Strategic Digital Change in Action: A Transferable Model for Teacher Competence Development

Abstract

This article presents a case of strategic and participatory institutional innovation in higher education, focused on developing teacher digital competence (TDC) as a key enabler of sustainable digital transformation. In response to the post-pandemic challenges faced by the National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo), a large and multi-campus public university in Argentina, the European CUTE methodology was adapted and implemented to align professional development with institutional planning. Grounded in the DigCompEdu framework, this action-oriented process moved beyond individual initiatives to create a coordinated, multi-level strategy involving educators, department leaders, and university authorities. Through a research-based design that included context analysis, participatory diagnosis, and co-designed interventions, the project built a shared understanding of digital teaching needs and institutional readiness. The implementation highlights how locally adapted frameworks, collaborative structures, and iterative decision-making can drive meaningful change across a complex university system. This case contributes to the international conversation on how higher education institutions can operationalize innovation at scale by investing in teacher competence, inclusive processes, and strategic alignment. Lessons learned from this experience are relevant for universities seeking to build institutional capacity for digital transformation in diverse educational contexts with potential downstream benefits for student learning and inclusion.

1. Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world in 2020 in every context possible, including education. It acted as a stimulus for digital transformation in educational institutions as they were forced to adapt themselves to the emergency teaching context overnight, needing to make a radical change towards remote teaching (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2023; Cook et al., 2023). This exposed the importance of digital technologies and the fundamental need for a strong Teacher Digital Competence (TDC) in educators these days (Sánchez-Cruzado et al., 2021). Although it is true that the educational institutions generally showed resilience as a response to the emergency, it also highlighted some significant gaps in digital competences among educators and stressed the limitations of individual solutions (De Juana-Espinosa et al., 2023; Watermeyer et al., 2021). In the post-COVID era, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) face the challenge of adopting and implementing technology strategically to ensure pedagogical enhancement, equitable access, and the long-term sustainability of innovation processes (Matsieli & Mutula, 2024). This requires global changes to move from traditional, isolated training programs towards institutional strategies that focus on the development of TDC and regard it as a key element of professional development and change in HEIs (Bond et al., 2018).

Teacher Digital Competence, defined as the multiskilled ability of educators to use digital tools critically and effectively for planning, teaching, and evaluating (OECD, 2023), has risen as a central element in 21st-century higher education. Developing TDC does not only imply learning how to use tools but bearing in mind other aspects such as its pedagogical applications to the individual teaching–learning contexts, thinking over its ethical implications, and being able to adapt to the increasingly rapid evolution of digital innovations in the world (Falloon, 2020). Thus, the promotion of TDC demands approaches from the institutions that are systemic and global, grounded in their strategic planning strategies and documents (Pettersson, 2021), and with the involvement of all relevant actors, such as leaders at different levels, teachers, students, and, in general, all of the school community (McCarthy et al., 2023).

This article presents a case study of this kind of approach: the implementation of the “CUTE (Competencies for Using Technology in Education at National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo) Project”, developed in this large, multi-campus, public university with its base in Mendoza (Argentina). UNCuyo had been facing important challenges in areas related to the use of digital tools for teaching, especially after the impact of the pandemic. CUTE at UNCuyo started in late 2020 and was initiated as an organizational effort to unify and enhance the state of the use of digital tools in the university by adapting an existing methodology (CUTE, a previous Erasmus+ project implemented in the European context) and a reference framework (DigCompEdu), which had been developed in Europe, to the context of the Argentinian public university. This project focused on solving issues related to the fragmentation and isolation of previous TDC development issues in a participatory strategy at several levels, with the participation of the rector and other leaders and teaching staff.

This article has two main objectives: first, to document and analyze the implementation of the CUTE at UNCuyo Project, including its phases, actions, outcomes, and participation by all relevant actors; second, to contribute to the academic discussion about how HEIs can plan for and implement effective and sustainable strategies for developing the TDC of their teaching staff which could be likely to be scalable. It is argued that the CUTE at UNCuyo experience offers a wide range of ideas, principles, and practices for TDC development as a basis for institutional innovation. This model stresses the importance of a well-designed diagnostic stage, which is based on data from previous research in the institution, a process of decision-making that is participatory, the implementation of interventions designed jointly by different actors, and the alignment of institutional objectives and the growth of TDC.

The main contribution of this work is how it explores institutional change processes globally in HEIs, especially those focused on digital transformation through the development of their teaching staff’s TDC. Some aspects deal with the obstacles and facilitating features encountered when institutions decide to advance through change processes that consider TDC as a key element of digital transformation. This study offers relevant lessons for other institutions in similar contexts, aimed at strengthening the digital teaching capabilities of their teaching staff for the benefit of the students. This is mainly due to the use and contextualization of international methodologies (CUTE) and frameworks (DigCompEdu) and their application in the context of a Latin American public university. The idea of a sustainable digital transformation emerges as a deep cultural element in HEIs, driven by a vast majority of digitally competent teaching staff, and not only as being technologically updated. The outcomes and reflections introduced in this article aim to support policymakers, institutional leaders, and other educational leaders and stakeholders by informing them while striving for innovation in the higher education context as a way of preparing for an increasingly unexpected digital future in society.

2. Conceptual Framework

CUTE at UNCuyo is grounded on a conceptual framework at the crossroads of three main principles: the conceptualization of TDC through the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu) framework of reference, the idea of innovation seen through the institutional lens, and the CUTE Erasmus+ project’s methodology and tools. Achieving a full understanding of these three principles is paramount to grasping the actual impact of the interventions at UNCuyo that are presented in this article.

