Driving digital transformation in higher education: Perspectives of lecturers and managers in the context of generative AI

Abstract

This study examined the digital transformation processes in higher education from the faculty and the management level. It aimed to investigate how the digital transformation of higher education in the context of GenAI can be explained through various factors, including subject, object, tools, rules, community, and division of labour, as conceptualised in the Cultural Historical Activity Theory. Higher education plays a crucial role in preparing people for a world increasingly shaped by digitalisation. In response to the technological developments, higher education institutions developed strategies to address the transformation processes. However, it remained unclear what perspectives lecturers and managers held regarding this process in the context of GenAI and related strategies. To address this research gap, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted in Zurich and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The results revealed from both perspectives, lecturers and managers, enthusiasm for GenAI's potential but highlighted tensions between top-down policies and bottom-up experiences. The findings underscore the need for participatory frameworks to align institutional strategies with lecturers' teaching practices. In conclusion, a digital transformation process regarding GenAI in higher education could be advanced through the implementation of strategies and adaptive developments that consider institutional requirements and include perspectives from the faculty and the management level.