Digital Transformation in Education

In the modern world, digital devices and technologies are everywhere, connecting people in their social and professional lives. The digital evolution is occurring at such a rapid pace that people are required to adopt technology at a young age to see them through higher education and to the workplace.

With this rapid change in society, what are the implications for higher education institutions?

It is interesting to note that whilst other industries have been highly disrupted by digital technologies, education processes and structures remain largely unchanged over the past decades. There are two main reasons for this, (i) a shortage of educators with the necessary digital skills and (ii) it takes time for a student to learn and understand new technologies and apply them in practice. It is expected that the role of the educator will significantly change over the coming decade with the wide adoption of distance learning platforms and virtual learning environments which will enable individualised, tailored and more effective learning.

The digital world demands that higher education institutions adapt their teaching and learning to deliver up-to-date knowledge about new opportunities in the digital world. It is crucial that higher education institutions provide the necessary support and investment to ensure higher education adapts to the education requirements of society.