Digital Teaching Competence and Student-Rated Teaching Effectiveness in Medical Education: Evidence from Qilu Medical University
Abstract
Digital tools now shape many parts of medical instruction, from virtual simulation and three-dimensional visualization to online clinical resources and artificial intelligence-supported learning. This study examined how medical educators’ digital teaching competence relates to student-rated teaching effectiveness at Qilu Medical University. The study was guided by the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu), and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Using a quantitative descriptive-correlational design, data were collected from 120 faculty members and 300 students through stratified random sampling. Faculty members assessed their competence in digital instructional design, digital resource utilization, digital classroom management, and digital assessment. Students rated teaching effectiveness in terms of teaching quality, engagement, learning outcomes, and satisfaction; these ratings were aggregated at the faculty level. Results showed high overall digital teaching competence (M = 3.92, SD = 0.68) and high student-rated teaching effectiveness (M = 4.07, SD = 0.63). Digital teaching competence was strongly associated with teaching effectiveness (r = .68, 95% CI [.57, .77], p < .001). Regression analysis showed that competence dimensions explained 51% of the variance in teaching effectiveness, with digital resource utilization (beta = .38) and digital instructional design (beta = .28) as the strongest predictors. The association was strongest among mid-career faculty with 6-10 years of teaching experience (r = .71). The findings suggest that effective digital teaching in medical education depends less on technology use itself than on educators’ ability to select, design, and integrate digital resources for meaningful clinical learning. Implications are offered for staged faculty development, investment in medical digital resources, and evidence-informed digital education policies in private medical universities.