Digital transformation in higher education: a case study on strategic plans

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Digital transformation in higher education: a case study on strategic plans

Omur Hakan Kuzu - Dr. (PhD) of Business, Assist. Prof., Beysehir Ali Akkanat Faculty of Tourism, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey

Abstract

Digital transformation is considered as an inevitable process for higher education systems like all socio-economic institutions and systems. The digital transformation, which para-doxically incorporates both challenges and conveniences, has to become the focus of corporations' strategies. The aim of this study is to determine the status of digital transformation in universities' strategies. For this purpose, the strategic plans of 18 Turkish universities, which ranked at the top 1000 most often in the world rankings, were evaluated with the content analysis method. Findings indicate that expressions about the components of digital transformation in the strategic plans of the universities were gathered under 4 themes, 14 categories and 35 codes. The expressions of the universities about digital transformation are coded under the category of diversity and flexibility of learning technologies, especially education theme and distance/open learning. It is observed that universities have the least digital transformation strategies concerning research and social service missions. In this sense, it was concluded that universities could not perform digital transformation beyond technological infrastructure renewal into an integrated transformation model and strategic vision. The results of the study were compared with empirical and theoretical studies in the literature. For universities and future studies, it was proposed that Turkish universities are compareable with the universities abroad, which show the successful examples of the digital transformation, and that the quantitative and/or qualitative methods related to the subject can be applied by internal and external stakeholders, especially in the sector's evaluations.

Keywords: digital transformation, university' strategic plan, higher education, case study model, content analysis method

Аннотация

Цифровизация в высшем образовании: тематическое исследование планов стратегического развития

Кузу Омур Хакан - PhD в области бизнеса, доцент, факультет туризма Бейшехир Али Акка- нат Университет Сельчук, Конья, Турция

Целью представленного в статье исследования является определение места цифровизации в стратегическом развитии университетов. Для этого с помощью метода контент-анализа изучались планы стратегического развития 18 университетов Турции, входящих, по оценке мировых рейтингов, в 1000 лучших вузов. Элементы цифровизации, отражённые в планах стратегического развития университетов, были объединены по 4 темам, 14 категориям и 35 кодам. Оказалось, что задачи университетов в области цифровизации относятся прежде всего к категории разнообразия и гибкости технологий обучения, особенно в сфере дистанционного/открытого обучения, в наименьшей степени цифровизация касается научных исследований и социальной сферы. В связи с этим был сделан вывод, что университеты пока не в состоянии распространить цифровизацию за пределы технологического обновления инфраструктуры и внедрить интегральную трансформационную модель. Результаты проведённого исследования сопоставляются с эмпирическими и теоретическими данными, опубликованными в литературе. В исследовании было сделано предположение, имеющее значение для университетов и будущих исследований, которое заключается в том, что университеты Турции сопоставимы с зарубежными университетами, демонстрирующими примеры, удачной цифровизации, а применённые количественные и качественные методы могут быть использованы внутренними и внешними стейкхолдерами, особенно теми, кто осуществляет оценку данного сектора.

Ключевые слова: цифровизация, университеты Турции, стратегические планы университетов, контент-анализ, мировые рейтинги вузов, интегральная трансформационная модель

Introduction

Digital transformation has become the top priority of higher education institutions as well as many other organizations today. Digitalization has become inevitable for higher education institutions to meet many challenges caused by the rapid and various transformations in its environment. This transformation manifests itself as the use of digital technologies in the fields of actors, business management models, syllabus models, information and learning assessment/ analysis programs, cost (finance), success measurement systems and security threats, especially with the widespread understanding of managerialism in the management of universities [1].

Digital transformation in higher education, in fact, does not merely refer to a technological transformation. Digital transformation aims to broaden this narrow sense, to determine the stakeholder needs and behaviors in advance, and to provide education, research, and social services in line with the demands of the users/beneficiaries who take advantage of the services in a changing competitive environment. This means total digitalization, such as digitalization of core services, academics and students with advanced digital capabilities, and decision support systems that can adapt to changing circumstances [2].

Digital transformation in higher education varies with the components such as the Internet, mobile networks and smartphones, the Internet of Things, Big Data, new cloud services, smart accessories/garments, fast and high capacity connections, social media networks and artificial intelligence [3].

The main purpose of digital transformation in higher education is to redesign educational services and to redevelop the operational processes of higher education. In this sense, there are three approaches to achieve these goals. These approaches are [4]:

> Operation-Priority Digital Transformations. The main objective of this transformation is to redefine the services through a new and ad-vanced digital in-house process. In the process of creating value of users and digitalizing support services together, digitalization of higher education comes into prominence in subjects such as student admission, registration, examination system, quality assurance system, course plan/ hour, syllabus/module and academician employment of higher education institutions. On the other hand, digital transformation in education is considered as a prerequisite for progress by everyone, and changes in students' learning methods and use of technology are taken into account. However, the reaction of academicians to changing conditions and their interest in new teaching techniques are also considered important in this process [5].

