Digital Transformation of the Educational Process in Higher Education: A Socio-Technical Perspective
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the digital transformation of the educational process in higher education institutions from a socio-technical and institutionalization perspective, focusing on the determinants and tensions shaping educational digitalization in the post-pandemic context.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a qualitative interpretive single-case study design. Data triangulation combined analysis of strategic and regulatory documents with semi-structured interviews of key stakeholders representing academic, managerial, technical, and student perspectives.
Findings
Educational digitalization emerged as a path-dependent and negotiated socio-technical process. The findings reveal tensions between organizational structures and technological capabilities, managerial practices, and stakeholder expectations. Four key tensions were identified: (1) standardization versus teaching autonomy, (2) flexibility versus educational quality, (3) technological capabilities versus digital competencies, and (4) central coordination versus local adaptation. The study also identifies a readiness–implementation gap, showing that high technological readiness does not prevent organizational disruption, as successful digitalization depends on aligning technologies with organizational routines, governance structures, and human competencies.
Practical implications
The findings support HEIs in developing context-sensitive digital strategies that require not only technological investment, but also organizational coordination, pedagogical support, and continuous competency development. Universities should move beyond tool-oriented implementation towards integrated, context-sensitive digitalization.
Social implications
The findings highlight how digital transformation can enhance the accessibility and flexibility of higher education, while simultaneously creating new organizational and competency-related inequalities.
Originality/value
The study shifts attention from institution-wide digital transformation towards institutionalization of the educational process. It conceptualizes educational digitalization as a process shaped by persistent socio-technical tensions in the post-pandemic era.
© 2026 Małgorzata Budzanowska-Drzewiecka, Piotr Jedynak, Maciej Teczke, Sylwia Bąk, Aneta Lipińska, published by Jagiellonian University
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.