Times Of Digital Transformation Research Articles

Tolerance of uncertainty and its role for teachers’ use of ICT in classroom in times of digital transformation

AbstractThis paper focuses on conditions that are crucial for the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the classroom. Particular attention is given to teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty, which is seen as an important internal resource for coping with professional requirements. Furthermore, the paper examines whether teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty is related to other internal resources (positive views on ICT, ICT-related self-efficacy) and external resources (ICT-related teacher collaboration). The data are derived from a survey among 8th grade teachers in secondary schools in Germany conducted as part of the IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS 2018). The findings show a positive relationship between teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty and their use of ICT in the classroom. Teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty is furthermore in particular positively related to teachers’ positive views on ICT and ICT-related teacher collaboration at school. The relationship between teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty and their use of ICT in the classroom remained when statistically controlled for internal and external resources. Teachers’ tolerance of uncertainty can therefore be seen as a resource in the teaching profession.

Artificial Intelligence Security through Input Data Quality Steps

In times of digital transformation, data generation constitutes a new type of asset, as it requires new forms of organizational learning, giving rise to new business models. The focus of all this transformation is Artificial Intelligence (AI), a subfield of Computer Science responsible for creating computational resources with capabilities similar to human reasoning for automated problem-solving. Elements of mathematics and engineering are used to reproduce aspects of human intelligence, as well as insights from other areas such as philosophy, mathematics, economics, neuroscience, psychology, computer engineering, control theory, cybernetics, and linguistics. Hence the name AI. Machines learn to speak, write, interpret data, and solve problems through AI, a tool that is now essential for Industry 4.0, as a transition from industrial society to the knowledge and digital economy. In turn, Generative AI uses multimodal tools to work with elements such as spoken language, images, sounds, body movements, etc. All this technology requires innovations in companies through the adoption of frameworks that enable the selection and storage of qualified data. This original article was developed based on extensive bibliographic research and scientific materials. Its objective is to demonstrate the relevance of data analysis as a way to apply compliance practices to AI. As a result of this research, there was a recognized need for greater attention to input data quality processes for generative AI training.

Upgrading the Business Model? Crisis Prevention in Times of Digital Transformation

Upgrading the Business Model? Crisis Prevention in Times of Digital Transformation

DIGITALNA TRANSFORMACIJA NASTAVNOG PROCESA U AKADEMSKOJ MUZIČKOJ EDUKACIJI / DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE TEACHING PROCESS IN THE ACADEMIC MUSIC EDUCATION

Nowadays, music education is facing with the process of accelerated digitalization of the teaching process, which is realized in limited technological and specific social circumstances. Given that the process is further complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers, as the main bearers of quality music education, more than ever, have the task, responsibility and obligation to adequately respond to the challenges of preparing, creating and applying various digital materials and teaching models. Regardless of the stated circumstances, the teachers had the obligation to fully realize the teaching process, while respecting the principles of quality and specifics of music teaching at the academic level. This posed a bigger challenge in the process of digitizing content and using different platforms and programs that could not always meet the set goal, tasks, outcomes and criteria of music education. The paper will present the results of research on the preparation, development and application of digital content and platforms in online teaching, difficulties in implementing the entire process, but also new ideas that could improve teaching in the time of digital transformation in music education. Teachers managed to meet the basic requirements of online teaching in a timely manner, but in the future it is necessary to allocate more time, space and investment for compulsory education in the field of digitalization, to be ready for new challenges in the teaching process in academic music education.

Digital transformation in foreign language education: Examining the position of the EFL teacher in ICT literacy diffusion

Digital transformation and ICT adoption in Japanese higher education has lagged behind other developed countries. Drawing on Diffusion of Innovation theory, this preliminary case study examines the role of English foreign language (EFL) teachers as opinion leaders in information communication technology (ICT) literacy diffusion in the Japanese university context. The preliminary findings indicate EFL teachers enhance ICT literacy in breadth and depth for both teachers and students. With these findings this study proposes a tentative conceptual model that adds to the current scholarship on ICT utilization in Japanese higher education by illuminating how teachers can support digital transformation to expand the breadth and depth of ICT literacy, and cross-cultural diffusion of technology. Policy and pedagogical implications for in-service teacher professional development are discussed.Keywords: EFL; opinion leaders; Japan; digital transformation; ICT literacy; higher educationPart of the Special Issue Teaching practices in times of digital transformation <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.ac86609b>

Future work skills response: A teaching transformation using agility and evidence

