In this paper, quantitative, descriptive, and correlational research is carried out on the impact that the process of digitalization of academic activities in higher education has had on the habits of use of information and communication technologies (ICT) among professors and the influence of the area of knowledge on this impact. For this purpose, responses from 716 professors from different Latin American universities to a survey designed by the authors were statistically analyzed. Following the UNESCO guide on the use of ICT in higher education, the survey distinguishes the following teaching activities to measure the use of ICT: lessons, tutorials, sharing materials, and evaluation. The results show that the use of ICT has increased in all teaching activities, but unevenly, being particularly intense in those in which the use of ICT was less frequent during the pandemic—specifically, tutorials and evaluation, whose frequency of use has increased by around 50%. As a result of this uneven increase, the use of ICTs in different teaching activities has become more homogeneous after the pandemic. This increase was significantly higher among engineering and social sciences professors than in other areas of knowledge, as well as in evaluation and tutorial tools than in other activities. In addition, the ICT tools most used during the pandemic were those with which the professors or students were most familiar before the pandemic. It is recommended that universities increase the specific training of professors in the pedagogical use of ICT and that they should address the specificities of each area of knowledge.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on the process of integrating digital technologies in higher education and caused digital stress among professors, mainly in countries with a lower level of digitalization. In this work, quantitative research was carried out on the stress of professors in Venezuela due to the digitalization of their teaching activities caused by the pandemic, and gender gaps were identified in this regard. This digital stress was compared with that of professors in other countries with a low level of digitalization. For this purpose, a questionnaire designed by the authors was used. The questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 129 Venezuelan professors and 132 professors from countries with low digitalization levels. As a result, it was found that Venezuelan professors have lower digital competence and lower digital stress than their colleagues in weakly digitized countries, and that digital stress decreases as digital competence increases. Moreover, among Venezuelan professors, there was a strong gender gap in digital stress, which was higher among females in all subject areas, except for Health Sciences. This gender gap is specific to Venezuela since it differs from that in countries with low digital levels. According to the results, we urgently recommend investing resources in the digital training of faculty members, especially in regards to the integration of female professors.

Digital pandemic stress among university faculty has become a key issue in the contemporary era, marked by the rapid transition to online teaching. This study conducts a quantitative investigation into the teaching experience as a key explanatory variable in explaining the levels of such stress. For this purpose, a validated instrument has been used, which has been answered by a sample of 1240 university professors. The results show that, although the participating professors do not express high self-concepts of their digital competence or professional aspects, they do not express high levels of digital stress due to the pandemic. However, strong divergences have been identified between the levels of digital pandemic stress of more experienced professors and those of younger professors. Specifically, more experienced professors report lower levels of stress than younger professors, although there are no significant differences in their respective digital competencies. Consequently, the results suggest that teaching experience mitigates teaching digital stress, even when this greater experience does not concur with greater digital competence. It has also been found that the evolution of ratings with teaching experience depends on whether the professor is a specialist in scientific–technical or humanistic–social areas. Specifically, professors in scientific–technical areas with 15 to 25 years of experience are those who suffer more digital stress. Moreover, the digital stress of professors in scientific–technical areas increases between 10 and 25 years of experience, while it decreases among professors with less than 10 years of experience. In contrast, among professors in humanistic–social areas, the trend in the evolution of digital stress is the opposite: it increases among those with less than 10 years of experience and decreases among those with more than 10 years of experience.

This paper conducts quantitative research on the levels of stress generated in Latin American professors due to the abrupt digitalization of higher education resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the differences in this digital stress between professors from private and public universities are analyzed. For this purpose, a validated questionnaire has been used and passed to a sample of 750 professors from 20 different Latin American countries, whose responses have been statistically analyzed. As results, it has been obtained that there are no significant differences between the average levels of digital stress of professors of private and public universities due to the pandemic. However, the way in which this digital stress has affected Latin American professors according to gender and age is different depending on the university tenure. As a consequence, some implications and recommendations derived from the results are presented.

This study analysed how the use of sensorised 3D models and advanced technologies can promote accessible and inclusive environments for visually impaired people. It also explored the potential of service-learning and the development of soft skills for future early childhood and primary school teachers. The research sample consisted of 14 people with visual impairment and 18 university students majoring in early childhood education and primary education. The materials selected included different 3D model designs and interactive tools such as Scratch® and makey-makey®. The visually impaired participants evaluated the models through touch and the students guided this process. The students were previously trained in digital competences, 3D design, entrepreneurship and the development of soft skills. Data collection was carried out through questionnaires. The results show a high level of satisfaction among visually impaired people in understanding objects through 3D models and an increase in teamwork and empathy among university students. It is concluded that the use of advanced digital technologies significantly improves the quality of life and social inclusion of visually impaired people. Likewise, service-learning enhances technical, social, and entrepreneurial skills of future teachers.