Teacher Digital Competence to the MRCDD Standard

Rationale

The MRCDD, published by the Resolution of 4 May 2022, is the national teacher digital-competence standard, adapting the European DigCompEdu framework to Spain. It organises teacher digital competence into six areas across six progressive levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2) and is used for CPD design and for individual teacher accreditation via INTEF. The MRCDD directly supports the Competencia Digital (CD) key competency that teachers must develop in pupils under Real Decreto 217/2022. This course provides the structured, accredited pathway that teachers need to evidence their digital competence for sexenio recognition, for the Plan Digital de Centro, and for career progression. Every lesson maps to a specific MRCDD area and level descriptor, ensuring that participants can build a verifiable accreditation portfolio.

Part I: Foundations (Lessons 1-4)

Lesson 1. The MRCDD and why teacher digital competence is now standardised

This lesson establishes the legal and policy context for the Marco de Referencia de la Competencia Digital Docente. Participants examine the Resolution of 4 May 2022, which published the MRCDD following the agreement of the Conferencia Sectorial de Educación of 30 March 2022. The lesson traces the MRCDD's lineage from the European DigCompEdu framework and explains why Spain chose to adopt a national standard with six areas and six progressive levels. Participants analyse the legal status of the MRCDD as the reference for CPD design, individual teacher accreditation via INTEF, and the centre-level Plan Digital de Centro. The lesson also connects the MRCDD to the Competencia Digital (CD) key competency that teachers must develop in pupils under Real Decreto 217/2022. By the end of this lesson, participants can explain the MRCDD's purpose, legal basis, and relationship to European frameworks, and can identify where the MRCDD appears in their autonomous community's CPD convocatoria.

Lesson 2. The six areas and the A1 to C2 progression

This lesson provides a detailed structural analysis of the MRCDD framework. Participants study the six competence areas: professional engagement, digital resources, teaching and learning, assessment, empowering learners, and developing pupils' digital competence. For each area, the lesson presents the area descriptor, the progression indicators across the six levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2), and the evidence types that INTEF accepts for accreditation at each level. Participants engage in a mapping exercise, placing sample teacher practices against the MRCDD progression to calibrate their understanding of level boundaries. The lesson also explains how the MRCDD levels are certified: through INTEF's accreditation platform, through recognised CPD activities, or through portfolio submission. By the end of this lesson, participants can describe all six areas, distinguish between the six levels using concrete examples, and identify their own current level against the MRCDD descriptors.

Lesson 3. Area 1: professional engagement

This lesson addresses the first MRCDD area, professional engagement, which covers digital communication, collaboration, and continuous professional practice. Participants examine the specific descriptors for Area 1 across levels A1 to C2, focusing on how teachers use digital tools for professional communication with colleagues, families, and external agencies; how they participate in online professional learning communities; and how they reflect on their own digital practice. The lesson includes a case study of a teacher using digital platforms for collaborative curriculum planning and another of a teacher managing professional communication with families through secure channels. Participants practise self-assessing their own professional engagement practices against the Area 1 progression and identify one concrete action they can take to move to the next level. By the end of this lesson, participants can evaluate their own professional engagement practices against the MRCDD Area 1 descriptors and plan targeted improvement.

Lesson 4. Area 2: digital resources

This lesson covers the second MRCDD area, digital resources, which focuses on selecting, creating, and responsibly sharing digital resources. Participants study the Area 2 descriptors, learning how to evaluate digital resources for quality, accessibility, and alignment with curricular goals; how to create or adapt resources using authoring tools; and how to manage and share resources with appropriate licensing. The lesson includes a practical workshop on using open educational resource repositories, applying Creative Commons licences, and documenting resource provenance for the accreditation portfolio. Participants also examine the intersection of Area 2 with Spanish intellectual-property law and with the accessibility requirements of Universal Design for Learning (DUA) under Real Decreto 217/2022. By the end of this lesson, participants can select, evaluate, and adapt digital resources for their teaching context, and can document their resource-creation process for MRCDD accreditation.

Part II: Core Practice (Lessons 5-10)

Lesson 5. Copyright, open licences, and lawful reuse

This lesson deepens the legal dimension of digital resource use introduced in Lesson 4. Participants examine Spanish intellectual-property law as it applies to educational materials, including the limits of the educational exception for copying and distribution. The lesson covers the full range of Creative Commons licences, public domain tools, and the specific licensing requirements of INTEF's own resource repositories. Participants work through scenarios: a teacher wanting to adapt a copyrighted textbook page for a digital worksheet, a teacher sharing pupil-created work on a class blog, and a teacher using images from the internet in a learning situation. The lesson also addresses the lawful reuse of software, apps, and platforms in the school context, including terms-of-service considerations for minors. By the end of this lesson, participants can apply copyright and licensing rules to their own resource selection and creation, and can advise colleagues on lawful reuse practices.

