As digital transformation accelerates, teacher mobility programs must cultivate educators' cross-cultural

competencies alongside technological and AI literacy. Yet significant gaps persist: many academics possess only

a moderate familiarity with emerging technologies, raising concerns about their capacity to engage meaningfully

reflections from fourteen participants, balanced by gender and representing diverse age groups and disciplines.

The data encompassed professional backgrounds, technological competence, familiarity with AI tools, and a

thematic analysis of participant reflections. The findings indicate predominantly average self-assessed levels of

technology and AI literacy. However, qualitative data reveals growing recognition of AI's transformative

potential, with perceptions evolving from AI as a tool to AI as a collaborative partner in pedagogy, research, and

scholarly writing. While opportunities for enhanced academic practice emerge, challenges concerning ethical

deployment and overdependence remain salient. These findings underscore the need to integrate structured

digital literacy training into teacher mobility programs to prepare educators for the contemporary digital

demands.

digital skills, it is essential to investigate how academic participants adapt to technological demands during their

involvement in transnational mobility programs.

Despite the increasing integration of technology in higher education, there remains a paucity of research on how

teacher mobility participants, particularly those from China, navigate this evolving digital landscape. Although

China has made significant investments in educational technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) (Zhao &

Huang, 2020; Huang et al., 2022), little is known about the extent to which Chinese scholars incorporate these

technologies and AI-related research into their academic, pedagogical, and communicative practices within

mobility contexts. Addressing this knowledge gap is critical, as digital literacy is becoming a determining factor

in the effectiveness of academic exchange and collaboration in the twenty-first century.

This study holds significance for policymakers, academic institutions, and program administrators by providing

insights into the readiness of higher education scholars to engage effectively in the digital era, particularly within

mobility initiatives. The findings offer valuable implications for the design of targeted training, capacity-building

efforts, and policy measures aimed at enhancing technological and AI literacy. Ultimately, these insights will

support the alignment of teacher mobility programs with global digital transformation trends and reinforce their

impact on the future of higher education.

The structure of this paper is organized as follows. The subsequent section presents a review of literature

pertaining to AI in education, digital literacy, and teacher mobility. This is followed by the methodology section,

which outlines the study design, data collection procedures, and analytical methods employed. The results

section reports on participant demographics, levels of technological literacy, and AI literacy. The discussion

national borders to engage in teaching, research, and collaborative projects (Knight, 2015). The primary

objectives of such initiatives are multifaceted: they aim to foster cross-cultural understanding, facilitate the

exchange of pedagogical knowledge and innovative teaching practices, build international research networks,

and enhance the global profile of participating institutions (de Wit, 2020). The benefits of teacher mobility are

well-documented. For the individual educator, participation leads to professional development through exposure

to different academic systems and student cohorts, ultimately enriching their teaching methodologies and

research perspectives (Knight, 2015). For their home and host institutions, these programs act as conduits for

international collaboration, curriculum innovation, and the strengthening of institutional partnerships. In the

contemporary context, the nature of mobility has evolved beyond purely physical exchanges. The integration of

technology has given rise to "blended" or "virtual mobility," where educators interact with international

students globally, particularly in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia (Huang et

al., 2022). For academics, outbound mobility is heavily promoted through state-sponsored programs such as the

"Chinese Government Scholarship Program" and the "Short-Term Visiting Scholar Program," which fund

lecturers and researchers to spend time at leading overseas institutions to upgrade their qualifications and

research capabilities (Wen & Hu, 2019). Conversely, inbound mobility is also actively encouraged through

initiatives like the "Study in China" initiative, which aims to attract 500,000 international students by the

2025/2026 academic year. For faculty, this involves recruiting international scholars and experts on short-term

contracts to teach specialized courses and co-supervise research, a practice often embedded in university-level

partnerships and Confucius Institutes abroad. These programs are typically characterized by a strong alignment

with national developmental goals, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)

population has generated demand for both local and international faculty, contributing to inbound teacher

mobility via recruitment and short-term visiting professorships. The mobility programs encompass a broad

spectrum of activities, ranging from traditional faculty exchanges and collaborative research projects to

structured internationalization-at-home initiatives that integrate global perspectives into the domestic

educational environment.

multifaceted set of competencies. It is broadly understood as the confident, critical, and responsible use of digital

technologies for learning, working, and participating in society (Redecker, 2017). Key dimensions, as outlined

in frameworks like the European Digital Competence Framework for Educators (DigCompEdu), include

information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, safety, and problem-

academic environment, which may rely on different learning management systems, communication tools, and

digital research infrastructures. Secondly, it is essential for sustaining collaboration beyond the physical mobility

period. Mobile educators equipped with strong digital skills can maintain the professional networks and joint

projects initiated during their mobility, leveraging technology for ongoing virtual co-teaching, research, and

publication (Voogt & Roblin, 2012). A lack of such literacy can significantly hamper an educator's ability to

integrate, collaborate, and maximize the benefits of the mobility experience.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly pervasive, a new form of competency is required: AI literacy.

While definitions are still coalescing, AI literacy can be understood as a set of competencies that enables

individuals to critically evaluate AI technologies; communicate and collaborate effectively with AI; and use AI

of AI but also an awareness of the broader context, including ethics, privacy, and safety (Liu & Bates, 2025).

This aligns with UNESCO's AI competency frameworks for teachers and students, which highlight awareness

of debates around AI's impact on equity, environment, social justice, and human rights as a critical component

of AI literacy (Miao & Cukurova, 2024; Miao & Shiohira, 2024).

feedback, and create intelligent tutoring systems. However, a key insight is the distinction between using

unguided, general-purpose AI as a potential "crutch" and deploying intentionally designed educational AI that

promotes problem-solving and metacognitive skills (Liu & Bates, 2025). For instance, AI can act as a design

assistant for educators, helping to align learning outcomes with assessments, thereby augmenting human

capabilities rather than replacing them.

student inquiries, freeing up educator time for more complex, relational interactions that students highly value

(Liu & Bates, 2025).

national jurisdictions and digital infrastructures? How do institutions ensure equitable access to advanced AI

tools for visiting scholars, especially those from low- and middle-income countries, to prevent the "widening

[of] existing digital divides" (Liu & Bates, 2025, p. 19)?

likely a major oversight in mobility planning.