DIGITIZATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION 2025: THE ORGANIZATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

The study explores digitization in higher education from the organizational perspective of a university as a “model”, illustrated through specific case studies of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and the University of Stuttgart.

It is assumed that the key factors affecting digitization in higher education are the widespread adoption and usage of digital technology in science (and consequently also in the corresponding study programs), the digital interconnectedness of higher education systems (with regard to both administration and content), and the (rapidly varying) media usage habits of teachers and learners.

The organizational perspective considers the university as an entity. It clearly delineates the sphere of higher education institutions from its surroundings, while at the same time also examining how these institutions are embedded in their environment. For the whole university, digital infrastructures and arrangements are provided and operated on a continuous basis (e.g. through a Campus Management System). To support the university’s operations and its interactions with the outside world, digital co-operations are maintained between internal partners and with external partners (e.g. through internet-based portals and providers). An internal higher education market for digital services and applications has emerged in order to meet the requirements related to the wide variety of existing formats and approaches in higher education and their dynamic development.

The study investigates the development perspective for the next 5 to 10 years by considering three categories of developments:
(1) developments that are already underway and will (hopefully) be continued as planned in the next few years;
(2) developments that are already clearly evident but still require control and intervention;
(3) developments that have been plausibly predicted and need to be tackled at an early stage.

It is concluded that a crucial factor for shaping the organizational structure of higher education is the spread of emerging digital arrangements and influences, i.e. of specific innovations that undergo a process of establishment and are transformed into predominantly or generally used approaches. In this context, an explanatory model can be applied that is known from the introduction of high-technology products. It provides insights into how to effectively handle the rollout of multimedia teaching solutions and how to address the large group of university teachers who are still skeptical about the potential for success of such solutions.