Обратите внимание: Digital-эпоха: переходим на цифровой рубль?.
Abstract: A trend in the modern world is the process of digitalization, which affects many areas of society. The process of digitalization has replaced informatization and computerization. This process is based primarily on the digital representation of information, which leads to such positive consequences as improving the efficiency of processes and improving the quality of life in general. In this article, the definition of digitalization or digital transformation can be formulated as follows: it is a transition to new models of business processes in a digital reality, calibrated on the basis of data, the key task of which is strategic management.
The strategy for the development of the information society in Russia for 2017-2030 requires profound changes in all spheres of society, including in higher education, in order to maintain the competitiveness of universities in the global educational space. The first universities in the higher education system to embark on the path of digital transformation are prestigious universities that are included in federal and international ratings, which are a platform for intercultural communication and intercultural exchange between students and teachers.
One of these universities is the national research Tomsk Polytechnic University, which is one of the country's first reformers of higher education, as well as an internationally recognized educational and research center, which is confirmed by world ratings. The University's participation in development programs (it became a national research University in 2009, and a global university under the Project 5-100 program in 2013) and in joint research and development projects with enterprises allowed us to rapidly develop the instrument and laboratory base, as well as expand the information and communication infrastructure.
The entire period of transformation of the educational sphere of TPU from 2000 to the present can be divided into the following stages:
First stage: 2000-2009: Initial adaptation to technological innovations and e-learning technologies (interactive lecture halls are being equipped, e-courses are being developed for students to work independently in 560 disciplines);
Second stage: 2010-2013 The stage of transition to the integrated use of information technologies at the University (the electronic information and educational environment of TPU is being formed-the infrastructure that provides access to all resources through the user's personal account and supports the educational, scientific, financial, economic and administrative activities of the university. Part-time students have the opportunity to view online teaching materials for students, perform tests to control learning, send work to the teacher for verification and the opportunity to ask a question to the teacher. In 2010, the center for developers of technological platforms – the Electronic University Center-was created at TPU»;
The third stage: 2013-2014 The stage of understanding the continuity of the development of e-learning and the development strategy of TPU as one of the world's leading educational schools, the creation of an e-learning Institute (since 2014, there has been a gradual transition of e-learning to LMS Moodle);
The fourth phase: 2014-2020 Action plan for the development of EA for the period 2014-2020. The roadmap developed by the e-learning Institute includes three strategic initiatives: Formation and development of e-learning infrastructure; reform of the educational process based on e-learning technologies with a focus on smart education; organization of external partnership in the field of e-learning.
Digital transformation in TPU is also taking place in relation to the administrative sphere. Therefore, in the field of administrative activities, since 2012, the introduction of electronic document management services among university departments has begun, which allow automating the processing of documentation, personnel records of employees, document processing and other processes. Since 2015, university employees have been able to electronically process documents for business trips. This greatly simplified the work of the staff, as there was no need to physically move documents between the buildings of the university. In addition, there are memos in electronic form, a system for monitoring the execution of orders, electronic memos for employment in TPU and other services that increase the efficiency of communication of administrative staff. At the moment, it is possible to send almost any document to the University employees for signature through the management documentation processing System. All these measures made it possible to speed up management decision-making and reduce the time for signing documents, as well as to evaluate the performance of management personnel.
Regarding the transformation in the field of admission to TPU, since 2018, it has been possible to submit documents for admission to bachelor's and master's programs online in a trial mode, and since 2019, full-fledged application acceptance has begun: online submission of applications and other necessary documents in the form of scanned copies. This opportunity contributes to the growth of the number of nonresident and international students in TPU.
All these processes directly and indirectly affect the university's performance, including the university's place in federal and international rankings, the number of foreign students and teachers, and student performance. We can see this impact, but it is difficult to assess it in concrete terms. However, within the framework of this study, a sociological survey was conducted, the respondents of which were students of Tomsk Polytechnic University in various areas of undergraduate and graduate full-time studies. And 35 people took part in the survey (in total, about 7 thousand students study full-time at TPU). So, the sampling error is about 16.5%. The survey was conducted online using the Google Forms tool in June 2020 during the distance-learning period in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. It was during this period that students had to completely switch to the online learning format and use the online services that the university owns. The survey was aimed at identifying the usefulness and effectiveness of the main online services for university students: the survey data, including errors, are presented in table 1.
Table 1. The results of the surveyIn addition, to identify the overall impact of the introduction of digital services, in the course of this work, we used the results of another sociological survey, which revealed the average score of the effectiveness of the digitization process in TPU: on a ten-point scale, the effectiveness of digitalization at the university, according to respondents, was 6 points. In addition, the survey found that 56.7% of respondents feel these processes. About 30 students of various fields of study took part in the survey. The most significant aspects of digitalization at the university are considered by respondents to be online training in the electronic information educational environment LMS MOODLE, e-courses and online student's office. All these aspects are positive for students and increase the effectiveness of learning.
Thus, the analysis of the processes of digital transformation of the university, as well as surveys of students of Tomsk Polytechnic University has allowed to assess the influence of these processes on all areas of the university, and for the most part, on education: transforming the educational process leads to more effective learning of students. Digitalization ensures the «purity» of data and eliminates the human factor that distorts data when entering information manually. This reliable information allows you to make more effective management decisions on various issues. Thus, due to the use of digital technologies, the effectiveness of university management increases, the quality and efficiency of training increases, which gives an advantage in the competition of advanced higher education institutions in the international educational space.
Автор: Дмитрий Бирюк
Больше интересных статей здесь: Экономика.
Источник статьи: Higher education institutions in the digital economy era: digital transformation of higher education.