Digital Transformation in Romanian Higher Education: Policy-Driven Strategies and Institutional Governance
Digital Transformation in Romanian Higher Education: Policy-Driven Strategies and Institutional Governance
Author(s): Natalia CugleşanSubject(s): Social Sciences, Education, School education, Vocational Education, Adult Education, Higher Education , History of Education, Educational Psychology, State/Government and Education, Inclusive Education / Inclusion, Sociology of Education, Distance learning / e-learning, Pedagogy
Published by: Institute for Research and European Studies - Bitola
Keywords: Digitalization; Higher Education; Romania; University Strategies; EU Policy; COVID-19 Pandemic; Institutional Capacity
Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the digitalization of higher education in Romania by analyzing the digital strategies of four major universities: Babeș-Bolyai University, the University of Bucharest, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, and the Western University of Timișoara. Using qualitative content analysis of institutional strategic documents, the study explores how digitalization is framed and implemented. The findings show that digitalization efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic were primarily driven by top-down pressures from the European Union’s policy framework and funding mechanisms, particularly the Next Generation EU program. Due to limited expertise and institutional capacity at the national and university levels, many initiatives were reactive and limited in scope. The study contributes empirical evidence on digital transformation in Romanian higher education, a topic that remains underexplored in the literature.
Journal: Journal of Legal and Political Education
- Issue Year: 2/2025
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 65-86
- Page Count: 22
- Language: English
