The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the world to migrate to online environments, with differing degrees of difficulty and success. Lloyd George Waller of The University of the West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica,
argues that success depends on HEIs' digital readiness which is in turn an outcome of their digital transformation strategic
framework. In Digital Transformation for Higher Education Institutions, Prof. Waller looks at what lessons can be learned from a decade of digital transformation by HEIs.
Using document analysis methodology and purposive sampling technique, Prof. Waller evaluates the academic literature from which three core themes emerge: the need to have a relevant and workable strategy; prioritising and empowering people; and the use of appropriate digital technologies and innovations. The digital transformation process involves profound changes in teaching methodologies, competencies and assessment and may demand a change management strategy which incorporates the need for changed behaviours.
Prof. Waller proposes the adoption of a digital transformation strategy for HEIs and presents a strategic framework for not only understanding the issues at play within HEIs but also shares a model providing a detailed step-by-step guide for planning and implementation. Free of technical language and therefore accessible to the administrator, technocrat, and manager alike, the concepts are broken down and easily understandable by anyone working on any aspect of a digital transformation strategy for an HEI.
