There have been radical changes in all kinds of organizations and ways of doing
business in the digital age. The first examples that come to mind are technological
changes in communication and banking, healthcare, in addition to manufacturing
business, and applications such as e-trade, social media, e-state and mobile
communication. As a result of these changes and transformations, technology
helps us do business more rapidly, efficiently and cost-effectively, as well as
process and transfer information very rapidly to use it in decision-making
processes. It is obvious that the education sector cannot remain unresponsive to
such changes. The sector certainly takes advantage of opportunities provided by
technology. Technology-aided practices that started in the form of distance
education have now evolved and diversified to include e-learning, open course
materials, massive online courses, mobile learning and micro-learning. Today, it
is generally accepted that learning is not constrained to four walls of schools, and
can take place anywhere anytime. However, it is hard to say that higher-education
institutions have gone through the administrative transformation that allows
them to take full advantage of technological advancements. Great investments
have been made on infrastructure and equipment, and applications related to e-
learning, distance education and mobile learning have been developed.
Nevertheless, higher-education institutions are not willing enough to change their
traditional organization and education processes. Administrative endeavors focus
on the success of technological transformation. Carrying out traditional
procedures with the aid of technology is seen as a reform. Factors such as
effectiveness and efficiency of education processes, satisfaction of stakeholders
and cost of investments are not taken into consideration.
In view of above arguments, this course is designed to draw attention to the
administrative aspect of digital transformation in higher education.
Transformation in higher education is needed not only to take advantage of but
also to fulfill requirements of the digital age. However, such transformation
should be based on a holistic approach that embraces all components of
education. In this respect, this course consists of four parts:
1. Changing Paradigms in Education and Higher Education: This part of the
course concentrates on the quality and history of transformation in
education, as well as the paradigms that influence educational and
administrative activities.
2. Digital Transformation in Higher Education:This part of the course is
related to the effects of technological progress in the digital age on higher
education.
3. Administrative Aspect of Digital Transformation: This part of the course
focuses on the administrative aspect of transformation in higher education
from the perspective of the concept of system and scientific approach.
4. Learning Management Systems as a Means of Digital Transformation: This
part of the course examines the role of Learning Management Systems
(LMS), integrated sets of software that allow the presentation of resources
and activities, interaction and cooperation among stakeholders, in the
transformation of higher education.