View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

The ECOLHE Erasmus + Project and the University to the Test of Digital Teaching and Learning: The Italian Case

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: The ECOLHE Erasmus + Project and the University to the Test of Digital Teaching and Learning: The Italian Case
Language: English
Authors: Stefania Capogna (ORCID 0000-0003-2650-0129), Francesca Greco (ORCID 0000-0002-6270-5693)
Source: European Journal of Education. 2025 60(2).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Universities, Technology Uses in Education, Information Technology, Lifelong Learning, Technological Advancement, Technology Integration, Systems Approach, Strategic Planning, Educational Innovation, Pandemics, COVID-19
Geographic Terms: Italy
DOI: 10.1111/ejed.70130
ISSN: 0141-8211
1465-3435
Abstract: The pandemic emergency has underscored the critical need for universities to accelerate their digital transformation to support proper teaching and learning processes. This paper presents findings from the Italian component of a broader international research project, which investigates the transformative impact of the digital revolution on Higher Education, under the umbrella of the Bologna Process, promoted by the European Community since 1999, to push the valorisation of Information and Communication Technologies to support the increasing needs of lifelong learning in the learning economy. The study posits that the mere availability of technological infrastructure is insufficient to ensure the effective integration of learning and knowledge technologies among faculty, students, and researchers. The Italian case reveals a complex landscape characterised by advancements and persistent challenges, indicative of a protracted and uneven digital integration process. But, overall, a strategic approach capable of showing a new vision and a systemic perspective to accompany this disruptive innovation is important.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1472636
Database: ERIC
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
    Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwEAqm-6DgOWmBZlhklewDJUAAAA4zCB4AYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHSMIHPAgEAMIHJBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDAxjKqmfMJfG7Xmh7AIBEICBm_BYT2BwJmqGrft1O9c7LiJ6YmVVHB4pNGJqp-Op6hCovvdqp8UnJ5o-zfE3FyXhuNkczbJqV6QsyeMRQU3Tyg6Dh57k8U6lgOlWdNLAnGI4esEaeOEhzLIQgZ_PYsBmHE_GE2aUlf1ZO99To1RlAMVPBcCtFdP7ToPPG1fBb90U942xVxOHWgoQKHHOIEFVxbjiptPhNeXk9Wyx
Text:
  Availability: 1
  Value: <anid>AN0185619905;eje01jun.25;2025Jun04.02:57;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0185619905-1">The ECOLHE Erasmus + Project and the University to the Test of Digital Teaching and Learning: The Italian Case </title> <p>The pandemic emergency has underscored the critical need for universities to accelerate their digital transformation to support proper teaching and learning processes. This paper presents findings from the Italian component of a broader international research project, which investigates the transformative impact of the digital revolution on Higher Education, under the umbrella of the Bologna Process, promoted by the European Community since 1999, to push the valorisation of Information and Communication Technologies to support the increasing needs of lifelong learning in the learning economy. The study posits that the mere availability of technological infrastructure is insufficient to ensure the effective integration of learning and knowledge technologies among faculty, students, and researchers. The Italian case reveals a complex landscape characterised by advancements and persistent challenges, indicative of a protracted and uneven digital integration process. But, overall, a strategic approach capable of showing a new vision and a systemic perspective to accompany this disruptive innovation is important.</p> <p>Keywords: digital teaching and learning; digital transformation; higher education</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-2">Introduction</hd> <p>The widespread adoption of online education, accelerated by the spread of COVID‐19, has underscored the pressing need for universities to engage actively with the ongoing digital transformation—a shift that has been encouraged by the European Community for more than two decades. This paper contributes to a broader research initiative focused on e‐learning within the European Higher Education Area, carried out by an international strategic partnership and co‐funded by the ERASMUS+ programme (ECOLHE, Project Code: 2020‐1‐IT02‐KA203‐079176). The project aims to explore how universities are addressing digital innovation in their teaching and learning practices. To this end, it employs multiple case studies (Yin [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref1">28</reflink>]) to document and analyse the experiences, competencies, and strategies of educators, researchers, and administrative staff. The goal is to foster a digital culture through a multi‐actor approach that acknowledges the systemic changes brought about by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), which are reshaping organisational practices, educational contexts, and pedagogical models (Author 1 and Author 2 [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref2">3</reflink>]). The central premise of the ECOLHE project is that merely providing technological tools and infrastructure is not enough to ensure effective integration of digital technologies in academic environments.</p> <p>We adopted an interdisciplinary approach informed by the theoretical contributions from organisational, sociological, and pedagogical research to analyse trends and changes (e.g., Cocozza [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref3">13</reflink>]; Castañeda and Selwyn [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref4">9</reflink>]; Mathes [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref5">23</reflink>]). The ECOLHE project employed a mixed‐methods approach to facilitate dialogue across different levels of intervention—macro, meso, and micro (Baur [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref6">6</reflink>]). The aim was to examine how the concept of a European area of education and e‐learning, situated within the broader framework of the Bologna Process, has been implemented at the national level and subsequently by academic bodies, all within the context of university autonomy.