The future learning contexts – formal, non-formal, and informal – can only be faced by considering the so-called infosphere in which we are immersed, both in the dimensions of public and private life (Florida, 2017). According to this disruptive scenario, digital transformation in Higher Education (HE) is a major priority for the European Union (EU). By adopting the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027), the EU targets a high-quality, accessible and inclusive digital education supporting the Member States’ entry into a digital era. Implementing learning and training have been considered key factors to allow modern societies and economies to face the challenges of globalization and technological progress. By 2030, university students worldwide should reach 414 million, and to meet their needs, the current rigidity of education and training systems will have to be overcome. Developing digital skills has become essential in this framework to foster lifelong learning and reduce inequalities. However, how can digital technology guarantee inclusion, equality, and opportunities for all? How does this promise materialize in the real contexts of our universities? These changes require that Educational Institutions review teaching paradigms, organization, management, evaluation processes, relations systems and competencies framework for teachinglearning processes (Johnson et al., 2016; EE.UU., 2013). In this challenging scenario, our work describes the main research results of the Erasmus+ project ECOLHE – Empower Competencies for OnLife Learning in Higher Education. The work is inspired by the principle of “circularity” between theory and empirical research (Lewin, 1946; Merton, 1967; Merton, 2000; Ardigò, 1988) and adopted a mixed method to realize an exploratory and comparative analysis based on a collection of six transnational case studies (Yin, 2003; Zack, 2006), aimed at understanding the similarities and differences between the cases and exploring the object of the study with a replication strategy. The main research goal was to observe how the shift towards digital processes and the adaptation of supranational indications took place, to capture differences and similarities in addition to the development and risk trajectories matured within this complex process of building a common space for Higher Education in Europe and its growing emphasis on digital resources as a key to innovation and competitive development. The research contributed to examining national public policies for e-learning in Higher Education, aimed at understanding the transformation of critical concepts to understand the translation process (Callon, 1986; Latour, 1987) into practice from the supranational level to the national level. The six transnational case studies have been analyzed, exploring the opaque organizational processes and actual outcomes produced by the Bologna Process, focusing on the dominant rhetoric, orientations, legacies, obligations, risks and opportunities, expectations and educational paradigms concerning the digital transformation in action
Higher Education Between Digital Transformation and Organizational Challenges. A Comparative Research
Stefania Capogna
2024-01-01
Abstract
The future learning contexts – formal, non-formal, and informal – can only be faced by considering the so-called infosphere in which we are immersed, both in the dimensions of public and private life (Florida, 2017). According to this disruptive scenario, digital transformation in Higher Education (HE) is a major priority for the European Union (EU). By adopting the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027), the EU targets a high-quality, accessible and inclusive digital education supporting the Member States’ entry into a digital era. Implementing learning and training have been considered key factors to allow modern societies and economies to face the challenges of globalization and technological progress. By 2030, university students worldwide should reach 414 million, and to meet their needs, the current rigidity of education and training systems will have to be overcome. Developing digital skills has become essential in this framework to foster lifelong learning and reduce inequalities. However, how can digital technology guarantee inclusion, equality, and opportunities for all? How does this promise materialize in the real contexts of our universities? These changes require that Educational Institutions review teaching paradigms, organization, management, evaluation processes, relations systems and competencies framework for teachinglearning processes (Johnson et al., 2016; EE.UU., 2013). In this challenging scenario, our work describes the main research results of the Erasmus+ project ECOLHE – Empower Competencies for OnLife Learning in Higher Education. The work is inspired by the principle of “circularity” between theory and empirical research (Lewin, 1946; Merton, 1967; Merton, 2000; Ardigò, 1988) and adopted a mixed method to realize an exploratory and comparative analysis based on a collection of six transnational case studies (Yin, 2003; Zack, 2006), aimed at understanding the similarities and differences between the cases and exploring the object of the study with a replication strategy. The main research goal was to observe how the shift towards digital processes and the adaptation of supranational indications took place, to capture differences and similarities in addition to the development and risk trajectories matured within this complex process of building a common space for Higher Education in Europe and its growing emphasis on digital resources as a key to innovation and competitive development. The research contributed to examining national public policies for e-learning in Higher Education, aimed at understanding the transformation of critical concepts to understand the translation process (Callon, 1986; Latour, 1987) into practice from the supranational level to the national level. The six transnational case studies have been analyzed, exploring the opaque organizational processes and actual outcomes produced by the Bologna Process, focusing on the dominant rhetoric, orientations, legacies, obligations, risks and opportunities, expectations and educational paradigms concerning the digital transformation in actionI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