2.1. The DigCompEdu Framework

The DigCompEdu framework is found at the center of the project itself. Developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, DigCompEdu was designed to provide policymakers, institutional leaders, educators, and other stakeholders with a detailed and scientifically sound reference for what it means to be digitally competent in educational contexts (Redecker, 2017). It is not just a list of technical abilities that educators need to master, but a full set of areas and competences structured and leveled to support educators in enhancing the teaching–learning process through the use of digital tools. DigCompEdu is divided into a total of six areas and 22 competences, these areas being as follows:

• Professional Engagement: using digital tools to communicate, collaborate, practice reflexively, and for continuous professional development (CPD).
• Digital Resources: identifying, creating, modifying, controlling, protecting, and sharing digital resources for teaching and learning.
• Teaching and Learning: planning and implementing learning activities with the use of digital technologies.
• Assessment: using digital technologies in the evaluation process for its enhancement, including formative and summative assessment, feedback, and learning analytics.
• Empowering Learners: placing learners at the center of the teaching–learning process, and using digital tools to improve its accessibility, inclusion, personalization, and active engagement.
• Facilitating Learners’ Digital Competence: developing learners’ digital competence, including information and media literacy, communication, content creation, responsible use, and problem-solving.

Following the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL), DigCompEdu follows a progression model with six different achievement levels ranging from Newcomer (A1) and Explorer (A2), through Integrator (B1) and Expert (B2), eventually to Leader (C1) and Pioneer (C2). These levels apply to each of the six areas and 22 competences previously mentioned, and allow every stakeholder to self-assess their current competence levels and to plan accordingly. CUTE was strongly based on DigCompEdu, so its application at UNCuyo followed its path as a foundational guide in its diagnostic tools (document analysis rubrics and interview protocols) and its intervention strategies (central subjects and ideas in the seminars and working groups).

2.2. Innovation from the Institutional Perspective

Another important aspect is how this project considers innovation as an institutional process, rather than a set of actions performed by isolated individuals out of context. This is a way of recognizing how, in order to be sustainable, educational change demands a lot more than just training of teaching staff without any other considerations, especially in large and complex organizations such as HEIs (Díaz-Garcia et al., 2023); administrators, faculty, and students play a crucial role in the improvement and the sustainable change in HEIs, so it is advisable to foster the collaboration of the different stakeholders at the institution (Penuel et al., 2011). Real innovation in the development of TDC comes by the transformation of traditional institutional structures, processes, and regulations, creating an environment in which TDC is valued, institutionally supported, and continuously fostered as a lever for change towards Digital Transformation (DT) (Abad-Segura et al., 2020). This aligns with the idea that digital transformation in HEIs is made up of different aspects, as well as it affects one way or another the institutions’ governance, infrastructure and resources, pedagogical bases, and professional development (Esteve-Mon et al., 2023).

2.3. The CUTE Project

The original CUTE (Competencies for Using Technology in Education) Erasmus+ Project, developed between 2019 and 2022, provided the bases for the methodologies and tools used in its intervention at UNCuyo. The main idea in CUTE is that HEIs play a crucial role in the development of their teaching staff’s TDC, and so they must take responsibility for assuming and promoting it. It is more than just workshops and courses for educators but an organized and participatory process for HEIs to:

• Diagnose their starting point as regards TDC.
• Develop a shared vision for the whole institution and a strategic plan based on DigCompEdu to enhance TDC.
• Implement specifically targeted actions.
• Evaluate the process as a whole, its individual stages, and the outcomes, and iterate as necessary.

The original CUTE Project had as one of its outcomes a toolkit, made up of a canvas (Castañeda et al., 2024) for strategic planning and a roadmap of organizational actions. CUTE at UNCuyo implies a significant adaptation of these in the Latin American context. It continued CUTE’s emphasis on self-reflection at the institutional level, collaborative planning, and interventions following an action-based approach. The philosophy under CUTE is to facilitate the HEI’s capacity for institutional change in a sustainable way by promoting a sense of ownership and making sure that the actions implemented are meaningful to its context and pertinent. Stakeholders involved range from organizational leadership to individual teachers, who must engage in a dialog that identifies the best strategies around TDC development. CUTE at UNCuyo shows itself as not only an individual case study within its own context on the grounds of DigCompEdu but also as a materialization of the original CUTE project’s philosophy of shared participation and TDC development through strategic action at the institutional level. These principles were the foundation of the project’s design, starting with the diagnostic stage all the way through to the shared creation of intervention plans, aiming for a holistic approach to digital transformation.

2.4. Process-Focused Literature on Institutional TDC Change

A growing body of research describes institutional TDC initiatives as a sequence of three inter-linked phases—diagnosis, participatory design and iterative implementation—each requiring specific governance mechanisms (Penuel et al., 2011; Díaz-Garcia et al., 2023). When those mechanisms are absent, projects frequently suffer from fragmentation, low legitimacy, or a lack of progress indicators (De Juana-Espinosa et al., 2023). CUTE at UNCuyo reinforces every phase with targeted safeguards: a DigCompEdu-aligned baseline study, a bridging seminar that transfers decision-making power to local actors, and ambassador networks that use the CUTE canvas to connect pilot action with strategic planning. In doing so, the program offers an empirically grounded response to the process-level risks highlighted in the literature.

2.5. Output-Oriented Literature on Teacher-Level and Institutional Gains

Evaluations of TDC programs converge on four expected outcomes: measurable gains in DigCompEdu levels (Bond et al., 2018), the emergence of communities of practice (Kauppinen & Malmi, 2017), organizational sustainability (Abad-Segura et al., 2020), and cross-faculty scalability (Stare et al., 2023). Evidence from large Latin American public universities—where decentralized structures complicate horizontal transfer—remains scarce. By linking each project phase to a tangible deliverable—baseline metrics, a shared vision, and faculty-led horizontal transfer—CUTE at UNCuyo documents how those outcomes can be achieved in a multi-campus setting, filling an important regional gap.

