The Digital Environment of the University: Issues in the Development of Teachers’ Digital Competencies

The rapidly evolving digital environment in higher education imposes new demands on participants in the educational process, necessitating adaptation to emerging digital services and formats. This article examines the development of digital competencies among university instructors, considering the individualized structure of the digital environment. The study aims to propose a methodological framework for analyzing a university’s digital environment to enhance policies for developing faculty digital competencies, with a teacher-centered approach. The scientific significance of this research lies in its systems-based exploration of the higher education digital environment within a subject-oriented model. It identifies the interconnections among system actors, focusing on the instructor as a key agent in the digital ecosystem while accounting for the multifaceted responsibilities of university staff (educational, methodological, administrative, and research-related components).The study presents diagnostic tools for assessing a university’s digital environment, including stakeholder identification aligned with various teaching activities, strategic and operational digital competencies, and digital tools and services. Additionally, it introduces a model for evaluating the level of digital competency development among university instructors and a teacher digital profile framework. This framework incorporates metrics for assessing both current and target proficiency levels in digital services. The proposed methodology was tested at the Institute of Distance and Additional Education of the National Research University “MPEI,†confirming its effectiveness and adaptability for higher education institutions. By employing this approach, universities can formulate targeted policies for faculty digital competency development, accounting for individual proficiency levels and the unique digital requirements of each role. The authors also provide tools for planning and selecting adaptive strategies for digital competency enhancement.