</p> <p>For reasons of synthesis, this essay will focus exclusively on the results of the Italian case study, which were derived from the qualitative analysis of interviews conducted at the national level.</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-3">Background</hd> <p>In recent years, the evolution of the online learning process has significantly impacted the debate on the present and future of higher education. Under the pressure of the pandemic emergency, e‐learning was perceived as a response to the market demands for training posed by the knowledge society.</p> <p>The experiences at the international level are very different (Cecchini and Proietti [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref7">11</reflink>]). Several theoretical approaches were considered to understand the evolution of information and communication technologies (Author 1 [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref8">2</reflink>]), and they pointed out that creating platforms that link a growing number of students and teachers does not solve the problem of knowledge construction.</p> <p>Digital teaching and learning are challenges for the class and the whole higher education model (HLGMHE [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref9">19</reflink>]). For this reason, since 2006, the Joint Research Centre has been analysing the supply of Information and Communication Technologies and investments in Research and Development (R&D) in the ICT sector in Europe to understand the impact of policies and guide the European Community in its digital policy choices (EC [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref10">17</reflink>]).</p> <p>In February 2012, the European Commission (DG Connect) launched the <emph>ONLIFE Initiative. A Reengineering Exercise concept</emph>, as part of the Digital Agenda for Europe, to reflect on the impact of ICT on people's lives, society, and the public sphere. According to the forecasts of the European Commission, this is a "transformative industrial and technological revolution" characterising the global modification trends for 2030. All aspects of society, such as politics, <emph>governance</emph>, education, science, lifestyles, collective <emph>intelligence</emph> networks, the creation of open systems and health, including modifying the human genome, will undergo a mutation due to technological breakthroughs.</p> <p>In 2017, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) launched a global initiative called Going Digital, aimed at "making transformation work for growth and well‐being." The project's objective is to assist policymakers in understanding the ongoing digital transformation and to foster a political and institutional environment that enables economies and societies to thrive by leveraging the opportunities presented by the digital transition (OECD [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref11">24</reflink>]).</p> <p>In the face of this challenge, universities serve as crucial agents of change, promoting a digital culture that addresses the contemporary through their core functions of research, teaching, and community engagement. Reflecting on these considerations, the <emph>Digital Maturity Framework for Higher Education Institutions</emph> (Đurek et al. [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref12">15</reflink>]) consolidates the primary interpretative frameworks and models for integrating digital technologies in higher education. These studies emphasise the significant impact of digital transformations on individuals and organisations, particularly in the following areas: the emergence of innovative business models, the establishment of new processes, and the development of intelligent products and services (EC [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref13">16</reflink>]). Additionally, they highlight the transformation of organisational structures, the fundamental changes in managing processes and relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and the redefinition of strategic orientations and values that guide organisational actions (Ismail et al. [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref14">20</reflink>]).</p> <p>Since the Bologna Process in 1999, the European Union (EU) has aimed to promote the reform of European countries' higher education systems at the international level (Keeling [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref15">21</reflink>]). Implementing learning and training has been key to addressing the challenges of globalisation and technological progress to modern societies and economies. Therefore, developing digital skills has become important for fostering lifelong learning and reducing inequalities.</p> <p>Policymakers in Italy have grasped this aspect, transposing the EU directives on digital innovation and translating them into rules that organise the current higher education system and its ability to cope with the constraints and critical issues that emerged with the health crisis.</p> <p>In 2020, the pandemic caused a change in social and economic life, affecting the entire student population due to the closure of educational institutions. In many EU countries, the continuation of teaching and learning activities was ensured by the partial or complete transition to digital teaching and learning. The effectiveness and efficiency of this conversion depended, presumably, among other things, on both the level of digital development of the country and the <emph>vision</emph> and <emph>e‐leadership</emph> of the Academic Bodies in adapting the infrastructures, promoting a digital culture among teachers, staff, and students, and in hindering the digital divide.</p> <p>In this paper, we outline only part of the result of the First Intellectual Output of the ECOLHE Erasmus + Project and focus particularly on the macro‐level analysis of the Italian case. We analyse the regulatory changes that have characterised the higher education system in the last twenty years, outlining potential and desirable future developments to understand Italian digital development when Italians faced the pandemic emergency.