Indicators for determining the effective level of digitalization in Higher Education

Abstract

With the rapid advent of the new information and communication technologies, including fast development of the Artificial Intelligence, the digitalization process could be considered as a basic key element of the transition process, securing the sustainability of an organization. This is also relevant for the Higher Education Institutions that have very significant and at the same time responsible role to prepare well the next generation for the challenges of the labor market. Therefore, the effectiveness of the digitalization at the universities is critical for two major aspects: to secure proper education based on the cutting-edge technologies and to provide good quality of all accompanying administrative services. This article presents the potential indicators determining the effective level of digitalization in higher education institutions. These indicators are developed based on the empirical study among 360 universities students in Master and Bachelor degrees in leading Bulgarian universities. Our findings indicate that students generally positively evaluate the efforts of universities to digitize the educational process. At the same time, some aspects of the educational process -such as the assessment in a digital environment, or the provision of administrative services -such as the application for dorm accommodation, which should be improved, are outlined. However, the need to make constant efforts to protect personal data and provide quality educational digital content is considered. We propose 9 complex indicators for assessment the effectiveness of digitalization in university.