Employers are faced with multiple challenges in the workplace, managing and resolving complex problems in the context of a rapidly changing world. As the workplace, and the nature of work becomes more uncertain, we need to develop a rich and diverse skill set amongst employees, to enable them to effectively engage with these challenges.Universities have recently positioned themselves in competitive markets, via a variety of selling points including employability, or cost-effective quality provision. These economic strategies have accompanied recent expansions in online delivery options facilitated through technological enhancements. New media platforms and ‘marketised’ ideas for delivering pedagogy and assessments have resulted in a proliferation of digital equivalence ‘solutions’ to traditional face-to-face or blended teaching approaches. This process was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic which forced university teaching academics to produce online provisions for existing degree curriculum. However, the response to employers and employees’ needs for digital transformation has been slower, mainly because the impact on work skills requirements for the future, post pandemic, was unclear as organisations fought for survival in these turbulent times.We describe how a leading blended learning university, reputed for large scale generic courses, responded to this need by supporting an in-house project team to develop a range of bespoke online short courses. We detail the learning design approach, accommodating the constraints Covid-19 had on face-to-face meetings while applying both design and systems thinking. The team developed online creative workshops with industry stakeholders to uncover the work skills deficit and leveraged this learning to co-create, develop, and launch online short courses which responded to employers’ specific skills development needs. The paper contributes to teaching and digital transformation by illustrating a holistic learning design process using a combination of design and systems thinking providing an enhanced user experience design in a digital environment.Keywords: digital transformation; online course development; design thinking; systems thinkingPart of the Special Issue Teaching practices in times of digital transformation <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.ac86609b>

Digital transformation of post-pandemic learning and teaching: Utilising TPACK to support educator development in a flipped learning pilot

As higher education looks to continue on its path of digital transformation to support pedagogical approaches such as online and blended learning, lessons must be taken from the emergency distance learning response, during Covid-19, and steps implemented to move towards a more thoughtfully designed strategic approach to digital education.This case study examines an Australian university’s global campus in the United Arab Emirates, a traditionally teacher-led institution, that aims to address ‘what’ post-pandemic education will look like by articulating an approach to the digital transformation of learning and teaching, specifically related to educator professional development. The specific focus of this research considers the ‘how’ by proposing a Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to guide the learning design of a faculty training pilot that supports educators in the development and implementation of a specific pedagogical model, namely flipped learning. The TPACK framework was used to inform the design of the flipped learning faculty training pilot and was used in the analysis coding of participants’ feedback to determine what domains of knowledge were touched and what domains require further attention.The study found that the TPACK framework can be a useful learning design tool for the development of faculty training programs that look to digitally transform learning and teaching, however, while the framework prompts explicit consideration of pedagogical and technological knowledge development, it can be found lacking in the fostering of community elements for a more impactful approach. The author believes this study will provide valuable insight for researchers and policymakers concerned with the digital transformation of learning and teaching in the post-pandemic higher educational landscape, specifically those interested in the development of teaching practice for blended learning approaches.Keywords: digital transformation; higher education; professional development; educator competencies; blended learning; flipped learning; TPACK; learning designPart of the Special Issue Teaching practices in times of digital transformation <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.ac86609b>

Master’s degree programmes and the development of language teacher TEL expertise in times of digital transformation

The potential of digital technologies to transform the way languages are learned has long been widely recognised and researched. However, the issue of developing teachers’ TEL (technology-enhanced learning) expertise has received less attention. This study employed a qualitative survey methodology and TPACK as a theoretical lens (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) to better understand how UK master’s programmes in TESOL/ Applied Linguistics help teachers to develop their TEL expertise. Based on an analysis of publicly available programme documents and ten semi-structured graduate interviews, the study found that not all programmes pursue the development of teachers’ TEL expertise; where they do, that is accomplished either through standalone TEL-related modules or through TEL-related content within TESOL/Applied Linguistics modules. The key takeaway from this analysis is that merely offering these structures does not suffice, as much depends on whether there is a purposeful blending between technology, pedagogy, and content in the module, as well as on the instructional design of the entire programme. Considering the need for deeper and wider digital transformation in language education, especially following the Covid-19 pandemic, these findings are important to formal language teacher education programmes that seek to develop courses that enhance teacher TEL expertise.Keywords: language education; language teaching; formal teacher education; TESOL & Applied Linguistics; postgraduate programmes; TEL (Technology-Enhanced Learning); CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning); TPACKPart of the Special Issue Teaching practices in times of digital transformation <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.ac86609b>

