Abstract
Higher and tertiary education sectors in different parts of the world have experienced substantial digital transformations since the emergence of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which forced many higher education institutions (HEIs) to adopt remote teaching and learning systems using relevant technologies. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the scope of digital transformation in HEIs in Zimbabwe, post the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employed a qualitative methodology where purposive sampling was used in selecting students, lecturers and university administrators from whom data was collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The study revealed that HEIs in Zimbabwe have committed to embracing digital transformation, but they are financially incapacitated to procure supporting technologies for use by staff, administrators and students. The study recommends that amongst other measures, partnerships with the donor community can help leverage the financial resources to support the digital transformation of HEIs in Zimbabwe.
TopIntroduction And Background
Digital transformation refers to the systematic integration of technology in the operations of an institution (Furr et al., 2022). Digital transformation improves the proficiency of organisations by subjecting people to technologies that expedite and refine organisational operations (Benavides et al., 2020). In Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), digital transformation facilitates the transition from traditional physical classrooms and manual management of academic records to the adoption of virtual learning, teaching environments and digital management of academic records (Marks & Al-Ali, 2022). In addition, digital transformation in HEIs is mainly pursued as a strategy to improve the operational efficiency of the implementing institutions (Bucata et al., 2022). Digital transformation is an inevitable force in the contemporary higher and tertiary education landscape which is characterised by HEIs strides towards remaining competitive and innovative (Al Rawashdeh, 2021). HIEs around the world are spending a great deal of time thinking through and strategizing on the best ways to harmonise technology in their internal processes to cope with the demands of a highly dynamic digital era. Today's HEI leaders are judged on their capacity to transform their operations from analogue to digital, given a plethora of opportunities offered by technology (Benavides et al., 2020). However, some HEIs still grapple with consolidating the essential requirements for successful digital transformation due to several contextual challenges.
The post-COVID-19 pandemic landscape has witnessed a rise in the use of digital technologies in HEIs, as the pandemic exposed education institutions to many of the benefits of shifting to a more digitally delivered environment (Babbar & Gupta, 2022). Pucciarelli and Kaplan (2019) observed that while the COVID-19 pandemic created devastating socioeconomic impacts in different parts of the world, the pandemic simultaneously raised awareness of the opportunities for instructional technologies in higher education institutions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HEIs in Zimbabwe were forced to switch to online learning platforms such as Google Classroom, Zoom, Google Meet and other virtual learning platforms (Chinengundu, 2021). Post the COVID-19 pandemic, HEIs in Zimbabwe continue to pursue full digitalisation, but their efforts have been met by diverse contextual and institutional challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed Zimbabwe's HEIs' lack of preparedness to embrace digital technologies (Chigora et al., 2022). Thus, there is a need to explore how HEIs in Zimbabwe can navigate the obstacles associated with embracing digital transformation. It is important to inquire about the different ways in which HEIs can navigate the vulnerabilities that threaten the successful adoption of digital systems as this can expose areas that need to be reinforced in the face of persistent pandemics like the COVID-19.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Online Learning: A term for using the Internet as the sole medium of instructional communication between professor and student with no concurrent presence of professor or student in a physical classroom.
Higher Education Administration: Higher Education Administration refers to the management of higher educational institutions such as colleges and universities, having the responsibility of overseeing curriculum, programs, staff, students, and educational progress.
Blended Learning: Blended learning is an instructional model that combines different forms of media such as text, audio and video at different time scales (synchronous, asynchronous) with the face-to-face method of instruction within the same course.
Digitalisation: Digitalisation is the use of digital technologies to change a business model and provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities. Digitalisation of education involves various aspects of quality, ranging from organisational issues, and technological infrastructure to pedagogical approaches and influences internationalisation by offering online and flexible educational programmes.
E-Learning: E-Learning also known as online education is defined as the learning utilization of electronic technologies to access the educational curriculum outside traditional face-to-face learning in the classroom.
Digital Transformation: Digital Transformation is the process of using digital technologies to transform existing traditional and non-digital business processes and services or creating new ones to meet the evolving market and customer expectations.
Global Pandemic: A pandemic is a disease outbreak that spreads across countries or continents. It affects more people and takes more lives than an epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic when it became clear that the illness was severe and that it was spreading quickly over a wide area.