal basis for mandatory digital competence development and identify the national structures that govern their training pathway.

Lesson 2. The DigCompEdu framework and its six areas

Participants receive a systematic introduction to the DigCompEdu framework, the European reference model for educators' digital competence. The lesson maps the 22 competences across six areas: Professional Engagement, Digital Resources, Teaching and Learning, Assessment, Empowering Learners, and Facilitating Learners' Digital Competence. Each area is unpacked through concrete examples from Portuguese classroom contexts, showing how the framework aligns with the Perfil dos Alunos competence areas and the Aprendizagens Essenciais. Participants compare the DigCompEdu progression model (A1 to C2) with the three national levels defined by the DGE Capacitacao Digital plan. The session includes a collaborative exercise in which participants match sample teacher practices to the correct DigCompEdu area and proficiency descriptor. By the end of the lesson, participants can navigate the full DigCompEdu framework, identify its six areas and 22 competences, and relate them to their own teaching context.

Lesson 3. Self-assessing your proficiency level

This lesson guides participants through the process of locating their current DigCompEdu proficiency level using the official self-assessment instruments. Participants complete a structured self-reflection based on the DigCompEdu progression descriptors for each of the six areas, identifying their current level (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 or C2) and setting a realistic progression target aligned with the three national levels. The lesson addresses common pitfalls in self-assessment, such as overestimating competence in familiar tools while underestimating pedagogical integration. Participants examine sample evidence portfolios from Portuguese teachers at different levels and discuss how to document competence growth for career-progression purposes. The session includes a peer-validation exercise in which participants compare self-assessments and calibrate their judgements against the official descriptors. By the end of the lesson, participants can accurately self-assess their DigCompEdu level, identify gaps and set a progression target.

Lesson 4. Professional engagement online

Participants explore DigCompEdu Area 1 (Professional Engagement), which covers communication, collaboration and reflective practice using digital tools. The lesson examines how Portuguese teachers can use digital platforms for professional networking, participation in CFAE training communities, and engagement with the DGE/ERTE digital resources portal. Participants analyse case studies of collaborative professional development through online communities of practice, including the use of digital tools for peer observation and mentoring. The session addresses the ethical dimensions of professional online presence, including the boundaries between personal and professional digital identity. Participants practise using digital tools to document their own professional learning, creating a reflective log that can serve as evidence for career progression. By the end of the lesson, participants can use digital tools to enhance their professional engagement, collaborate with colleagues and document their reflective practice.

Part II: Core Practice (Lessons 5-10)

Lesson 5. Sourcing, creating and sharing digital resources

This lesson addresses DigCompEdu Area 2 (Digital Resources), focusing on the selection, adaptation, creation and management of digital content for teaching. Participants learn criteria for evaluating digital resources against the Aprendizagens Essenciais and the Perfil dos Alunos, including accessibility, cultural relevance and alignment with the Portuguese curriculum. The lesson covers strategies for adapting existing resources to different learner profiles, including the use of open educational resources (OER) repositories and the DGE/ERTE digital library. Participants practise creating a simple digital learning object (such as an interactive presentation or a short video) that addresses a specific essential learning. The session includes a peer-review exercise in which participants evaluate each other's resources against a quality rubric derived from DigCompEdu descriptors. By the end of the lesson, participants can source, evaluate, adapt and create digital resources that are aligned with the national curriculum and accessible to diverse learners.

Lesson 6. Copyright, open licensing and lawful reuse

Participants examine the legal and ethical framework for using digital content in educational settings, including Portuguese copyright law and the European Union copyright directive. The lesson distinguishes between commercial, Creative Commons and public-domain resources, and teaches participants how to identify and respect licensing terms. Participants learn to attribute sources correctly, to seek permission when required, and to use open educational resources (OER) repositories that are curated for Portuguese schools. The session addresses the specific obligations of teachers when creating and sharing their own digital materials, including the school's intellectual-property policies. Participants practise locating and attributing OER from the DGE/ERTE portal and European OER platforms, and they create a copyright-compliant resource pack for a lesson of their choice. By the end of the lesson, participants can lawfully source, adapt and share digital resources while respecting copyright and open-licensing obligations.

