Abstract:

The article conducts a comprehensive theoretical and practical study of the indicators and levels of digital competence formation in future software engineering bachelors. The relevance of the study is driven by the rapid digitalization of the global economy and the critical gap between academic training and the evolving requirements of the IT industry. In the context of Industry 4.0, a software engineer’s role transcends purely technical coding, requiring a complex meta-competence for continuous adaptation to technological shifts.

The study is grounded in the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp 2.2) and its national adaptation, DigCompUA 2.2. These frameworks structure digital skills into five key areas: information literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, security, and problem-solving. The author adapts these areas to the specific professional standards of Software Engineering (SWEBOK and ACM/IEEE Computing Curricula).

The author identifies and substantiates a system of evaluation criteria, including motivational, cognitive, techno-technological, and personal components. Within the techno-technological criterion, indicators such as projective quality, managerial efficiency, cyber-resilience, and architectural literacy are detailed. Special attention is paid to intellectual-analytical indicators (cognitive flexibility, methodological systematicity) and the ethical component, covering academic integrity and an eco-oriented worldview.

A synthesized level model is proposed, merging the international DigComp classification with Ukrainian pedagogical approaches (reproductive, reproductive-constructive, productive, and creative levels). The study determines that the target level for a bachelor graduate is «Advanced», corresponding to the productive and creative pedagogical levels.

A key contribution of the work is the systematization of a complex diagnostic toolkit. The author proposes integrating quantitative and qualitative assessment methods: from national «Digitalgram» testing and professionally-oriented tests to Project-Based Learning (PBL) and the analysis of real activity products in GitHub repositories. Psychological diagnostics of personal adaptability and self-regulation complete the holistic professional profile.

The scientific novelty lies in the development of a prognostic approach to interpreting diagnostic results aimed at identifying «digital gaps» to adapt educational trajectories. The practical significance is found in the potential implementation of this methodical system in higher education institutions to improve the training of competitive IT specialists.

Keywords: digital competence, bachelor of software engineering, DigComp 2.2, formation indicators, competence levels, diagnostics, IT industry, adaptive learning, students’ training.

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