Enhancing Digital Maturity in Higher Education Institutions: A Quasi- Experimental Study on the Effectiveness of a Digital Training Program
This quasi-experimental study demonstrates that a structured digital training program significantly enhances the digital maturity of faculty members at the University of Latakia in Syria, providing empirical evidence that targeted professional development is a critical driver for institutional digital transformation in resource-constrained higher education contexts.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Universities are no longer just places of books and chalkboards; they are complex organizations that rely heavily on digital tools to teach students, manage records, and conduct research. However, simply buying computers or installing software does not make an institution truly ready for the modern world. This state of readiness is known as digital maturity. It is not a single switch that gets flipped, but rather a deep, woven capability that involves four main parts: the technology itself, the culture of the people using it, the skills those people possess, and the rules that guide how everything works together. When a university has high digital maturity, its staff can use technology not just to do old tasks faster, but to change how they work and think. Yet, in many parts of the world, especially where resources are tight, universities struggle to reach this level. The big question for educators and leaders is whether teaching staff how to use these tools can actually lift the entire institution to a higher level of readiness, or if the problem lies deeper than just a lack of training.
To find an answer, researchers Maher Merhej and Ali Albahloul from Latakia University in Syria set out to test this idea in a real-world setting. They focused on the faculty members at their university, a group of teachers and scholars who are the backbone of the institution's daily operations. The researchers wanted to see if a structured training program could transform the digital maturity of these staff members. They gathered one hundred faculty members and divided them into two equal groups. One group, the experimental group, received a comprehensive training program designed to cover the four pillars of digital maturity: understanding the digital infrastructure, shifting the organizational culture, building personal digital skills, and learning about digital governance. The other group, the control group, continued with their normal work without receiving any special training. This setup allowed the researchers to compare what happened to the trained group against what happened to the untrained group, ensuring that any changes were due to the training itself and not just the passage of time.
The training program was not a quick lecture but a series of eight intensive sessions spread over three weeks. It covered everything from the basics of digital transformation to the practical use of learning platforms, cybersecurity, and data protection. The sessions were designed to be hands-on, moving beyond theory to let the faculty practice using the tools they would need in their classrooms and offices. Before the training began, the researchers measured the digital maturity of everyone in both groups using a detailed questionnaire. The results showed that both groups started at the exact same level. Their scores were nearly identical, meaning the two groups were perfectly matched before the experiment began. This was a crucial first step, as it confirmed that any differences seen later would be the result of the training, not because one group was already more skilled than the other.
After the training sessions concluded, the researchers measured the digital maturity of both groups again. The results were striking. The group that received the training showed a massive improvement. Their average score jumped significantly, indicating that they had not only learned new skills but had also developed a deeper understanding of how to integrate technology into their work and the university's broader goals. In contrast, the group that did not receive the training showed almost no change. Their scores remained at the same level as they were at the beginning of the study. This lack of change in the untrained group was just as important as the improvement in the trained group, because it proved that the improvement was not happening naturally over time or due to outside factors. The only thing that changed was the training.
The researchers then compared the two groups at the end of the study. The trained group was far ahead of the untrained group. The difference was so large that it could not be attributed to chance. To understand just how powerful the effect was, the researchers calculated the size of the impact, a measure that tells us how much of the change was actually caused by the training. The result was a very large effect, meaning the training program was highly effective in a practical, real-world sense. It was not just a statistical win; it represented a genuine, substantial shift in the capabilities of the faculty. The study found that the training successfully strengthened the four key dimensions of digital maturity. The faculty members felt more confident in their skills, understood the importance of digital culture, knew how to navigate the digital infrastructure, and were more aware of the governance policies that guide the university.
This study is particularly significant because it was conducted in Syria, a context where higher education often faces severe resource constraints and instability. In such environments, it is easy to assume that digital transformation is impossible without massive financial investment in new hardware. However, this research suggests that the human element is just as critical. By investing in the knowledge and skills of the people who already work there, universities can make significant progress even when money for new technology is scarce. The findings challenge the idea that digital maturity is solely about having the latest gadgets. Instead, it shows that maturity is about having the right people who know how to use what they have effectively. The researchers concluded that for universities to truly transform, they must pair their technological investments with continuous professional development. The path forward is not just about buying better tools, but about building a workforce that is ready, willing, and able to use them to reshape the future of education.
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