Digital competencies for 21st-century teachers: Focus on soft skills in higher education students

A society in which globalization and technology prevail requires young professionals capable of working in a diverse and complex environment. Higher education faces a new challenge: to train people with transversal skills. This requires designing educational programs based on digital technologies that foster the development of soft skills. The objective of this research has been to identify and synthesize studies that have evaluated the association between teachers' digital competencies and soft skills in university students. A scoping review supported by the SALSA framework was carried out; likewise, the databases used were Scopus, Web of Science and SciELO. A total of 333 papers were reviewed, whose publication period was between 2013 and 2023. After applying the Prisma methodology, only 19 studies were examined. The results showed that there is little research that relates the digital competencies of university teachers to the development of soft skills in students. Three different terms associated with “soft skills” were identified: transversal competencies, 21st-century skills and socioemotional skills. 44.44% of the studies reviewed linked the digital competencies of faculty with the development of soft skills. It is concluded that it is necessary for university teachers to have digital competencies to help develop soft skills in future professionals. This finding will allow the execution of other studies in which the motivational and sociological aspects of the stakeholders will be assessed, with the purpose of achieving the competencies required in the work environment. In addition, it is necessary to evaluate educational policies related to the digital competencies of teaching staff and their implementation in academic environments, intending to articulate them in a cross-cutting manner with the competencies that future professionals need for good job performance.