</p> <p>The central premise of this research, in line with the ECOLHE project, is that technological infrastructure alone is insufficient to ensure the efficient and effective use of digital teaching and learning technologies by professors, students, and researchers (Author 1 et al. [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref16">4</reflink>]). The pandemic accelerated the adoption of hybrid organisational and learning models, encouraging a shift beyond the dichotomy between digital and traditional approaches and prompting universities to explore new organisational frameworks (Author 1 and Author 2 [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref17">3</reflink>]).</p> <p>This study aims to identify the national regulatory acts, plans, programs, and key actors shaping digital development in alignment with European Union directives. It will also examine the drivers of change and potential future developments from the perspectives of decision makers and policymakers.</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-4">Methods</hd> <p>Italy was one of five country partners participating in the ECOLHE project. The study of how national public policies for e‐learning in higher education were translated into practice employed an approach that combined documentary analysis with semi‐structured interviews, examining the driving forces, alliances, and adaptations inherent to the implementation process. To examine Italy's digital transition and its impact on higher education over time, we adopted a qualitative method based on Callon's translation approach ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref18">7</reflink>]), which views change as a continuous, evolving process. Translation theorists (argue that transformation occurs through a dynamic process of adaptation, modification, and recontextualisation of statements, practices, disciplines, and technologies by "human and non‐human actors" (Callon [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref19">7</reflink>]; Latour [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref20">22</reflink>]). This process is driven by interactions between different spheres of influence, where mechanisms of "enlistment" and "mobilisation" encourage widespread acceptance and involvement of key stakeholders. Translation theory provides a valuable conceptual framework for analysing the constraints and influences that shape transnational agendas and local dynamics. It enables the reconstruction of trajectories that emerge within the globalised space of educational policy (Ball [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref21">5</reflink>]). By exploring the formation of the European Higher Education Area through digital transformation, we gain insights into developing and affirming ideas, challenges, and solutions within this evolving context.</p> <p>The documentary analysis examined national regulatory acts, plans, programs, and key documents from the institutions most implementing e‐learning policies. It aimed to identify foundational elements supporting digital development in response to EU directives and to outline the primary actors driving the transformation. Based on the documentary analysis findings, we selected the semi‐structured open‐ended questions interview topics, focusing on the main elements shaping this change and exploring potential future directions. This analysis also guided the identification of key national‐level informants, specifically institutional actors involved in the digital transition.</p> <p>The ECOLHE project's research activity was conducted with respect for all the persons involved, their rights and interests, and their dignity, freedom, and privacy, which aligns with the European Commission principle (EC [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref22">18</reflink>]). Then, expert witnesses were contacted, and upon their agreement to participate, a researcher conducted the interviews. Participants were informed of the research objectives and were asked to give informed consent before the interviews were audio recorded. Given the institutional roles of the identified institutional actors and the context of the emergency period, securing their availability proved challenging. Consequently, two referents preferred receiving the questions via email and providing their responses in writing.</p> <p>The interviews' texts underwent a content analysis. In line with translation theory, the qualitative analysis of the interviews aimed to identify, transversally, the dimensions deemed relevant by the institutional actors directly involved at the national level. The analysis was further enriched by the interviewees' testimonies, which provided insights into interpretative and implementation processes at the local level. Findings were organised across three key levels—macro, meso, and micro—to show the dynamics generated by interactions between them, focusing on identifying reciprocal influences and adaptations. To analyse the interviews, we adopted a traditional qualitative analysis based on the process illustrated in the following flow: collection and transcription of conducting semi‐structured interviews, initial coding to assign preliminary labels, thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns, and transversal analysis to identify similarities and differences in participants' experiences and how different themes intersect and influence each other (Figure 1).</p> <p> <img src="https://imageserver.ebscohost.com/img/embimages/rdk/EJE/01jun25/ejed70130-fig-0001.jpg?ephost1=dGJyMNXb4kSepq84yOvqOLCmsE6epq5Srqa4SK6WxWXS" alt="ejed70130-fig-0001.jpg" title="1 Qualitative analysis flow." /> </p> <p></p> <hd id="AN0185619905-6">Results</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0185619905-7">Results of the Documentary Analysis</hd> <p>The documents analysed reveal that a significant initial step in integrating the reforms proposed by the EU was the Moratti‐Stanca reform of 2003. This reform, which stemmed from the Moratti Law and subsequent decrees, established the criteria and procedures for accredited digital courses offered by public and private universities. This reform aimed to promote continuing education and enhance the accessibility and affordability of higher education. The digital university was envisioned to extend higher education across the entire lifespan and reach demographic groups that might otherwise face barriers to access, such as working students, adults, the sick, and marginalised populations.