The (dis)continuities of digital transformation in flexible assessment practice: Educator perspectives on what matters most

The swift proliferation of digital learning technologies has meant that university educators have had to adapt to the demands of changing patterns of work and student learning, with the enactment of academic practice occurring across a wide range of inter-connected, digital, and physical environments. This paper captures digital change work undertaken by teaching staff on seven different undergraduate programmes at a post-92 university in the North-East of England that has prioritised and supported the design and implementation of flexible assessment arrangements. This strategic work has encouraged teaching staff to rethink how the significant resources devoted to assessment might be reconfigured (even reimagined) to support student learning across different modes of delivery. Focus has necessarily shifted onto the interplay between teaching practices and processes of digital transformation and notions of accessibility, flexibility and students partnering with faculty in real-time to provide authentic assessment solutions.Drawing on the experiences of academic teaching staff in Chemical Engineering, Interior Design, Business Management, Policing, Social Work, Education Studies, and Paramedics the paper draws out key insights, challenges, and opportunities for practice innovations, before discussing the pressing considerations for developing and implementing attempts at flexible assessment design. The paper adopts an explicit ‘practice focus’ to negate and challenge the common place view of digital tools and technologies as a separate domain in assessment design. The primary challenge, it will be argued, is one of understanding and adapting a wider repertoire of approaches and practices in assessment to encompass new and multiple contexts that are no longer experienced as separate, virtual, or otherwise in students’ learning experiences. In response, a post-digital perspective is adopted as a means of framing how teaching staff might make judgements, not about assessment in general, but about the flexibility in and of combinations and configurations of diverse practice elements that make up the student assessment experience.Keywords: flexibility; flexible assessment; assessment; post-digital; digital transformationPart of the Special Issue Teaching practices in times of digital transformation <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.ac86609b>

Two modes of feedback are better than one: Educator experiences of providing audio feedback on student work

The integration of digital teaching and learning practices can contribute to the organisational change required by the higher education digital transformation agenda. One such digital practice, audio feedback, is claimed to be more efficient and engaging than written comments. A substantial body of empirical research in this area evaluates student satisfaction, impact on student performance, and time efficiencies for tutors. What remains to be usefully investigated is tutors’ experiences with providing audio feedback and its impact on tutors’ pedagogical processes and practices. To address the identified gap in literature, thus, an online tutor, the author of this article, conducted a collaborative practitioner research project with three other online tutors to use an audio feedback function for their module assignment marking. Qualitative data were collected through tutors’ reflective journals and a group discussion to gain insights into their experiences. Findings suggest that the production of audio feedback is the culmination of a complex process involving both written and spoken stages and has the potential to address pedagogic concerns and communicate authentically with students, but requires additional time and cognitive processing. Implications for the potential contributions of the practice to the broader digital transformation vision are discussed.Keywords: audio feedback; assessment feedback; feedback practice; digital feedbackPart of the Special Issue Teaching practices in times of digital transformation <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.ac86609b>

The impact of digital transformation on academic work

In recent years, the digital transformation of Higher Education (HE) has had a significant impact on educators and teaching practices across the sector. New ways of working have led to teachers experiencing more pressure to develop technical expertise while simultaneously supporting students through a labyrinth of change. This small-scale explorative study investigates educators’ experiences of working and teaching online in a teaching-focused institution through the lens of Leavitt’s Diamond Model (1964). The data collected consists of six semi-structured interviews with teachers working in a teaching-focused university. The study indicates that many participants have experienced a significant increase in workload since the Covid-19 pandemic, with some exhibiting signs of technostress associated with online working (Panisoara et al., 2021). This seemed especially prevalent with more senior academics as policies and digital infrastructure appear to have led to additional administrative burdens. Despite these findings, the research suggests that Information Communication Technology (ICT) may not be the sole cause for this, but rather, it is a symptom of a more complex phenomenon. It has been further suggested that as the HE landscape evolved, little emphasis has been placed on how organisational initiatives influenced the structure, work tasks, technology, and teachers’ experiences. Due to the limited scope of this study, it is unclear if this is an isolated situation within the school or a more extensive sector-wide issue. Nevertheless, Higher Education managers and policymakers may benefit from applying integrated change strategies if they are to better support teachers and adopt a more balanced work environment post Covid-19.Keywords: academic staff; digital transformation; Leavitt’s Diamond Model; organisational structures; post-pandemic; working and teaching onlinePart of the Special Issue Teaching practices in times of digital transformation <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.ac86609b>