Unlike other institutional-level initiatives that focus primarily on pilot cycles (e.g., A!OLE at Aalto University) or service-oriented faculty support units (e.g., EduVirtual at UNER), CUTE@UNCuyo combines a research-based diagnostic phase, participatory co-design, and distributed implementation in a single iterative pathway. This tri-phase architecture allows the program to address two knowledge gaps identified in recent reviews (A!OLE: Kauppinen et al., 2020; EduVirtual: Aranciaga et al., 2023):

• Process–output alignment, by explicitly linking each action to measurable TDC and strategic-planning outcomes;
• Transferability in public, multi-campus settings, by evidencing how participatory governance can mitigate the structural fragmentation typical of large Latin American HEIs.

Therefore, the UNCuyo adaptation extends the original CUTE philosophy from European contexts to a Southern Hemisphere public university reality, setting a precedent for comparable institutions facing post-pandemic digital transformation pressures.

3. Methodology

3.1. Working Principles

The methodology used in the CUTE at UNCuyo project is qualitative with a mixed-methods and action-research approach, following an institutional and participatory case study design (Baum, 2006; Brydon-Miller et al., 2003; Yin, 2014). This approach was chosen for its flexibility to support the comprehension and the facilitation of the process of change in such a complex context as a university. It helped the examination of the case in an in-depth and holistic way, taking into account the importance of context in the process of planning for and implementing the institutional strategy for the development of TDC (Jorrín et al., 2021). One of the principles of the study is that of pragmatism, focusing on the collection of data for the creation of useful knowledge for the enhancement of teaching practices at UNCuyo (Feilzer, 2010), while generating knowledge that contributes to the general understanding of digital transformation as a means for institutional innovation in the HEI context.

The design of the interventions carried out at UNCuyo reflected the basic principles of the project itself, so it was participatory and iterative. It was thought to be a process where researchers from the University of Murcia (UM), who worked as external advisors, together with a set of stakeholders from UNCuyo, including authorities at different levels and teaching staff, collaboratively researched and created the actions of the project. This focus on collaboration had as its main aim for the project not to be seen as an external imposition, but rather as an internal initiative, owned and directed by the institution.

3.2. Project Structure

This design unfolded in two sequential phases linked by a single bridging action.

Table 1. Phases, actions, purpose, data sources, and analytical frameworks in the CUTE at UNCuyo project.

Phase	Action	Purpose	Main Data Source(s)	Framework/Analysis
Diagnostic	0—Documentary review and web-mapping	Map existing TDC practice	64 institutional documents and websites	Coded with DigCompEdu areas (content analysis)
	1—Key-informant interviews	Capture perceptions and gaps	10 semi-structured interviews	Thematic analysis (deductive DigCompEdu → inductive)
	2—Diagnostic report	Synthesis and baseline	Outputs of Actions 0–1	Integrative narrative
Bridging	3—Feedback and decision-making seminar	Transfer ownership and set priorities	Two-session recorded seminar	Discourse notes
Intervention	4—Framework seminars	Disseminate and recruit	Four stakeholder seminars + questionnaire	Descriptive statistics and field notes
	5—CUTE ambassadors	Faculty-led pilots	4 ambassador groups, canvases, logs	Canvas analysis and descriptive stats

summarizes the two phases, the bridging seminar and the five numbered actions, together with their data sources and analytical frames; the Results section follows the same sequence.

The diagnostic phase comprised the following three actions: (i) a documentary review and web mapping of existing TDC-related resources (Action 0); (ii) ten semi-structured interviews with key informants (Action 1); and (iii) a diagnostic report that synthesized those findings for the project steering group (Action 2).

A bridging seminar (Action 3) then shifted decision-making to UNCuyo stakeholders, who defined priorities for the intervention stage.

Finally, the intervention phase combined two strands: four framework seminars that disseminated DigCompEdu principles across deans, academic secretaries, and teaching staff (Action 4), and the faculty-led “CUTE Ambassadors” networks that piloted local actions using the CUTE canvas (Action 5).

3.3. Data Sources and Collection

The following five complementary sources informed the study:

(1)

A documentary review covered strategic plans, internal reports, and resolutions establishing the Institutional System for Online Learning, and course syllabi.

(2)

Ten semi-structured interviews—with the rector, secretaries, directors, and faculty representatives—explored perceptions of TDC using guides adapted from the original CUTE project and DigCompEdu.

(3)

Several questionnaires mapped digital actions identified in the documentary review, captured faculty perceptions, and documented the work of the ambassador groups.

(4)

Most seminars and meetings were video-recorded, preserving the evolution of shared ideas and decisions.

(5)

Project artifacts included the diagnostic report, completed CUTE canvases, records of ambassador activities, and a reflective journal kept by the lead researcher.

The variety of sources enabled rich triangulation throughout the project.

3.4. Data Analysis

A variety of analytical strategies was applied to explore the data collected:

• Thematic analysis, applied to the interview transcripts, the open-ended parts of the questionnaires, and the transcriptions of the participative session meetings. Deductive coding cycles were used as cycles 1 and 2 for the interviews, with predefined categories based on the DigCompEdu areas and competences, and inductive coding cycles were used as cycles 3 and 4 of the interviews, allowing for emergent themes and categories directly from the data, which eventually led to the creation of a codebook with categories around institutional planning, pedagogical/methodological aspects, and human/emotional elements.
• Content analysis, applied to the institutional documents and the website overview in search for elements related to TDC as aligned with DigCompEdu.
• Descriptive statistics, used to present quantitative data from questionnaires, such as the frequency of DigCompEdu categories identified by teachers, or the number of participants in the seminars and working groups.
• Canvas analysis was applied to the canvases that the participants from the working groups made and was aimed at comprehending their priorities and actions, as aligned with DigCompEdu.
• Triangulation was sought to enhance the validity and reliability of the results achieved and the interpretations made, supported by the comparison of findings from different elements from a multiplicity of sources, like documents, interviews, questionnaires, observations, and artifacts.

This methodological approach supported a dynamic research process, where the findings from one stage informed the decisions made for the following stages and actions (Kock et al., 1997), which helped make sure that the project remained useful and responsive to the changing reality of the university (Kelly & Cordeiro, 2020).