</p> <p>The expansion of access to higher education was intended to enhance Italian culture and its specificities, strengthening the links between the university and the world of work and encouraging private individuals' participation through business management schools' experiences to retrain workers with the use of new training tools. E‐learning was not only one of the five key areas that the EU had placed for the development of <emph>Information</emph> (Castells [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref23">10</reflink>]), <emph>Learning Society</emph> and <emph>Learning economy</emph> (Cowan et al. [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref24">14</reflink>]), but it also aimed to significantly reduce the costs necessary for obtaining a degree, thereby enhancing access to higher education. Furthermore, the state intended to use e‐learning to train university students and develop professional development within the Public Administration Office staff.</p> <p>In 2010, the Gelmini law partially modified the Moratti law's provisions on recruiting university staff (title III). It defines the rules on the quality and efficiency of the university system (title II). The law also defines the tasks and functions of the National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research (ANVUR) declining it through three main actions: (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref25">1</reflink>) the external evaluation of the quality of the activities of universities and public and private research institutions receiving public funding; (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref26">2</reflink>) the direction of the evaluation activities entrusted to the internal evaluation units of universities and research institutions; and (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref27">3</reflink>) the evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of public funding and incentive programs for research and innovation activities.</p> <p>Until 2020, the legislation on higher education remained substantially unchanged. Meanwhile, a regulatory development process is underway that affects schools of all levels and provides for planning an innovation strategy to position the educational system in the digital age.</p> <p>The differentiation between the school and university systems, which had already begun at the legislative level in previous years, will be substantiated in 2020 by establishing two separate ministries for school and university. The decree‐law of 2020 and its subsequent conversion into law suppressed the MIUR and established two distinct ministries: the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of University and Research (MUR). This increased the number of ministries to 14 and authorised the expenditure of 4.5 million euros for 2020–2021.</p> <p>The separation of the two minor changes the tasks of the MUR for both research and artistic institutions. The MUR coordinates and supervises non‐instrumental research bodies and institutions, while it carried out only that of "monitoring" in the past. In addition, the areas of competence are extended to higher artistic and musical training, in which the MUR performs research functions and completes autonomy. Among the missions and tasks of the MUR is also defined as the "implementation of Community and international standards in the field of higher education, its harmonisation with European dictates and its international integration in the implementation of cultural agreements stipulated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation".</p> <p>During the same period in Italy, the pandemic spread and prompted the government to enact legislation to manage the health emergency. The decree‐law of February 23, 2020, titled "Urgent Measures for the Containment and Management of the Epidemiological Emergency from COVID‐19," aimed, as stated in Article 1, to define "urgent measures to prevent the spread of COVID‐19." Within 24 h, these measures led to the suspension of all in‐person teaching activities and shifting educational services at various levels to online formats.</p> <p>This decree‐law was subsequently followed by decrees from the President of the Council of Ministers (Dpcm), which outlined regulations governing access to higher education in response to the ongoing spread of the virus. The first of these was the Dpcm of March 4, 2020, which established "further implementing provisions of Decree‐Law no. 6 of February 23, 2020, containing urgent measures for the containment and management of the epidemiological emergency from COVID‐19, applicable throughout the national territory."</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-8">Higher Education Funding</hd> <p>In December 2020, the Budget Law provided funds for the school system (digital learning and tools for students) but not for the higher education system, which was considered self‐sufficient. The allocation of ordinary funds for Italian universities from 2007 to 2021 (Figure 2) showed how the allocation of funds had sharply reduced since the 2010 law and has remained below the value of 2009 until 2020. Although the Italian Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref28">8</reflink>]) reported data only until 2021, the pandemic has changed financial policies in higher education (Figure 2).</p> <p> <img src="https://imageserver.ebscohost.com/img/embimages/rdk/EJE/01jun25/ejed70130-fig-0002.jpg?ephost1=dGJyMNXb4kSepq84yOvqOLCmsE6epq5Srqa4SK6WxWXS" alt="ejed70130-fig-0002.jpg" title="2 Italian Ordinary University Funding by year. Source: Dataset of the Italian Chamber of Deputies." /> </p> <p></p> <p>Although neither the decree‐law of 23 February 2020 nor the 2020 Budget Law provided funding for higher education, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) allocated 31 billion euros for teaching and research, covering the entire educational sector (Schools, Universities and Research Centers).