Lesson 6. Area 3: teaching and learning with technology

This lesson addresses the third MRCDD area, teaching and learning, which covers orchestrating, guiding, and structuring digital-supported learning. Participants study the Area 3 descriptors across levels A1 to C2, focusing on how teachers integrate digital tools into their pedagogical strategies: using digital tools for whole-class instruction, facilitating individual and collaborative learning, and guiding pupils in self-regulated digital learning. The lesson presents three case studies: a primary teacher using interactive whiteboard tools for a mathematics learning situation, a secondary teacher using a learning management system for a flipped classroom model, and a vocational teacher using simulation software for practical skills development. Participants analyse each case against the MRCDD progression and identify the level demonstrated. The lesson also connects Area 3 to the diseño de situaciones de aprendizaje required by Real Decreto 217/2022. By the end of this lesson, participants can design a digitally supported learning situation aligned to their MRCDD target level.

Lesson 7. Area 4: assessment with digital tools

This lesson covers the fourth MRCDD area, assessment, which focuses on using digital tools for formative and summative assessment. Participants examine the Area 4 descriptors, learning how to select and use digital assessment tools, how to design digital rubrics and performance tasks, and how to use digital evidence to monitor pupil progress. The lesson includes a practical workshop on using quiz platforms, e-portfolio systems, and digital rubric builders. Participants also study the ethical dimensions of digital assessment: ensuring validity, avoiding bias, and maintaining academic integrity in digital environments. The lesson connects Area 4 to the competency-based assessment principles of Real Decreto 217/2022, showing how digital tools can support the continuous, formative, and integrated assessment that the law requires. By the end of this lesson, participants can select and use digital assessment tools appropriate to their teaching context and can design digital assessment tasks that align with competency-based criteria.

Lesson 8. Learning analytics and evidence ethics

This lesson deepens the ethical dimension of digital assessment introduced in Lesson 7. Participants examine the use of learning analytics in educational settings: what data learning management systems and digital tools collect, how that data can inform teaching decisions, and the ethical boundaries of data use. The lesson covers the legal framework for processing pupil data, including the Ley Orgánica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD) and the General Data Protection Regulation, with specific attention to the rights of minors and the requirement for lawful processing in educational contexts. Participants work through scenarios: a teacher using platform analytics to identify struggling pupils, a school aggregating classroom data for whole-centre improvement, and a teacher sharing pupil performance data with families. The lesson also addresses the MRCDD Area 4 descriptor on using digital evidence ethically and transparently. By the end of this lesson, participants can evaluate the ethical implications of learning analytics in their own practice and can apply data-protection principles to their use of digital assessment tools.

Lesson 9. Area 5: empowering learners

This lesson addresses the fifth MRCDD area, empowering learners, which focuses on accessibility, differentiation, and active pupil engagement through technology. Participants study the Area 5 descriptors, learning how to use digital tools to provide differentiated instruction, to support pupils with special educational needs, and to foster pupil agency and self-regulation. The lesson connects Area 5 directly to the Universal Design for Learning (DUA) principles embedded in Real Decreto 217/2022, showing how digital tools can provide multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. Participants examine case studies: a teacher using text-to-speech tools for a pupil with reading difficulties, a teacher offering choice in digital tools for a project, and a teacher using adaptive learning platforms for personalised pacing. By the end of this lesson, participants can identify digital tools and strategies that empower diverse learners in their classroom and can document these practices for MRCDD accreditation.

Lesson 10. Area 6: developing pupils' digital competence

This lesson covers the sixth MRCDD area, developing pupils' digital competence, which focuses on teaching the Competencia Digital (CD) key competency and fostering safe, critical, and responsible use of technology. Participants study the Area 6 descriptors, learning how to design learning situations that explicitly develop pupils' digital skills, from information literacy and digital creation to online safety and digital citizenship. The lesson maps the CD key competency descriptors from Real Decreto 217/2022 to the MRCDD Area 6 progression, showing how teachers can integrate digital competence development across all subject areas. Participants analyse sample learning situations that develop specific CD descriptors and practise designing their own. The lesson also addresses the intersection of Area 6 with the Competencia Ciudadana (CC) and the fight against disinformation. By the end of this lesson, participants can design learning situations that develop pupils' digital competence and can assess pupils' progress against the CD descriptors.