4. Results

4.1. Action 0—Documentary Review and Web Mapping

The foundation of the CUTE at UNCuyo Project demanded a detailed comprehension of the whole context of the university. This was carried out in the diagnostic stage of the project through a documentary analysis and a systematic search on the institutional websites (Action 0) in search of actions and resources related to TDC and aligned with the DigCompEdu areas and competences. The aim was to build a clear image of the university’s structure, together with its practices related to TDC (before and including the COVID-19 pandemic), as well as the main challenges and space for growth detected, and the current and/or potential identity and congruence within the university’s global strategy, as detailed in its Strategic Plan 2030.

UNCuyo is one of Argentina’s most prominent public universities, with a large student body as well as academic and administrative personnel. One of its main characteristics that needs to be taken into account for any global change initiative is its multi-campus configuration, with a central headquarters in Mendoza and several other smaller campuses in different parts of the Cuyo area. This decentralization of faculties and institutes offers both advantages and disadvantages, the former related to its possibility of adaptation to individual local realities, and the latter related to the implementation of cohesive, university-wide measures and policies and the standardization of practices. UNCuyo offers a diverse variety of disciplines across its centers of study, fostering a rich academic and educational realm.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, UNCuyo had been engaging with digital technologies for teaching and learning. This is clear after observing its Strategic Plan 2021 and other internal reports, although this technological presence was unbalanced. One of its most notable initiatives is the Institutional System for Online Education (SIED), which was approved thanks to the passing of Resolution 4280 and which set the institutional and legal structure for distance and blended learning for the different faculties. There had been other digital initiatives implemented at the faculty level in some centers, focused on training for their staff. Still, these efforts were often fragmented and not aligned with any specific framework. The diagnosis showed that the use of digital tools was limited to administrative processes or as repositories of already existing curricular materials, instead of being used in a profitable way to innovate the pedagogy and methodologies being used in the classrooms. The web mapping served to identify 64 actions, services, and processes related to TDC in different departments and areas of the institution. Most of these were identified as depending on the Academic Secretary area and the Research, International Relations, and Postgraduate Studies Secretary. On the other hand, some other Secretaries were identified with no TDC-related actions depending on them. This is a clear indication that there is a great disparity in digital implementation across different departments of the university. The alignment of the actions detected with DigCompEdu suggested a bolder presence of those belonging to “Professional Engagement” and “Digital Resources”, while “Assessment” and “Facilitating Learner’s Digital Competence” were represented to a very low extent.

4.2. Action 1—Key-Informant Interviews

Aimed at complementing the initial documentary analysis, a series of semi-structured interviews was conducted with ten stakeholders from UNCuyo (Action 1). These included the Rector, secretaries from the central administration, directors from key areas such as Distance Education and the Library System, and Deans and other influential representatives from several different faculties. The interview protocols were based on the DigCompEdu framework and had the objective of gaining access to the interviewees’ perceptions on the state of TDC in the institution, potential supporting mechanisms, most relevant challenges detected, and strategic priorities for an effective change towards digital transformation in the institution. With a global length of over 8 h, these interviews provided the research team with a wealth of qualitative information that, combined with the data from Action 0, would enrich the diagnostic phase of the project.

The interview transcriptions were analyzed following several coding cycles: two initial coding cycles based on the areas and categories from DigCompEdu and two inductive cycles with thematic analysis of emergent categories from the interviewees’ words. These categories were grouped for further analysis in three different macro-categories or foci: the institutional focus, the pedagogical/methodological focus, and the human/emotional focus. This combination of inductive and deductive approaches for the analysis of the transcripts provided rich data, which was, on the one hand, aligned to the DigCompEdu framework, and on the other, grounded contextually and focused on comprehending the most relevant insights provided by the key informants.

4.3. Action 2—Diagnostic Report

The culmination of the diagnostic phase of the project was the writing and publication of a Diagnostic Report by the facilitators from UM for the key stakeholders from UNCuyo (Action 2). In the report, the most important findings from both Actions 0 (documentary analysis) and 1 (interviews) were included, highlighting UNCuyo’s most prominent strengths and weaknesses. Some of the former include the creation and work developed by the SIED, specific instances of innovation in certain areas of the institution, and the willingness and disposition for change spotted in some staff members with different degrees of influence, among others; the latter cover the fragmentation and lack of continuity of efforts, the uneven level of TDC development among faculty, the need for a global, coordinated strategy, and the fact that some areas from DigCompEdu are extremely underdeveloped. The report was not thought to be a mere gathering of data but an analytical instrument that helped UNCuyo stakeholders in their discussion, and informed them when making decisions for the future of the project and the institution globally. Action 2 finished when the UM facilitators shared the report with the UNCuyo leadership personnel, who would analyze it in order to conclude the upcoming actions.

As already mentioned, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 served as a strong disruptor and change accelerator in the educational environment. The sudden transition to emergency remote teaching did nothing but stress the pre-existing positive and negative aspects in schools at all levels and countries in the world, especially exposing the digital divide among faculty and students. This made it evident that there was a need for institutional strategies regarding the approach to TDC in educational institutions. Although UNCuyo could indeed solve this change successfully, especially in those faculties and institutes with a stronger pre-COVID TDC basis, the limitations of the previous state were highlighted, and the need for stronger training related to TDC was evident. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the critical challenge identified was the move from a reactive mindset in the application of digital tools for teaching and learning to a more proactive digital transformation state to actually enhance the pedagogy and methodologies applied by faculty in their classes in search of an improvement in the quality of education. This assumes promoting the pedagogical and critical skills of the students and not only providing access to digital tools of different kinds.