</p> <p>Under the NRRP, €19.44 billion was allocated to education services (components 1—C1), and €11.44 billion was designated to components and resources (components 2—C2). In component 1, only 7.4% of the funds were directed toward universities. Covering scholarships (€ 0.5 billion), the expansion of advanced university skills (€3.4 billion), and the increase in doctoral positions (€ 0.43 billion). Specifically, Investment 3.4 of Component 1, titled "Didactics and Advanced University Skills," aims to enhance and innovate university programs, including doctoral studies, by funding the following initiatives:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> the enrollment, in 3 years of 500 PhD students in programmes dedicated to digital and environmental transitions;</item> <p></p> <item> the creation of 3 <emph>Teaching and Learning Centres</emph> (TLC) to improve the teaching capacities (including digital skills) of teachers in universities and teachers in schools, in all disciplines, including traditionally less digitally oriented disciplines;</item> <p></p> <item> the creation of 3 <emph>Digital Education Hubs (DEHs)</emph> to improve the capacity of the higher education system to offer digital education to students and university workers;</item> <p></p> <item> the strengthening of higher education schools through:</item> <p></p> <item> the offer of courses and training activities to doctoral students enrolled in other institutions to share their experiences and expertise with the whole higher education system;</item> <p></p> <item> the consolidation of their role in the school–university transition through orientation activities for school students;</item> <p></p> <item> the implementation of 10 transnational educational initiatives—TNE—in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation;</item> <p></p> <item> the internationalisation activities of the Institutes of Higher Artistic and Musical Education (AFAM) through the support of 5 international projects of the AFAM Institutes to promote their role abroad in the conservation and promotion of Italian culture.</item> </ulist> <p>Implementation was overseen by the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR) and was planned to continue through 2026. Component 2, by contrast, focused on supporting investments in research and development, fostering innovation and technology dissemination, strengthening skills, and facilitating the transition to a knowledge‐based economy. For this component, appropriations of € 11.44 billion were allocated to achieve the following:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> strengthening research and promoting innovative models for basic and applied research through collaboration between universities and businesses (€ 6.99 billion);</item> <p></p> <item> supporting processes for innovation and technology transfer (€ 2.05 billion);</item> <p></p> <item> strengthening research infrastructures, resources, and skills to support ongoing innovation (€ 2.48 billion).</item> </ulist> <p>Although enhancing women's access to STEM, linguistic, and digital skills was one of the plan's cross‐cutting priorities, initiatives for technological innovation are tied to specific scientific fields, teacher training, and business transformation.</p> <p>Based on this preliminary reconstruction, are the funds allocated sufficient to support the technological innovation of higher education? Over the past decade, universities have grappled with funding challenges, relying on ordinary funds which, until 2019, were lower than those allocated in 2009 (see Figure 2) and, with generally low levels of investment in R&D, remain significantly behind other countries in terms of research and development spending as a percentage of GDP, with an investment intensity of 1.4% in 2018—well below the OECD average of 2.4%. This shortfall is evident in the public and private sectors, where Italy's investment stands at 0.9% compared to the OECD average of 1.7%. From this perspective, revitalising and sustaining public and private investment in R&D is essential to closing the gap in productive factors such as capital and labour.</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-10">Content Analysis Results</hd> <p>Given Italy's comparatively low investment in research and development, bridging this gap is critical to support advancements in higher education and digital innovation. Table 1 summarises national‐level interview analyses, which aim to underscore the interpretative categories and implementation challenges identified by institutional actors. Although an interview with a representative from the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) could not be arranged, the following institutional actors participated in the research: the President of the National Agency for the Evaluation of University and Research (ANVUR), the President of the National Conference of Italian Universities (CRUI), the Coordinator of the CRUI ICT Working Group, and the Head of the Management Office for the Higher Education Sector at the National Agency INDIRE. Data collection occurred between May and June 2021.</p> <p>1 TABLE Summary of digital transformation from the perspective of institutional actors.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><tbody valign="top"><tr><td align="left">The macro level: National</td><td align="center">1. The Vision1.1. Emergency1.2. Presence‐digital dichotomy1.3. Digitalisation1.4. Integration1.5. European dictates</td><td align="center">2. National policies:2.1. Actions2.2. Design of integrated and coordinated actions.2.3. Regulatory instruments and plans2.4. Economic instruments2.5. Accompanying strategies</td></tr><tr><td align="left">The meso level: Institutional governance</td><td align="center">1. Actors2. "Translation into practice"3. Instruments of governance:3.1. System3.2. Quality Assurance3.3. Digital platforms3.4. Adaptation of European standards4. System redesign4.1. System actions and integration4.2. Acceleration</td><td align="center">5. Organisational redesign:5.1. Internal innovation5.2. Innovative networks5.3. Pilot experiments6. Challenges:6.1. National gap6.2. ICT resources and infrastructure6.3. Organisational dimension6.4. Professional development</td></tr><tr><td align="left">The micro level: Organisational</td><td align="center">1. Education, Teaching, Learning:1.1. Digital University1.2. Learning‐Teaching</td><td align="center">2. Research3. Third Mission4. Internationalisation</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>Interviewees highlighted how the supranational framework is influencing these shifts. In line with the priorities of mobility and digital citizenship—which are gaining focus beyond national borders—concerns such as verification, the creation of digital identities, integrity, and data protection are increasingly viewed as strategically important.