Lesson 7. Teaching and learning with digital tools

This lesson focuses on DigCompEdu Area 3 (Teaching and Learning), which covers the orchestration, guidance and structuring of digitally mediated lessons. Participants explore pedagogical models for integrating digital tools, including blended learning, flipped classroom and station rotation, and examine how these models support the curriculum flexibility provisions of DL 55/2018. The lesson presents case studies from Portuguese classrooms showing effective use of digital tools for whole-class instruction, group work and individual learning paths. Participants practise designing a digitally mediated lesson sequence that delivers a specific essential learning, incorporating tools for presentation, collaboration and learner response. The session includes a micro-teaching exercise in which participants deliver a short segment of their lesson and receive peer feedback on the pedagogical integration of digital tools. By the end of the lesson, participants can design and deliver digitally mediated lessons that enhance learning outcomes and align with the national curriculum.

Lesson 8. Digital assessment

Participants examine DigCompEdu Area 4 (Assessment), focusing on the use of digital tools for formative and summative assessment. The lesson connects digital assessment practices to the assessment principles of DL 55/2018, which establish formative assessment as the primary modality. Participants explore digital tools for real-time formative feedback, including quizzes, polls, digital portfolios and collaborative annotation platforms. The session addresses the design of digital assessment tasks that measure the Aprendizagens Essenciais and the Perfil dos Alunos competences, including rubrics and criterion-referenced descriptors. Participants practise creating a digital assessment instrument (such as an online quiz with feedback or a digital portfolio template) and analyse sample student responses to calibrate their judgement. The lesson also covers the ethical use of digital assessment data, including privacy and data-protection considerations. By the end of the lesson, participants can design and implement digital assessment strategies that support formative feedback and summative judgement.

Lesson 9. Learner empowerment and accessibility

This lesson addresses DigCompEdu Area 5 (Empowering Learners), which focuses on differentiation, accessibility and active learner engagement through digital tools. Participants examine how digital technologies can support the universal measures, selective measures and additional measures of DL 54/2018, including assistive technologies, text-to-speech tools, screen readers and alternative input devices. The lesson presents strategies for using digital tools to differentiate instruction, provide multiple means of representation and action-expression, and engage learners with diverse needs. Participants analyse case studies of Portuguese classrooms where digital tools have enabled learners with disabilities to access the curriculum. The session includes a hands-on exploration of accessibility features in common educational platforms and a design exercise in which participants adapt a lesson for a learner with a specific access need. By the end of the lesson, participants can use digital tools to empower all learners, including those with special educational needs, by providing differentiated and accessible learning experiences.

Lesson 10. Fostering learners' digital competence

Participants explore DigCompEdu Area 6 (Facilitating Learners' Digital Competence), which addresses the teacher's role in developing students' own digital skills. The lesson examines the DigComp framework for citizens and how it maps to the Perfil dos Alunos competence areas, particularly information and communication, critical thinking and digital citizenship. Participants learn strategies for explicitly teaching digital skills within subject lessons, including information literacy, online communication, digital content creation and online safety. The session presents the SeguraNet programme and its resources for teaching online safety and digital citizenship in Portuguese schools. Participants practise designing a learning activity that develops a specific digital competence in students, such as evaluating online sources or collaborating in a digital environment. By the end of the lesson, participants can integrate the development of learners' digital competence into their subject teaching, using the SeguraNet framework and the DigComp reference model.