With a determination to support the Strategic Plan 2030, which was being developed at that time, CUTE at UNCuyo began in this context, in which a push in the university’s change towards digital innovation was needed. The diagnostic stage of the project revealed how developing the faculty’s TDC could serve as a driver for change in this sense and strategic vision. The documentary analysis of institutional official papers, such as the nearly concluded Strategic Plan 2021, showed that TDC had been present in the institution’s legal documents for a while but never with the focus or strategic priority desirable or seen as a key element for change. CUTE is aimed at providing UNCuyo with a strong framework and with the necessary tools and methodologies for strategic planning around TDC. This would assure that the lessons learned from the pandemic experience could be integrated into the already existing practices, and these could be used as a basis for digital innovation. The diagnosis confirmed that a foundation had been set up in the institution, but also that there was a need for a strategy that was global, comprehensive, coordinated, and pedagogically driven for TDC development so that UNCuyo could achieve its objectives of digital transformation.

4.4. Action 3—Feedback and Decision-Making Seminar

The development of CUTE at UNCuyo implied a set of coordinated efforts designed to dynamically progress from a profound understanding of the reality of the university to the co-creation of specific actions aimed at improving TDC in the university at all levels. A team from the University of Murcia (UM, Spain) facilitated this process in close collaboration with a series of individuals from UNCuyo, previously identified as key informants in the institution. The main body of work revolved around a series of interconnected actions that provided an adaptation of the CUTE methodology and tools into the reality of the Argentinian university, aligned with the areas and competences of the DigCompEdu framework.

Action 3 was a bridging action that took the results from the diagnostic phase and served as a starting point for the intervention stage. It was a feedback and decision-making seminar, guided by the UM facilitators and in which some conceptual aspects of the DigCompEdu framework were introduced, key UNCuyo individuals shared their insights on the results presented to them in the diagnostic report (Action 2), and commented on the decisions they had made as to what they considered would be the fittest next steps in the project. This was performed collaboratively and marked a turning point in the development of the project, moving on from the diagnostic stage, mainly guided by the UM facilitators, to the intervention stage, where the UNCuyo stakeholders took over most of the control of the project planning, and the UM researchers acted more from an advisory perspective.

Unlike the top-down steering phase reported in UL Digital (Stare et al., 2023), this bridging seminar positioned UNCuyo stakeholders as co-decision makers from the outset, ensuring that subsequent actions responded to locally perceived priorities rather than external agendas.

The feedback provided by the UNCuyo representatives to the UM members of the team was predominantly positive. Some aspects were acknowledged to be valuable, for instance, the external perspective and the thorough insights provided. Some other areas were mentioned to be of potential further research, such as student perspectives on digital competence in general, and some specific initiatives known to be under development in different faculties that were not included in the report. The seminar ended on a shared consensus about the next actions of the project that would be part of the intervention stage: a set of seminars addressed to different groups of participants from UNCuyo depending on their position in the institution (eventually Action 4) and a program of semi-independent working groups in the faculties (which would be eventually known as the “CUTE at UNCuyo Ambassadors Program”, Action 5). The fact that these two actions were co-decided by both the facilitators from the UM and the stakeholders from UNCuyo ensured their pertinence and sense of ownership by the university.

4.5. Action 4—Framework Seminars

Action 4 comprised a set of four “framework seminars”, which were designed and addressed to: (i) Deans, (ii) academic secretaries from the faculties, (iii) teachers with previous training in TDC and other representatives from the distance education department, and (iv) teachers without previous training in TDC. More than 170 participants took part in these seminars, where the objectives were as follows:

• To introduce CUTE at UNCuyo and the DigCompEdu framework.
• To share the most relevant information available up to that moment (mainly comprising that included in the diagnostic report).
• To foster reflection about how they can promote TDC in their closest contexts.
• To identify potential participants who would be part of and lead the “CUTE at UNCuyo Ambassadors Program” (Action 5).
• To collect more data on actual interventions under development and perceptions of potential needs from the faculty’s point of view.

Whereas the A!OLE program relies on competitive faculty pilots to seed innovation (Kauppinen et al., 2020), the UNCuyo seminars deliberately recruited a cross-section of deans, secretaries, and lecturers, creating a horizontal network whose legitimacy rests on institutional representation instead of project funding.

Participants of the seminars generally received them as a positive initiative from the institution, agreeing on the importance of digital transformation and the relevance of TDC as a driver for change. Nevertheless, some Deans and academic secretaries complained about how the faculties they represented had not been part of the diagnosis, and explained that as a consequence of this, the diagnosis could not be seen as complete.

Some areas identified as developed by both types of teachers included “Organizational Communication” and “Selection of Digital Resources”. Teachers with previous training named “Content Creation” and “Feedback” as being also developed enough, whereas teachers without previous training chose “Accessibility” and “Assessment Strategies” as strong aspects in the institution. These seminars also provided numerous groups of proposals for the enhancement of TDC.

4.6. Action 5—CUTE Ambassadors

The “CUTE at UNCuyo Ambassadors Program” (Action 5) was the last action of the project and what could be considered the central intervention as regards teacher participation in the university. Teachers recruited in the seminars in Action 4 created working groups that would eventually disseminate the project and implement TDC-related actions in their faculties in a semi-independent way. Although more teams were formed at first, at the end four of them ended the formal obligations of the project: “IdiomasTIC@s” (with a focus on languages and accessibility), “Aconcagua. Arte y pedagogía” (from the Arts Faculty and with experience in distance education), “VinoTIC” (based on the Agricultural Faculty and with a general focus on ICT use), and “Big Bang—Efecto Digital” (made up of first-year science teachers, with experience and a focus on virtual classroom management).

The CUTE at UNCuyo personnel planned for and implemented an introductory meeting in which the formal obligations and guidelines for participants were established: groups would need to meet at least 4 times; they would use the CUTE canvas and digital forms for planning and documenting their meetings. Both the UM and UNCuyo members of the team provided initial training on the use of the canvas and the DigCompEdu framework. Also, support was offered, although it proved to be limited, bearing in mind the necessities of the project.

The four ambassador groups ended up meeting the previously mentioned guidelines and developed and implemented their proposals for TDC-related actions in their closest working environments. The actions include an interactive digital resource bank for language teaching by “IdiomasTIC@s”, an initial approach to content curation by “Aconcagua”, the start of a digital resource library by “VinoTIC”, and training on virtual classroom tools for other teachers and general ICT tools for students by “Big Bang—Efecto Digital”.