</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-11">The Macro Level</hd> <p>Due to the aim of this essay, we will focus mostly on the macro level, the national one, which emerged from the interviews. The cultural dimension represents the orientation to action for individuals and organisations at all levels (Sciolla and Torrioni [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref29">26</reflink>]), which is why this perspective was adopted (Välimaa and Ylijoki [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref30">27</reflink>]) to investigate what the vision of digital innovation in higher education in Italy is. Above all, we tried to understand that this transformation began with the critical juncture marked by the Bologna Process in 1999 and has since evolved through a series of follow‐up measures and reforms.</p> <p>A radical change of perspective that impacts the social mission assigned to the university institution is no longer understood as an "ivory tower" appointed to forge the country's elites, nor as an "entrepreneurial university" oriented to the best practices of New Public Management (Välimaa and Ylijoki [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref31">27</reflink>]). The new cultural orientation that is emerging, starting from the very first measures of the twenty‐first century, reveals the framework of the emerging digital university for the construction of a European Space of HE, based on the driven transformation of innovations in Information Communication and Technological Skills (ICT), and the drive toward lifelong learning and inclusion.</p> <p>Although the limited number of interviews conducted does not allow for generalisations about the system as a whole, they do offer valuable insights. These insights can help reflect on the extent to which the emerging university model is recognised and shared, as well as on how global and national policies translate into specific local dynamics within the broader transformation process. Interestingly, attempts to define the envisioned university model often encounter a certain ambiguity that goes beyond official discourse and dominant narratives. As one interviewee noted:</p> <p>Honestly, I couldn't say. I think it's still under development, isn't it? There's still a lot of adaptation going on—teaching methods, information exchange, and mutual recognition of activities—all related to the Bologna Process. The recent crisis [referring to the pandemic] has really accelerated efforts toward building a shared European higher education space. (Int. 3)</p> <p>The thing that emerges is the sense of urgency to act following the pandemic crisis that has forced the wide world of education (here understood as an integrated education‐training‐work macrosystem) to rethink environments, processes, and educational relationships in a digital key, which is why this area of innovation represents one of the central axes around which the Italian PNRR revolves. Even if.</p> <p>Even before the pandemic struck, Italian universities had embarked on a process of reflection, experimentation, and design that reflected their local distinctiveness and diversity. When the health crisis emerged—and with support from the CRUI—the efforts evolved into a more comprehensive and systemic initiative. (Int. 2)</p> <p>The recurring themes that consistently emerge across our interviews are emergency, digitalisation, and alignment with European directives. In response to the health crisis, the adoption of digital technologies within Italian higher education underwent a profound and accelerated shift. This moment of urgency functioned as a true turning point—one that has set in motion changes unlikely to be reversed.</p> <p>The use of digital tools for learning, previously limited to certain courses, became widespread. Their integration into teaching on such a large and diverse scale compelled instructors to rethink both content and delivery methods, ushering in a new phase of pedagogical experimentation that continues to evolve rapidly. (Int. 2)</p> <p>This radical change has stimulated a rich and fruitful discussion within universities. The aim is to understand how the gradual resumption of post‐pandemic activities must redefine the essential processes of higher education and overcome the dichotomy between presence and online learning.</p> <p>If, on the one hand, it is believed that there is an intrinsic richness in face‐to‐face training, the availability of digital content capable of going beyond traditional e‐learning systems and capable of integrating into a mixed mode seems to be the way forward, so that the learner has devices for the use of digital content that must, however, be adaptable, interactive and contextualised in the environment that will not always be the traditional classroom. For the realisation of integrated teaching capable of maintaining the educational value of interaction with disciplinary experts, it is necessary to support digital educational content that amplifies the training experience's effectiveness. The possibilities that information technologies offer for remote interventions allow both the use and the delivery of content and training moments beyond geographical boundaries (national and international), imposing the need to define their identity in a global training market. It is therefore considered vital to produce digital educational content that goes beyond the traditional tools used by e‐learning platforms (e.g., presentations, texts, and videos) and can enrich integrated teaching paths. (Int. 4)</p> <p>Among the dominant theories, "digital" is considered one of the Community and national strategic priorities, a priority across sectors because it is "enabling". However, the objective must be to:</p> <p>"Making this digitalisation effective, for now technical, clearly requires an adaptation of technical tools", but the infrastructural dimension represents only a prerequisite of access from which to focus on a more "<emph>qualitative"</emph> dimension, able to safeguard the social, relational, and communicative dimension.