DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

COVID-19 pandemic that has affected the world’s economies has also stifled the education industry. Around 1.5 billion students, 90% of the world’s elementary, tertiary and secondary students are unable to physically attend school. The effect has been revolutionary, as educators expect technological solutions to support remote education and learning. Digital transformation in education sector is, however, not limited to post COVID-19 online education and learning. Although some educational institutions have used technology solutions for the past years, the importance of digital transformation in education environment has now been realized in most schools and universities during the COVID-19 outbreak. Governments in various countries are seeking to mitigate the immediate effects of closures and promote the continuity of education for everyone. Many schools provide students with remote learning, although some of them are planning to return to the modern standard and with new technology solutions. Therefore, the transition from on-campus teaching to remote teaching was sudden, unexpected and emergency-driven. Many of the faculty members were relatively new to the online environment and were unsure of how to set up their teaching for success. Because the sudden shift happened in the middle of the semester, the adjustment to the situation had to be quick- but was difficult to plan – as faculty members had different levels of preparedness when it came to designing and delivering course content online format.