Investigation of Digital Competence Levels of Online Learners

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the digital competence levels of online learners in terms of different variables. Design/Methodology/Approach: A total of 303 students participated in the study conducted with the cross-sectional screening model of the quantitative research method. The data were collected online via the "University Students Digital Competencies Scale". Findings: Students' digital competence levels show a significant difference according to the variables of gender, age, technology usage competence and duration of using technological devices. It was concluded that students with high technology use competence also have high problem-solving ability in virtual environments. It was determined that as the duration of students' use of technological devices increased, their level of content development in digital environments also increased. Highlights: Considering the finding that as the average daily usage time of students' technological devices increases, students' digital competence levels also increase, it is recommended to prepare more activities to increase the average daily usage time of students' technological devices in distance education environments, to organize synchronous meetings and asynchronous forum activities, and to develop educational policies to take into account the time students spend in the distance education environment and their completion rates in measurement and evaluation processes.