The Role of Support Units in Digital Transformation: How Institutional Entrepreneurs Build Capacity for Online Learning in Higher Education

Abstract

This study used New Institutional Theory to explore how entrepreneurial activities in support units contribute to digital transformation in higher education in Norway. We describe how entrepreneurs initiated and operationalized support for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), micro-credentials and fully online courses in pockets of innovation within existing institutional arrangements. An ambition was to understand why capacity building for digital transformation in a country described by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as digitally mature is lagging behind other countries. We obtained our data from qualitative interviews with faculties and staff involved in fully online course production. The informants were chosen through strategic sampling from support units and faculties, where they filled different roles in the production of such online courses. Our findings describe entrepreneurial activities that strongly contributed to the emerging social field of digital transformation. Located in pockets of innovation, the entrepreneurs provided open digital platforms, a pedagogy for online course design and support for faculties who engaged in online course production. Yet, the findings also confirm previous research pointing out how the lack of supportive leadership may impede successful digital transformation in higher education institutions. The study concludes with a model for digital maturity which may be useful to researchers and stakeholders. The model can also support entrepreneurial processes in online environments.

Lifelong learning in the workplace: the knowledge management role of corporate universities in China

“…However, the implementation of organizations' lifelong learning varies across countries, or even across regions in the same country or organizations in the same region (Guitert et al, 2021). Prior research has also suggested that is essential to explore how to support individual learning and development in the context of emerging economies (Langseth et al, 2023;Zajac et al, 2022).…”

Global Trends on Electronic Learning and Entrepreneurship: Bibliometric Analysis (2001 – 2022)

“…The analysis of digital learning clusters discusses various perspectives on digital devices that support the learning process. According to this analysis, initiatives to offer online learning entail open digital platforms, pedagogy for online course creation, and support for higher education (Langseth et al 2022). Mobile business simulation games can be used to teach digital lessons in entrepreneurship education, which can improve students' entrepreneurial attitudes, self-efficacy, and inclinations (Chen et al, 2022;Shabbir, 2021).…”

”Vad förväntas av en?”

“…akin to Steffens' argument of an additional society and value-driven goal of lifelong learning). In their research of MOOCs in Norway, Langseth et al (2021) argued that governmental bodies and institutional stakeholders should give more attention to MOOC initiatives to develop sustainability in flexible and lifelong learning in higher education institutions. MOOCs have been found to play a role in the context of sustainability especially for their possibility to enable the sharing of ideas, confirm principles and build networks and contacts.…”