</p> <p>Another key dimension from the interviews is the need to overcome the fragmentation that characterises the transformation processes affecting the country's education system at all levels and its digitisation. An integrated approach to digital transformation that can embrace and transform all sectors and act at different levels of competence and responsibility is needed.</p> <p>Integrated at the individual university level, discouraging ideological forms of analogical fundamentalism and integrated at the university system level, providing for more substantial interventions where areas lagging are foreseeable or already evident. It is integrated at the level of the country system. (Int. 2)</p> <p>The reference point in this epochal change is recognised in the "<emph>indications of the European Commission regarding the Digital Action Plan that regulates the need for digital adaptations</emph>" (Int. 3).</p> <p>Within the framework of the European indications, two priorities that stand out among the others can be distinguished and summarised in the concepts of dematerialisation of processes and relationships related to mobility.</p> <p>Regarding the former, we can take, for example, Erasmus Without Paper, an umbrella project that brings together a series of initiatives to enable higher education institutions and students to digitise the entire Erasmus mobility process.</p> <p>In relation to the shift toward the dematerialisation of relationships tied to various forms of mobility, it is worth highlighting the development of digital environments, platforms, and applications designed to support virtual mobility. These tools provide digital resources that aim to "<emph>guide students through virtual learning experiences, manage the entire documentation process linked to mobility, and promote the use of digital formats</emph>." (Int. 3).</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-12">National Policy</hd> <p>From the testimonies collected, the University as a system had remained before the pandemic.</p> <p>A little further back, perhaps we did not always have the perception [of the turning point] digital, but we thought of a change in a wider time frame: 5/6 years. So, all the national and political programming was projected on the interventions for a little longer [...]. There had not been major interventions, not as incisive as we expect with the recovery fund, where there should be sums for digital transformation in all sectors, therefore also the university sector. (Int. 3)</p> <p>However, even in the absence of special funds, especially for the University, dedicated to digitisation, these interviews can reconstruct some essential steps that have contributed, downstream of European dictates, over the last 10 years to redesigning the country's digital turn through reorganisation actions, the definition of regulatory instruments, economic resources, and accompanying strategies.</p> <p>Among the actions promoted at the central level to support the digital transition in a systemic logic, we must remember the establishment of the Department for Digital Transformation. The Department is responsible for translating the Minister's directives into action, ensuring both the coordination and execution of digital transformation programmes.[<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref32">1</reflink>]</p> <p>The Department is the support structure for the Prime Minister, promoting and coordinating the Government's actions. It aims to define a unitary strategy for digital transformation and modernisation of the country through digital technologies. The department has four offices: technological address, administrative management, digital transformation, and technological innovation.</p> <p>The goal is to combat the digital divide of a cultural nature present in the Italian population, to support maximum digital inclusion and promote education on the technologies of the future, accompanying the process of digital transformation of the country. (Int. 2)</p> <p>In the same year, in continuity with this process, the <emph>Guidelines for the Digital University</emph> were published (Prot. n. 151/segr/DGUS/2012).</p> <p>Under the pressure of the pandemic, the Operational Plan of the digital skills strategy, published in December 2020, was developed. It contains the necessary measures to reduce digital illiteracy and create a path of cultural change in all sectors of society. The following four axes, identified in the Operational Plan, allow us to glimpse the effort to overcome the long‐standing fragmentation of policies and competencies that have always distinguished our Country System. This effort aims to encourage the adoption of a logic capable of promoting integrated and coordinated policies and actions (Author 1 [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref33">1</reflink>]) to overcome the traditional system of policies segmented on the Taylor‐Fordist model.</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> <emph>Higher Education and Training</emph> : development of digital skills within education cycles, coordinated by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of University and Research.</item> <p></p> <item> <emph>Workforce</emph> : coordination of the Ministry of Economic Development and the Minister for Public Administration.</item> <p></p> <item> <emph>ICT specialist skills: coordination of the Ministry of</emph> University and Research and the Ministry of Economic Development.</item> <p></p> <item> <emph>Citizens</emph> : coordination of the Minister for Technological Innovation and Digitisation.