Formation of Students’ Digital Competencies: Institutional and Regional Aspects (Using the Example of Continuing Education Programs at Digital University Departments)

The ongoing digital transformation of economy and society demands digital literacy from university personnel. Digital Departments is a project of Priority 2030 Strategic Academic Leadership Program. Its goal is to develop digital competencies in regional universities, thus improving their competitiveness. The authors studied the problem areas and prospects of digital departments in regional universities with no federal / research status to develop recommendations on improving the digital literacy in the Kemerovo State University. The in-depth interview (2022–2024) involved students of the digital department (n = 12); the expert survey involved tutors and supervisors at four regional universities with no special status (n = 5). A review of scientific publications and normative documents made it possible to define the phenomenon of digital competency. The problem areas included excessive regulation (overload of normative documents); lack of motivation and involvement (students, professors, potential employers); lack of specialized partner companies in the region; poor material and technical base; low promotion level. The list of recommendations included the following measures: 1) to develop the system of tutorship; 2) to attract network partners and online platforms; 3) to apply soft power tools; 4) to incorporate the projects of digital departments into the existing university infrastructure; 5) to rate the effectiveness of digital departments at the institutional level and increase the monitoring transparency for industrial partners.