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

Lesson 11. Digital citizenship and the fight against disinformation

This lesson deepens the digital citizenship dimension of MRCDD Area 6. Participants examine the specific challenges of disinformation, misinformation, and digital manipulation in educational contexts. The lesson covers strategies for teaching pupils to critically evaluate digital sources, to verify information across multiple sources, and to recognise common disinformation techniques such as deepfakes, clickbait, and algorithmic bias. Participants analyse sample disinformation scenarios and design classroom activities that develop pupils' critical evaluation skills. The lesson also connects digital citizenship to the Competencia Ciudadana (CC) under Real Decreto 217/2022, showing how digital literacy supports democratic participation and responsible online behaviour. Participants practise creating a learning situation that integrates source evaluation, digital ethics, and civic responsibility. By the end of this lesson, participants can design and implement classroom activities that develop pupils' critical digital literacy and can document these activities for MRCDD accreditation.

Lesson 12. Data protection in the digital classroom

This lesson addresses the legal and practical dimensions of data protection when using digital tools with minors. Participants examine the Ley Orgánica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD) and the General Data Protection Regulation as they apply to educational settings, focusing on the lawful bases for processing pupil data, the rights of data subjects (including minors), and the obligations of data controllers (schools) and data processors (platform providers). The lesson covers practical scenarios: selecting digital platforms that comply with data-protection requirements, obtaining consent for pupil data processing, managing data breaches, and responding to subject-access requests. Participants also study the intersection of data protection with the LOPIVI qualified reporting duty, understanding when and how safeguarding concerns override data-protection obligations. By the end of this lesson, participants can apply data-protection principles to their selection and use of digital tools and can advise colleagues on lawful data practices in the classroom.

Lesson 13. Online safety and preventing digital violence

This lesson addresses the prevention of digital violence against minors, connecting MRCDD Area 6 to the LOPIVI framework. Participants examine the forms of digital violence that teachers must recognise: cyberbullying, grooming, sexting, online harassment, and exposure to harmful content. The lesson covers the teacher's qualified reporting duty under LOPIVI Article 16 when digital violence is detected, and the role of the Coordinador de bienestar y protección in coordinating the centre's response. Participants study sample indicators of digital violence and practise the immediate action steps required by LOPIVI. The lesson also addresses prevention strategies: teaching pupils about online safety, digital footprint awareness, and reporting mechanisms. Participants design a classroom activity that develops pupils' understanding of online safety and their ability to seek help. By the end of this lesson, participants can recognise indicators of digital violence, can fulfil their reporting duty under LOPIVI, and can integrate online safety education into their teaching.

Lesson 14. Self-assessment and the accreditation portfolio

This lesson prepares participants to evidence their digital competence for INTEF accreditation. Participants study the INTEF accreditation model, including the portfolio structure, evidence types accepted at each MRCDD level, and the submission and evaluation process. The lesson provides a template for the accreditation portfolio and guides participants through selecting and documenting evidence from their own practice. Participants practise writing reflective narratives that link their teaching activities to specific MRCDD area and level descriptors. The lesson also addresses common pitfalls in portfolio submission: insufficient evidence, misaligned level claims, and incomplete documentation. Participants complete a self-assessment against the MRCDD progression for all six areas and identify their current level and their target level for accreditation. By the end of this lesson, participants can compile a complete accreditation portfolio for their target MRCDD level and can submit it to INTEF for evaluation.

Lesson 15. The Plan Digital de Centro

This lesson addresses the centre-level dimension of digital competence, showing how individual teacher competence contributes to the school's Plan Digital de Centro. Participants examine the legal and policy basis for the Plan Digital de Centro under LOMLOE and the MRCDD centre-level orientation. The lesson covers the components of a Plan Digital de Centro: digital vision and goals, infrastructure and resources, teacher digital competence development, curriculum integration of digital competence, and data protection and online safety. Participants analyse sample plans from different school contexts and identify the role of individual teacher competence in achieving centre-level goals. The lesson also addresses how the Plan Digital de Centro connects to the Proyecto Educativo de Centro and to the centre's inclusion and coexistence plans. By the end of this lesson, participants can contribute to the development and implementation of their centre's Plan Digital de Centro and can align their individual MRCDD accreditation goals with the centre's digital transformation priorities.

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.