This study identifies how instructors from higher education institutions experienced digital literacy during emergency remote teaching (ERT) as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 239 full- and part-time instructors completed an electronic questionnaire with closed and open-ended items. Analysis at the item level provided specific shifts and variations of digital literacy challenges experienced, tools used, tasks performed, and the resources employed. This investigation helps researchers inform the academic community of the digital pedagogy and technologies instructors used during the COVID-19 pandemic. This investigation also highlights some challenges that professional development addressing instructors' digital literacy can help mitigate.