The ambassador model goes beyond the individual-champion approach of initiatives such as Uniminuto’s “aeiou” center (Bautista & Cipagauta, 2017) by coupling each micro-project with the CUTE canvas; this ensures that local experimentation feeds back into a common strategic blueprint, thus closing the loop between grassroots action and institutional transformation.

Throughout the length of this whole process, the UM facilitators served their functions of facilitation, research expertise, and methodological guidance to ensure the success of the project. They led the diagnosis of the situation, with its data collection and further analysis (Actions 0, 1, and 2); facilitated the feedback and decision-making seminar (Action 3); supported designing the seminars (Action 4); and helped give the initial push for the working groups (Action 5).

One more central aspect of the project is how the CUTE methodology was adapted to the local reality of the UNCuyo. The basic elements of the project (tools such as the canvas and its methodology) were used just like in the original CUTE project in the European context, but the way they were applied, the actual focus of the interventions, and the way they were actually implemented were adjusted to the real context of the Argentinian university and took into account the participants feedback and the ever-changing institutional dynamics, in a way that each action was based upon the results and feedback from the previous actions. This approach, both flexible in its response and iterative, made it easier to solve the difficulties encountered, especially bearing in mind the complexities of such a complex case of a public university with an aim at promoting a sense of ownership over the change process to ensure the sustainability of the project.

5. Lessons Learned

CUTE at UNCuyo, as a strategic initiative oriented towards the development of TDC as a key element in a large, public university, offered important insights that could be applied in other contexts different from the one it was developed in. These lessons are related to the idea of TDC as a driver for institutional change, the value of participatory methodologies, the necessity for institutional adaptability, and the complex range of elements that affect the sustainability of such projects.

One idea from the project that needs to be taken into account is how the development of TDC in HEIs and its vision as an institutional strategy is key to achieving significant impact in its context. CUTE at UNCuyo is a clear example of how embedding TDC within a broader institutional approach and its specific objectives (like the ones detailed in its Strategic Plan 2030), as well as obtaining the support of the institutional leadership at different levels, can be a significant tool for pedagogical and methodological innovation for the sake of digital transformation in university contexts. The adoption of a university-wide framework of reference (like DigCompEdu) is paramount for the establishment of a common ground and a vision for TDC within the institution, which fosters the enhancement of the discourse and its change from a tool-oriented one to the pedagogical, collaborative, and ethical aspects. However, this experience also suggests that spreading this vision globally across the institution and expecting to see results takes a significant amount of time and effort at different levels.

CUTE at UNCuyo was conceived as a participatory project from the very onset. Its emphasis on co-planning and co-doing was validated properly throughout its duration. The diagnostic phase, which included the documentary review and the interviews with key informants from UNCuyo, ensured that the understanding of its starting point and defining characteristics was rich, comprehensive, and based on real facts. Even more, the participatory character of Action 3 (feedback and decision-making seminar) meant a turning point in the project, as UNCuyo stakeholders were involved in the analysis and decision-making process in order to inform choices on next steps to follow. This created a sense of ownership and local relevance among the UNCuyo participants. Also, the action model of “CUTE at UNCuyo Ambassadors” (Action 5) empowered faculty-led working groups to act semi-independently and spread the word of CUTE among their colleagues, and let them design and implement a set of actions related to the development of TDC in their faculties and institutes. This was a very clear case of bottom-up initiatives supported by already existing tools (like the CUTE canvas), methodologies, and frameworks with institutional support. This approach, in which analyses, decisions, and actions are shared, proved to be efficient in solving the always-present internal complexities of such institutions as well as in fostering the necessary involvement from the target community, although in a time-consuming way.

Adapting a European-based project to a Latin American public university context required a great deal of flexibility and adaptation. The initial planning underwent a considerable amount of evolution based on the feedback from the results of the previous actions and the information provided by the key stakeholders of the university. For example, the design of the seminars (Action 4) and the working groups (Action 5), was refined after discussions with the UNCuyo personnel. The UM was asked to show resilience and adaptability, as its role in the project moved from a leading role in the first actions to that of facilitator and advisor in the later stages. This stresses the importance of not considering external models as rigid structures that need to be implemented exactly as they are given, but rather as general schemes to be thoughtfully adapted to the reality of the context where they will be developed. As mentioned before, UNCuyo is an extremely decentralized institution, which required a flexible approach, proving that a one-size-fits-all model would not serve its purposes.

Several features proved to be facilitating factors for the project and, as a consequence, for projects of such kind:

• TDC had been present in the institution since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the momentum gained thanks to the need to implement emergency online education in this context proved to be a driver for change in the university. The urgency for digital transformation was recognized in this post-pandemic context.
• The invaluable involvement of some individuals at the leadership and faculty levels in UNCuyo was crucial for the success of the project, specifically for the mobilization of the staff and the dissemination of the project among the educational community.
• External frameworks and toolkits, such as DigCompEdu and the CUTE canvas, were seen as positive and practical instruments that ended up being used effectively.

On the other hand, some of the setbacks encountered were as follows:

• Some interviewees identified some faculty members’ resistance to change, which was usually related to a lack of training in TDC and age factors.
• In relation to this, there are extremely diverse levels of TDC among the faculty, which makes it harder for training planning and the implementation of specific measures.
• Generally speaking, teachers and other members of staff work under severe workloads and without specific time devoted to projects of this kind, which makes participation dependent on individual will.
• Communication is always hard in such large institutions, especially in those with several campuses located far from one another geographically.
• Institutional rhythms do not usually align with day-to-day action. Thus, aligning both timelines required patience and persistence from all actors involved.