Collaboration between instructional designers and subject matter experts in digital transformation projects

The rapid adoption of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic and digital transformation associated with new tools and technologies has driven the demand for interprofessional collaboration within the education sector. It is now commonplace for Instructional Designers (IDs) and Learning Technologists (LTs) to work alongside Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) when creating online learning content. Although the professional practice of an ID may vary, the collaborative approach to working with SMEs is similar across sectors. Typically, the role of the SME is to impart expert domain knowledge, skills or behaviours. An ID captures this information and creates a learning experience using pedagogical expertise and design skills. This relationship is not without friction and can be complex and challenging to navigate. Research often focuses on the experiences of SMEs and suggests a simple resolution to avoid conflict; clearly define each agent’s role in writing. However, this is not a clear-cut solution. Detailed guidance for IDs is lacking, and conflicts still exist. This study aimed to gain a deeper insight into the interprofessional working relationship between IDs and SMEs. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted, which looked through the lens of relational working theory and focused on the perspective of the ID. Key themes were identified and aligned with the core concepts of the relational working framework. Findings show that a communication breakdown can negatively impact a project, resulting in power struggles and the delivery of subpar content. The discussion highlights how the application of the relational working framework could be used to strengthen and ease tensions between SMEs and IDs.Keywords: instructional designers; subject matter experts; relational working theory; relational working framework; digital transformationPart of the Special Issue Teaching practices in times of digital transformation <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.ac86609b>

Scaling organizational agility: key insights from an incumbent firm's agile transformation

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the key challenges experienced and lessons learned when organizations undergo large-scale agile transformations and seeks to answer the question of how incumbent firms achieve agility at scale.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on a case study of a multinational corporation seeking to scale up agility, the authors combined 36 semistructured interviews with secondary data from the organization to analyze its transformation since the early planning period.FindingsThe results show how incumbent firms develop and successfully integrate agility-enhancing capabilities to sense, seize and transform in times of digital transformation and rapid change. The findings highlight how agility can be established initially at the divisional level, namely with a key accelerator in the form of a center of competence, and later prepared to be scaled up across the organization. Moreover, the authors abstract and organize the findings according to the dynamic capabilities framework and offer propositions of how companies can achieve organizational agility by scaling up agility from a divisional to an organizational level.Practical implicationsAlong with in-depth insights into agile transformations, this article provides practitioners with guidance for developing agility-enhancing capabilities within incumbent organizations and creating, scaling and managing agility across them.Originality/valueExamining the case of a multinational corporation's exceptional, pioneering effort to scale agility, this article addresses the strategic importance of agility and explains how organizational agility can serve incumbent firms in industries characterized by uncertainty and intense competition.

Motivations to Adopt BPM in View of Digital Transformation

ABSTRACT We explore motivations for adopting Business Process Management (BPM) by analyzing 290 customer use cases published on-line by BPM systems vendors. We construct a classification framework of BPM motivations for the new challenges confronting BPM in the time of digital transformation, with highlights of the new role of BPM in this context. The proposed framework serves as a guide for future research on BPM motivation patterns, particularly in the context of digital transformation.

The double-edged sword pattern of leadership behaviors in digital transformation: Identifying positive and negative outcomes for leaders and employees using a group Delphi study

Leading employees in times of digital transformation is challenging as it requires leaders to enact different behaviors and roles. Further, the prevalence of hybrid and remote work environments has exacerbated the situation. Employing a group Delphi study with 42 leaders, we address the hitherto insufficiently researched question of which leadership behaviors might suit such contexts and which impact they have on different organizational members. We provide a structured overview of appropriate task-oriented and relation-oriented leadership behaviors and their influence on individuals. Hereby, we uncover a double-edged relationship between well-intended leadership behaviors and individual-related outcomes by revealing both desirable and undesirable consequences for employees and leaders. Consequently, we challenge the assumption that enacting these behaviors always leads to beneficial outcomes and highlight that combining different leadership behaviors is necessary to face the challenges.

