The increasing digitalisation of educational, professional and social practices has positioned digital citizenship as an emerging field of reflection in higher education (UNESCO, 2020). In this context, debates on the quality and social relevance of university education are progressively incorporating the need to address the educational, ethical and civic implications of digital environments. From a critical perspective, digital citizenship is not understood as a set of technical skills, but rather as a complex competence integrating critical thinking, social participation and ethical responsibility (Choi, 2016; Cabero-Almenara et al., 2019). Under this premise, its integration into higher education can be conceived as an emerging criterion of educational quality, particularly relevant in degree programmes oriented towards social and community intervention. 

Within the field of Social Education, the initial training of professionals acquires specific relevance in relation to critical digital citizenship, given their role as mediators, educational agents and promoters of social participation in diverse contexts (ASEDES, 2007). However, previous research has highlighted persistent misalignments between social and professional demands linked to the digital sphere and the dominant training approaches in university curricula, which tend to prioritise instrumental perspectives on digital competence (Mihailidis, 2018; Villar-Onrubia et al., 2022; Guerrero Puerta et al., 2025). From the perspective of educational improvement and internal quality assurance, this situation raises significant questions, particularly in processes of curriculum review and renewal in higher education (Cacheiro-González et al., 2020). 

This paper presents the design, theoretical foundations and methodological approach of an ongoing research project aimed at analysing how critical digital citizenship is addressed in the university education of social educators, as well as at generating evidence-informed orientations for the improvement of curricular quality. The study is developed within the framework of a funded research project (Digital Citizenship in University Education: Diagnosis and Proposal from Social Education – CiDiES), supported by the National Distance Education University (UNED, Spain) under the Young Talent Research Projects call (project reference 2025/00207/001). It is explicitly situated in the field of higher education and aligns with approaches to formative evaluation, internal quality assurance and the continuous enhancement of educational programmes (Harvey & Green, 1993; ESG, 2015). 

From a theoretical perspective, the research draws on three complementary frameworks: critical digital citizenship (Choi, 2016; Isin & Ruppert, 2015), critical digital literacy (Mihailidis, 2018), and educational quality approaches focused on curricular coherence and alignment between competences, learning outcomes and professional practice (Biggs & Tang, 2011). These frameworks allow quality to be conceptualised not as a static attribute, but as a dynamic process of reflection, evaluation and enhancement of university education. 

Methodologically, the study adopts a mixed, sequential and integrative design. In the first phase, the Digital Citizenship Scale (DCS) is administered to undergraduate students in Social Education, using a version previously validated in Spanish (Choi et al., 2017; Lozano-Díaz & Fernández-Prados, 2019). Two open-ended questions are included in order to contextualise the results and enrich their interpretation from a curricular improvement perspective. In parallel, a systematic documentary analysis of the current curriculum and the associated curriculum review process is conducted, with the aim of identifying the presence, absence and treatment of dimensions related to critical digital citizenship from a quality-oriented perspective. Finally, online focus groups are carried out with professionals from the socio-educational field to triangulate findings and incorporate insights from professional practice. 

The expected contribution of this work lies in providing analytical evidence to inform curriculum enhancement processes and to strengthen quality assurance in university education in Social Education. As a work in progress, the paper seeks to engage with European debates on educational quality, professionalisation and the social responsibility of universities in increasingly digitalised societies and practice. 

The study is conducted through a mixed, sequential and integrative methodological design, consistent with approaches to formative evaluation and quality enhancement in higher education (Harvey & Green, 1993; ESG, 2015). The combination of quantitative, qualitative and documentary methods enables the generation of complementary forms of evidence oriented towards curriculum analysis and the formulation of well-founded improvement proposals. In the first phase, the Digital Citizenship Scale (DCS), developed by Choi, Glassman and Cristol (2017), is administered using a version previously validated in Spanish. The instrument is applied to undergraduate students enrolled in the Social Education degree and assesses several dimensions of digital citizenship, including critical thinking, online civic participation, media literacy and norms of digital behaviour (Choi, 2016). In order to contextualise the results and enhance their usefulness for curriculum enhancement, two open-ended questions are added to capture students’ perceptions of their university education in digital citizenship and the aspects they consider in need of further development within the curriculum. In parallel, a systematic documentary analysis of the current curriculum and the curriculum review process linked to the Degree White Paper is carried out. For this purpose, an analytical framework is designed that considers competences, learning outcomes, contents, teaching methodologies and assessment systems as units of analysis. These units are examined through categories related to critical digital citizenship and educational quality criteria, such as curricular coherence and alignment between competences and professional practice, following the constructive alignment approach proposed by Biggs and Tang (2011). In a third phase, online focus groups are conducted with Social Education professionals from different fields of intervention. The groups are organised using a semi-structured guide aimed at exploring previous educational trajectories, challenges of professional practice in digitalised contexts and perceptions regarding the adequacy of the university education received. This qualitative phase incorporates the perspective of professional practice and strengthens the triangulation of findings, contributing to a more comprehensive evaluation of educational quality. Quantitative data are analysed using descriptive techniques, while qualitative data are examined through thematic coding. The triangulation of results supports an integrated interpretation oriented towards informing curriculum enhancement processes and strengthening internal quality assurance in higher education. Overall, this design allows the study to connect student perspectives, curricular intentions and professional expectations, reinforcing its relevance for evidence-informed decision making and for the continuous improvement of Social Education programmes within the European Higher Education Area and quality enhancement frameworks relevant to contemporary universities internationally today.

Although the research is still in progress, its findings are expected to contribute meaningfully to current debates on educational improvement and quality assurance in higher education. First, the study aims to provide a robust diagnosis of the extent to which critical digital citizenship is integrated into the university education of social educators, identifying both strengths and gaps from a curricular quality perspective (Harvey & Green, 1993; Guerrero Puerta et al., 2025). Second, it is anticipated that the combination of evidence drawn from students, documentary curriculum analysis and professional practice will support the development of curriculum orientations aligned with constructive alignment and formative evaluation approaches (Biggs & Tang, 2011; Cacheiro-González et al., 2020). These orientations are not conceived as prescriptive solutions, but as transferable analytical criteria to inform curriculum review and continuous improvement processes, strengthening coherence between competences, learning outcomes and professional demands. From this standpoint, the study seeks to contribute to European discussions on the role of higher education in preparing socially responsible professionals for digitalised societies, in line with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG, 2015). Critical digital citizenship is conceptualised as a relevant dimension of educational quality, integrating ethical, critical and participatory components essential for professional practice in complex and diverse contexts. In addition, the findings are expected to underline the role of pedagogical leadership and institutional commitment in advancing curriculum innovation and quality enhancement, in line with research on the formative dimension of educational leadership in higher education (González-Fernández et al., 2019). Overall, the study aims to support academic leaders, quality assurance committees and curriculum design teams by providing evidence-based frameworks for informed decision making, reinforcing a dynamic conception of educational quality oriented towards social justice and the common good across higher education systems in Europe today broadly contexts.

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