Sustainability is a key factor for the survival of projects like CUTE at UNCuyo. Some key insights for such sustainability are as follows:

• Any actual intervention of the project requires a process of previous formal institutionalization, which would integrate CUTE at UNCuyo into the university’s policies and legal documents, actions, and mechanisms. “CUTE at UNCuyo 2.0” includes measures in this direction.
• Continued and noticeable support from the institutional leaders at all levels, together with the designation of resources (financial, technical, spatial, and human), is vital for the success and sustainability of any global change around TDC development.
• Educational institutions need to establish mechanisms for formal recognition and incentivization (for example, through career progression, adjustments in workload, or public recognition and awards) as a way to maintain participants’ motivation and to reward their initiative towards continuous improvement.
• Reinforcing already existing communities of practice and creating new ones such as the “Ambassadors Program” network, which can encourage peer learning and innovation in a semi-self-sustained learning environment.
• Finally, TDC must be considered not only as a central element for professional development but also as a real element to be introduced in the university curricula across all disciplines.

CUTE at UNCuyo is evidence that TDC development in HEIs is not a limited project, but a never-ending, ongoing, and ever-changing journey that demands a long-term vision, flexibility, and adaptation in iterative refinements, and a steady, shared commitment to the enhancement of TDC in a pedagogically innovative environment. This model may be transferred based on the principles of diagnosis, participation, contextualization, and strategic alignment. In this way, other institutions with comparable realities could adapt the project for the sake of TDC development in their institutions.

6. Discussion

CUTE at UNCuyo is a case study of strategic institutional innovation in the higher education environment whose contributions to the international academic dialog on TDC development are important. Its findings align with those of relatable, previous experiences in different worldwide contexts, but also add to them its perspective and singularities.

One of the project’s main contributions is how it was able to prove a feasible way of moving from individual, unrelated efforts around the development of TDC to a coordinated, pre-planned strategy that affects the whole institution. Scaling isolated innovations to form a more global project is one of the main challenges that HEIs face these days regarding digital transformation. The CUTE methodology and tools have proven to be an efficient approach in this way, starting off with a comprehensive institutional diagnosis (Actions 0–2 of the project), in which several stakeholders took part and information of different kinds was elicited. The project established shared common ground on current needs and priorities of the university as a starting point for further developments. This contrasts with initiatives whose strategies focus mainly on providing tools and training without a more profound initial analysis of the context, like in Aalto’s A!OLE Project, where there were difficulties in scaling and sustaining their pilot innovations at first (Kauppinen et al., 2020; Kauppinen & Malmi, 2017; Malmi et al., 2018). In addition to this, the feedback and decision-making seminar of CUTE at UNCuyo (Action 3) proved to be paramount as a support for bridging the findings from the diagnostic phase with the co-design intervention plan stage, and thus ensuring that the following actions (seminars and working groups) were thought of as relevant and attractive to the UNCuyo actors. This marked a difference with other projects, such as the early stages of “UL Digital” at Ljubljana’s University (Stare et al., 2023), where the engagement with the project was limited mainly due to the lack of specific guidelines and incentives. CUTE at UNCuyo provides scaffolding to support the escalation of initiatives thanks to a systematic interlacing of diagnosis, strategic planning, engagement at different levels, and target-oriented actions.

Four principles underpin this success. First, the adoption and effective utilization of a comprehensive framework such as DigCompEdu provides a common language and clear development pathway, as also shown in UL Digital (Stare et al., 2023) and DIGIVID (Fotaris & Blake, 2022). Second, involving stakeholders at multiple institutional levels yields a more accurate picture of needs and greater acceptance of subsequent actions—an outcome likewise recommended in Uniminuto’s “aeiou” Centre (Bautista & Cipagauta, 2017). Third, an intentionally flexible, feedback-rich design enables continuous adaptation to local realities, mirroring the iterative cycles that sustained A!OLE’s pilots (Kauppinen et al., 2020). Fourth, the CUTE Ambassadors network resembles Ljubljana’s “Institute of Multipliers” (Stare et al., 2023) by empowering motivated faculty to act as local change agents who amplify impact beyond their immediate units.

Nevertheless, transferability of a project does not necessarily imply direct copying but rather an adaptation of these and other core principles to each specific reality. The UNCuyo experience underlines the need for contextualization, with the consideration of elements such as institutional culture (in UNCuyo’s case, based on decentralization), previous level of digital adoption, availability of resources, and national, regional, and local educational policies (the role of SIED in Argentina is also a key element to UNER’s EduVirtual Project (Aranciaga et al., 2023; Azcárate, 2017)). The experience of VSFS/UoA (Kupec, 2022), focused on faculty bilateral interchange, is a different approach, embedded to a lower extent in the institutional practices, which shows that if HEIs really want to achieve a deep institutional integration, a meaningful internal commitment is required.

In spite of its successes, CUTE at UNCuyo encountered several different limitations. The timeframe of the project was intensive but not long enough to permit the observation of deep, cultural changes in the institution. Also, although the “Ambassadors Program” working groups planned for and started beneficial actions, their long-term sustainability was a concern on the basis of a lack of continuous formal support and recognition (a problem observed as well in several international initiatives around TDC development, such as in Uniminuto’s “aeiou Center” (Bautista & Cipagauta, 2017) and the changing trajectory of “UL Digital” (Stare et al., 2023). Finally, although the project had been planned to affect the whole institution, it may not have positively engaged representatives from every faculty, institute, or department, as expressed by individual Deans, who manifested not being familiar with the initiative during the seminars in Action 4.

Prospective implementations of this model, whether at UNCuyo itself or any other institution, should purposefully take all this into account. Putting a bolder emphasis on the formalization of recognition mechanisms, ensuring sufficient funding, and integrating TDC into the cultural imagery of the university (for instance, staff recognition, curriculum overview, and quality assurance actions) are some of the suggestions for a successful adaptation of the project. CUTE at UNCuyo 2.0 explicitly addresses these issues. Another recommendation for the enhancement of the model is the incorporation of more formal procedures for the assessment of impact on student learning, a critical yet difficult-to-measure dimension, and a domain in which A!OLE (specifically focused on learning analytics) aims to make significant contributions (Kauppinen et al., 2020; Kauppinen & Malmi, 2017; Malmi et al., 2018). The cooperative and reflective nature of the CUTE model also seems suited for tackling important, emergent challenges such as the incursion of AI in higher education and how it is integrated ethically and pedagogically.

