A digital maturity assessment from annual activity reports in higher education institutions

Abstract

A total Digital Transformation (DT) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) requires eliminating the digital gaps between institutions and creating and implementing well-designed DT road maps. To create successful digital road maps, it is necessary to assess the current digitalization levels of HEIs in detail. This assessment would help universities understand a) where they are currently in DT, b) what are their strengths and weaknesses, c) how to determine development areas, and d) how they can support better decisions on all issues related to their DT. In this context, the aim of this study is twofold. First, develop a methodology to assess the DM level of HEIs and rank them. Second, based on assessment and analysis, identify development areas for their DT advantages. One of the most important obstacles to the assessment of DT is that HEIs do not have the data and metrics to use in the measurement of DT. For this reason, this study uses the annual activity reports of universities as a data source. This also allows researchers to compare different universities with each other to make comparisons between universities and assess their relative strengths and weaknesses. Annual activity reports from 24 universities are analyzed with a textmining approach. The results are expected to contribute to both the relevant literature and practitioners. Moreover, this study is expected to form a basis for HEIs to determine successful holistic DT strategies so that they can both train the workforce of the future and position themselves strategically as institutions that offer quality and competitive education. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.