> Service-Priority Digital Transformations. This method is closely related to the educational mission of universities. The method aims to create new educational programs as well as digitization of the programs offered by the old method. All sorts of distance learning struc-tures in universities, especially massive open online courses - MOOC - are enriched with new methods [6].

In recent years, internet connections have been expanded, their scope has been differentiated and the standard of teaching materials has been changed to expand such digital and online education. It is possible to see video from fixed devices as well as from mobile phones. As a result, opinions that video and similar formats are indispensable functions in the lessons have gained importance [7]. Even today, traditional face-to-face education has been replaced by hybrid/blended education [8].

> Service & Operation-Priority Digital Transformations. The service-operation-priority transformation aims to undergo a systematic synthesis of the both approaches above. The development of operational processes and learning methods are being carried out simultaneously. This system, which is the pioneer pilot application in today's universities, is widely used. In all three approaches, students' adaptations to digital methods and developments are viewed as an important issue. The driving force of students is conceded important in the digi-talization of higher education. The new generation is essentially the one that is not alien to digitalization. This generation's profile has the most recent student profile features, also called `net generation' or `digital natives' [9]. The fact that the generation is digital, necessitates the development of new teaching/learning methods in universities.

This new student profile, which grows under the conditions that digital brings to the forefront, prefers the methods of learning that are more active and more specific to them, and they want to empathize with the former generation academicians who are defined as `digital immigrants'. This empathy essentially means acting with digital technology [10].

A system in which the teacher is not the only source and where teaching resources are diversified, such as digital tools, websites, social media, and other open learning channels, inevita-bly leads to changes in the profile of the instructor/academician. The new profile makes the student an actor who learns how to learn rather than being merely a learner, and the instructor makes the learning easier with a digital transformation where the student is more active and the academician is, in a sense, comparatively more passive.

In the digital age, academics are expected to gain new merits such as to be able to use technology creatively, to adapt education standards to 21st century knowledge and skills, to develop project-oriented teaching methods, to use new and modern strategies in student performance evaluation, to apply differentiated educational programs and adopt continuous learning as a philosophy [11].

As a result of the interactive relationship between the learning environment of the digital age and the teaching-learning actors, the following models have started to form [12]:

* The transition from monotype `uniform' learning model to individualized `customization' learning model: The system, which is based on everyone learning the same things at the same time, has started to give way to the learning systems according to the students' interests thanks to the boutiqueization/individualization of computers and digital tools.

* The transition from a single source (from an expert) to a multi-source learning model: In the pre-digital era, the understanding of academics as an expert has been weakened by the fact that all digital tools, especially computers and videos, can offer a variety of resources in many different specialties.

* The transition from the standard assessment model of learning/achievements to a customized/individualized assessment model: In the pre-digital period, the assessment of students through exams was usually in the form of multiple-choice and short-answer items for objectivity, but with digitalization, students are evaluated in their categories.

* The transition from the rote-learning model to the learning model by accessing the source of information: While pre-digital learning was in the form of keeping in mind or memorizing what is learned, digitalization has the form of reaching information and solving problems by accessing external sources similar to those in professional business life.

* The transition from an intensive learning model to a learning model focused on accessing lots of information on demand: In the predigital period, all the information was provided intensively in the curriculum and since such a continuous renewal/updating is essential in the digital age, such learning has not been preferred. It has become important to get accurate and up-to-date information quickly.

* The transition from an acquired/passive learning model to an on-the-job/active learning (learning by doing) model: While it was quite important for a student to acquire information in pre-digital learning, it is important to construct the model with the information acquired by the digital age. This has led to the spread of experiential and participatory learning and even student-centered learning [13].

To summarize the processes described above, it can be said that universities have started to make the on-campus internet networks suitable for these methods as students turn to smart digital. Apart from the internet system, students entered in such race to make learning resources more digital. This has led to an increase in distance education systems, especially due to cost benefits. Experiential learning methods were added to the traditional face-to-face education methods as well as distance learning methods, and they have become blended/hybrid.

Ultimately, learning management systems, the ones in which training contents, learners and instructors are monitored and learning/teaching processes are managed and individualized, have had to be redesigned for the new generation. Beyond being merely learning-oriented, these systems have become eclectic structures such as providing preliminary information about courses, learning analyzes and providing integrated planning and advisory services [14].

digital transformation higher education

Table 1

Four hierarchical levels of the university business process model