As opposed to experiences such as UNER’s EduVirtual (Aranciaga et al., 2023; Azcárate, 2017), which is more clearly focused on the development of bimodal and virtual education modalities from the very beginning, CUTE at UNCuyo’s specific focus on TDC development offers an integrative approach grounded on other additional elements such as the socio-emotional and human factors of global initiatives in HEIs. The approach in CUTE’s model, systematic and informed by research, differs from other models like Uniminuto’s “aeiou Center” (Bautista & Cipagauta, 2017), which are more oriented towards specific services. This is performed by focusing on achieving strategic institutional change rather than on seeking to meet individual teacher needs, although both models present their own individual positive and negative aspects. The CUTE model, and specifically CUTE at UNCuyo, provides a wealth of strategies for digital transformation through a methodology that is framework-embedded and focused on the whole institution and a toolkit that fosters collaboration to empower educators through TDC development.

CUTE at UNCuyo demonstrates that a tri-phase, participatory architecture can be run on the modest budgets typical of Latin-American public universities. Because the diagnostic phase reused existing data and relied on internal staff, costs were limited to researcher time. The bridging seminar required only a half-day, zero-cost online session, yet shifted ownership to local actors—an outcome that previous European cases often achieved through funded steering groups. The ambassadors’ networks proved scalable without additional salary lines: staff were released for four short meetings and documented their plans in the free CUTE canvas. These design choices show how timing and resource constraints can be accommodated without sacrificing strategic alignment or DigCompEdu rigor. Institutions facing similar fiscal and cultural constraints may therefore adapt the model with confidence, provided they embed phase-specific safeguards (baseline metrics, shared-vision seminar, and peer-led diffusion units).

These results have practical implications for institutions with limited budgets and decentralized structures. Because each project phase reused existing data, relied on brief online sessions, and mobilized voluntary ambassador groups, the model demonstrates that strategic alignment and DigCompEdu rigor are achievable without major new funding—provided three safeguards are in place: a baseline diagnostic, a shared-vision seminar, and peer-led diffusion units.

While rooted in a specific institutional context, the CUTE at UNCuyo experience represents a blueprint that can inform strategic innovation efforts in HEIs globally. Its structure—based on participatory governance, strategic alignment, and a shared framework—responds to challenges that are common across diverse educational systems.

At the strategic level, flexibility and adaptability materialized in aligning project milestones with UNCuyo’s annual planning rhythm, which allowed quick recalibration without reopening the four-year budget, while strategic alignment was secured by embedding CUTE deliverables into the 2030 Strategic Plan and the university’s quality-assurance regulations. At the operational level, the very same principles took shape through low-cost ambassador networks, the iterative redesign of framework seminars, and the shared CUTE canvas, enabling each faculty to tailor actions to its context yet feed comparable data back to central decision makers.

7. Conclusions

CUTE at UNCuyo is an enthralling instance of how a European methodology (Erasmus+ CUTE) and framework (DigCompEdu) can be successfully used within a large, public Latin American university to develop TDC and foster digital transformation. This enterprise successfully overcame the biggest difficulties of TDC enhancement in a post-pandemic higher education environment, succeeding in moving from isolated, uncoordinated efforts to a participatory process that is action-oriented and at all levels of the institution.

This project rendered three main contributions. First, it provides a sound model for institutional TDC development based on a thorough initial diagnosis, cooperative decision-making spaces, and the shared design of locally relevant actions that must be effective. The adaptation of DigCompEdu and the CUTE toolkit (specifically the CUTE canvas) was paramount in establishing a common vernacular, a shared vision, and efficient tools for strategic planning at UNCuyo. Second, the project highlights the relevance of participatory approaches as drivers for change, especially for fostering a sense of ownership among the target institution as well as for certifying the pertinence of the measures applied around TDC. Involving a diverse group of stakeholders (from leadership positions to individual faculty members, even considering the inclusion of the students’ voice) in the diagnosis, planning, and intervention phases was decisive in generating momentum and traversing intrinsic institutional difficulties. The “CUTE Ambassadors Program” proved to be particularly efficient in empowering highly motivated individual educators across a wide variety of faculties and departments as local champions and change drivers. And third, CUTE at UNCuyo underscores the relevance of flexibility, adaptability, and strategic alignment, since digital transformation processes require both the development of individual TDC among the faculty members together with the adjustment of institutional policies, structures, and culture to be supportive, as well as a shared vision of the value of digital pedagogical innovation in order to be sustainable.

The project’s central finding is the confirmation of TDC as a strong driver for institutional change, as long as it is developed with a strategic plan, backed by institutional support, and with a participative implementation. CUTE at UNCuyo proves that important progress can be achieved by efficiently using collaborative structures and exploiting internal capacity and the resources available, even when these are limited, such as what happens in large, public universities.

As for the foreseeable future, the long-term impact of CUTE at UNCuyo will depend on the commitment shown by the institutional leadership to maintain and scale the initiatives forming the project, as explained in “CUTE at UNCuyo 2.0”. Some of the most relevant aspects that need to be taken into account in this regard are knowing the long-term impact of these measures on UNCuyo’s faculty teaching practices and students’ learning outcomes, which should be performed systematically. Also, the collaborative structures implemented can be applied to address important challenges that every HEI will face in the future, such as how to integrate AI tools pedagogically and ethically into higher education. Finally, the CUTE adaptation performed at UNCuyo implies a solid model for regional and international collaborations, in which best practices can be shared, and even a Latin American network of universities committed to innovation through TDC development towards digital transformation can be formed. This case fundamentally reinforces the idea that investing in TDC development by means of strategic and participatory institutional action is an important stake for the future of higher education.