Part III: Application and Mastery (Lessons 11-15)

Lesson 11. Online safety and the SeguraNet framework

This lesson deepens participants' understanding of online safety as a core component of digital competence, linking DigCompEdu Area 6 to the mandatory safeguarding duties under Lei 147/99. Participants examine the SeguraNet programme's resources for teaching online safety, including lesson plans, awareness campaigns and reporting mechanisms. The lesson covers the main categories of online risk for children and young people: harmful content, contact with strangers, conduct (cyberbullying, sexting) and commercial exploitation. Participants learn to recognise indicators of online harm and to follow the school's internal referral pathway, connecting to the CPCJ system when necessary. The session includes a case-study analysis of a school's response to a cyberbullying incident, evaluating the effectiveness of the safeguarding protocol. Participants practise creating an online-safety lesson for their own year group, integrating SeguraNet resources and the school's digital-development plan. By the end of the lesson, participants can teach online safety effectively and respond appropriately to online harm concerns.

Lesson 12. Data protection for teachers

Participants examine the legal framework for handling student data in digital environments, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as transposed into Portuguese law. The lesson covers the key principles of data protection: lawfulness, fairness, transparency, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity and confidentiality. Participants learn to identify personal data in educational contexts, including student names, assessment results, special educational needs information and behavioural records. The session addresses the specific obligations of schools as data controllers and teachers as data processors, including the requirement to obtain consent, to provide privacy notices and to report data breaches. Participants practise applying data-protection principles to common school scenarios, such as using cloud-based platforms, sharing student work online and communicating with parents via digital channels. By the end of the lesson, participants can handle student data lawfully in digital platforms, respecting privacy and data-protection obligations.

Lesson 13. The school Plano de Acao para o Desenvolvimento Digital

This lesson connects individual digital competence to the school-level digital-development plan (PADDE) required by the DGE under RCM 30/2020. Participants examine the structure and components of a PADDE, including the diagnosis of the school's digital capacity, the definition of strategic objectives, the action plan for teacher training and the monitoring and evaluation framework. The lesson presents examples of PADDEs from Portuguese schools, showing how they align with the DigCompEdu framework and the three national training levels. Participants analyse their own school's PADDE (or a sample PADDE) and identify how their individual digital-development goals contribute to the school's strategic objectives. The session includes a collaborative exercise in which participants draft a section of a PADDE for their department or cycle, specifying training actions, resources and success indicators. By the end of the lesson, participants can contribute to the development and implementation of their school's digital-development plan.

Lesson 14. Progressing across the three national training levels

Participants examine the DGE's three-level progression structure for teacher digital competence (Nivel 1, Nivel 2, Nivel 3) and plan their own pathway through CFAE-accredited training actions. The lesson maps the DigCompEdu proficiency levels to the three national levels, showing the expected competences and evidence requirements at each stage. Participants learn about the different training modalities available through CFAE, including cursos de formacao, oficinas de formacao and circulos de estudos, and how each modality supports progression. The session addresses the practical steps for enrolling in accredited training, documenting completion and claiming credits for career progression under Decreto-Lei 22/2014. Participants create a personal digital-development plan that specifies their current level, target level, the training actions they will undertake and the evidence they will produce. By the end of the lesson, participants can plan and manage their progression through the three national digital-competence levels.

Lesson 15. Evidencing digital growth for career progression

This final lesson guides participants in assembling a DigCompEdu portfolio that satisfies CCPFC accreditation requirements and serves as evidence for career progression under the Estatuto da Carreira Docente. Participants learn the criteria for a valid CCPFC-accredited portfolio, including the requirement to demonstrate competence across multiple DigCompEdu areas and to provide concrete artefacts from classroom practice. The lesson presents sample portfolios from Portuguese teachers who have successfully used digital-competence evidence for career progression, analysing the strengths and weaknesses of each. Participants compile their own portfolio artefact, selecting evidence from the course activities (self-assessment, lesson plans, digital resources, assessment instruments, online-safety lessons) and writing reflective commentaries that link each artefact to the relevant DigCompEdu descriptor. The session includes a peer-review exercise in which participants provide constructive feedback on each other's portfolios. By the end of the lesson, participants can produce a DigCompEdu portfolio that meets CCPFC accreditation standards and supports their career-progression application.

This syllabus was designed from primary-source research of this nation's official teacher requirements and passed independent verification. The full course, its lessons, assistant, and materials are live for enrolled educators.