INNOVATION AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES INTEGRATION IN UNIVERSITY TEACHING: CONCEPTS AND RELATION

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss the digital technologies incorporation in higher education classrooms. National and international studies show that, despite the high investments in public policies, integrating digital technologies into teaching is still a difficult task. A review of the literature on the concept of innovation and its relationship with digital technologies is presented. Some research data are presented with the objective of analyzing the importance of professional teacher development and institutional policies in higher education. The opinions of Mexican, Spanish and Brazilian teachers on the integration of digital technologies in their teaching practices are mentioned and discussed. The theoretical framework is based mainly on Latin American, Anglo-Saxon and Spanish authors. The study points out that promoting innovation and the integration of digital technologies into teaching practices is a complex process, since it involves, among other aspects, those related to personal and subjective issues, as well as institutional ones.