Tools vs. Skills: A Focused Analysis of Faculty Self-Perception and the "Time Factor" in Digital Competence

Debates on digital transformation in higher education often contrast technological infrastructure (“tools”) with faculty competence (“skills”), overlooking the structural role of time. This study examines faculty self-perceptions of digital competence to identify the primary constraint on post-pandemic pedagogical innovation. Using a triangulated design, the analysis combines a large SOULSS faculty census (N = 390), which reported moderate-to-high self-assessed digital skills alongside low advanced-tool adoption, with a targeted diagnostic probe conducted in 2025 (N = 18). Participants were asked to identify the single root cause of their online teaching difficulties: technological limitations, lack of pedagogical training, or insufficient preparation time. Results show that technology is largely not perceived as a barrier (7.1%). While 42.9% identify a need for pedagogical training, the most frequently cited constraint is lack of time (50%). Interpreted through the TPACK framework and human-capital theory, the findings suggest that the “tools vs. skills” dichotomy is misleading: time scarcity functions as the binding constraint. Effective digital pedagogy strategies must therefore combine targeted pedagogical training with explicit recognition of preparation time in institutional workload models.