Enterprise Economic Security in Time of Digital Transformation

The article deals with specific features of today’s organization in time of information economy and grounds the necessity to develop a management model based on principles of enterprise architecture and its interaction with the ecosystem on the background of digital transformation. It studies preconditions of shaping new approaches to enterprise management and their significance for developing the effective business-model in time of digital transformation; substantiates the efficiency of using syndinics as the concept basis for practical solutions aimed at system threat minimization. The problem of field covering strategy, tools and methods of providing economic security of enterprises in time of digital transformation was identified. The article focuses on enterprise economic security, principle foundations of its ensuring and requirements to methodological support of the development. The academic field demonstrating problems of attaining economic security and approaches to its appraisal as enterprise strategy was also shown. The key conclusion is connected with the outlook of developing the enterprise business-model, which includes tools for assessing the efficiency of the system of organization economic security. A final deduction was made about the potential of growth in competitive advantages in circumstances of turbulence with simultaneous retaining of sustainability against threats.

Labour Remuneration in Public Health System in Time of Digital Transformation of Medical Services

Different aspects of using tele-medical technologies recognized as one of key lines in the development of the advanced public health system are highlighted more and more widely in academic literature. However, prospects of this trend depend not only on progress in the development of medical and information technologies and finance investment in the sphere, but also on economic interest in it on the part of concrete medical workers and it can be directly connected with remuneration systems of workers who render tele-medical services. During the research the authors identified key factors that influence on labour remuneration of workers, who participate in tele-medical technologies. Situations of rendering medical aid were classified in view of the following criteria: time, when telemedical services are to be used (principle and extra); whether the job is included in the job description of a concrete worker; whether remuneration components affect the basic pay of the worker, etc. The authors put forward methodological approaches to working out systems of remuneration aimed at the development of tele-medical technologies by state power bodies and public health institutions.

Giving Employees a Voice in Times of Digital Transformation: Modelling Employee Representation Voice in Algorithm-Based Decision-Making

Digital transformation goes hand in hand with profound changes to company structures. One aspect of digital transformation are algorithm-based decisions which strongly affect decision-making processes in general but also those between the company and employee representatives. This changes where employee representation can be introduced in decision-making, as well as how it is implemented and what competencies are required to do so. This conceptual article looks into how employee representation voice can be kept alive in organisational algorithm-based decision-making processes. To do this, employee (representation) voice will be derived from the German co-determination model. Analogue decision-making is then initially described as a social negotiation process, and modelling is used to show how it is linked to sensemaking in order to back up this claim. In contrast, it is highlighted how algorithm-based decision-making influences this analogue process. To face the resulting changes and challenges, the concept of “big judgement” is described. This concept proposes both structural problem-solving approaches as well as employee representative qualification requirements to provide scope for employee representation voice in algorithm-based decision-making and to avoid a culture of silence.

Agile management to secure competitiveness in times of digital transformation in medium-sized businesses

With the digital transformation, companies will experience a change that focuses on shaping the organization into an agile organizational form. In today's competitive and fast-moving business environment, it is necessary to react quickly to changing market conditions. Agility represents a promising option for overcoming these challenges. The path to an agile organization represents a development process that requires consideration of countless levels of the enterprise. This paper examines the impact of digital transformation on agile working practices and the benefits that can be achieved through technology. To enable a solution for today's so-called VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity und Ambiguity) world, agile ways of working can be applied project management requires adaptation. In the qualitative study, expert interviews were conducted and analyzed using the grounded theory method. As a result, a model can be presented that shows the influencing factors and potentials of agile management in the context of the digital transformation of medium-sized companies.

The Mutual Interaction of Employee Empowerment and Digital Innovation: A Case Study About an Employee-Initiated AR/VR Sales Tool at a German Trade Fair Company

In times of digital transformation, the voice and participation of employees become increasingly important since employees and the knowledge they provide are recognised to be the main asset of every firm, driving innovation. Hereby, digital technologies can have a strong impact on employee empowerment as new means of engagement become feasible, triggering digital innovation. Despite this development, we observe a lack of research on the mutual interaction of employee empowerment and digital innovation. The reason for this is that prior studies predominately focus on one efficient direction: either digital technologies affecting empowerment or employees affecting the innovation process in the course of employee-driven innovation (EDI). This study, therefore, aims to contribute to an understanding of the interface between the two above-mentioned directions. To investigate the research topic, the Adapted Structuration Theory (AST) of DeSanctis and Poole is used as a theoretical lens. We conduct a structured literature review, followed by an in-depth case study of an employee-initiated augmented reality / virtual reality (AR/VR) sales tool. The findings emphasize the strong mutual interaction between employee empowerment and digital innovation on the different levels of employee, management and organisation. The study holds contributions to theory and practice by extending the adapted AST and by offering guidance on how to facilitate employee empowerment in the digital age.