</item> </ulist> <p>A design that, through the translation theory approach (Callon [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref34">7</reflink>]), can be read as an attempt to "enlist and mobilise" new forces to institutional actors around a shared and bold goal, considering that all the regulatory efforts identified by the documentary analysis have not produced significant changes over the last ten years in terms of the expected digitisation of the country.</p> <p>At the institutional level, to redesign the system, a series of regulatory and steering instruments were drawn up, useful for redefining the system of rules altered by the digital transition. The turning point of this process is the Digital Administration Code (DL 7 March 2005, n. 82), which aims, among other objectives, to encourage "<emph>basic training and the development of a digital society where services are based on citizens and businesses need; to promote digital development while respecting environmental sustainability; encourage standardisation, innovation and experimentation in the field of public services</emph>".</p> <p>The predominance of state universities makes the digital transformation path undertaken by the government, under the Digital Administration Code and the three‐year plan for information technology in the public administration, a key element of this path. (Int. 2)</p> <p>At a broader level, the 2020 Action Plan serves as the updated reference framework guiding national institutions and policy initiatives. It redefines the European strategy for digitalisation, setting out a shared vision toward which all efforts should be aligned. Within this context, "<emph>institutions commit to advancing the European agenda by adhering to the ECHE, the Erasmus Charter"</emph> (Int. 3).</p> <p>In terms of funding, the digitisation process has long been marked by the autonomy granted to individual universities, resulting in uneven progress and highly diverse initiatives across different regions of the country. In this situation, "<emph>universities, as autonomous spending centres, were required to plan their digitisation based on the limited resources available</emph>" (Int. 2).</p> <p>This has fuelled a clear dichotomy in Italy, if not when an opposition, between the so‐called conventional universities, which have distinguished themselves for the attendance logic on which the distinctive element of their offer was based until the pandemic, and the Online Universities, generally private, which have posed as an alternative, precisely by entering that market niche identified by the European recommendations that since 2000 recalled the need to invest in lifelong and wide learning, and inclusiveness using digital teaching and learning.</p> <p>The discrepancy between the regulatory declarations and the supporting funding indicates a mobilisation of institutions that is only apparent in the digital theme. From the funding point of view, there are many expectations today regarding the PNRR and mission 4, which is dedicated to Education and Research.</p> <p>The PNRR allocates approximately 15 billion euros to universities and research. Whether this amount is considered substantial or insufficient depends on perspective. On the one hand, after decades in which the state gradually retreated from its responsibility to invest in the sector, this represents a significant shift. On the other hand, when placed in the context of the total PNRR budget—nearly 250 billion—and compared to GDP investment levels, the gap between Italy and countries that prioritise knowledge remains large and disheartening. While the injection of new resources is vital—particularly for a system that was already struggling before the pandemic, having lost over one billion euros and more than 10,000 researchers in the past decade—it remains only a starting point. The real impact will depend on how these funds are used, and whether the decisions made are both bold and responsible. (Int. 2)</p> <p>The witnesses agreed that "extraordinary investments are necessary to ensure a widespread diffusion of connectivity in university structures to support integrated teaching adequately" (Int. 4).</p> <p>To facilitate the development of public universities, "<emph>efforts are underway to design measures that ease the procurement of ICT goods and services, acknowledging that certain exceptional interventions require flexibility beyond existing budgetary limitations</emph>." (Int. 4).</p> <p>Given that no law is self‐implementing, and no transformation can occur solely by decree, it is important to recognise that, since 2012, numerous working groups have been established at various levels and with distinct objectives among the key actors shaping governance at the meso‐institutional level, including CRUI, ANVUR, and INDIRE. This effort aligns with the "enrollment" strategies outlined in translation theory, which help map and define the network of human and non‐human actors contributing to new forces configurations. Such configurations aim to develop effective responses to bridge the digital skills gap in European comparisons (EC [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref35">16</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref36">17</reflink>]) and address mismatches between labour market demand and supply.</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-13">Discussion and Conclusion</hd> <p>This study aimed to effectively address the critical topic of digital transformation in higher education, emphasising its importance and relevance internationally. Utilising Callon's translation theory, we provided a nuanced analysis of digitalisation policies within Italian higher education. It offered insights into the interactions between various actors and institutions and outlined different rationales and meanings that orient efforts and strategies in digital transitions in HEIs.</p> <p>The documentary analysis and interviews enriched the understanding of policy, and the effort involved in translating supranational recommendations into practice. They also identified key challenges, such as the digital divide and resistance to change, providing a comprehensive view of the obstacles and opportunities in Italy's educational digital shift.</p> <p>Examining the construction of the European Higher Education Area through the lens of translation theory enabled us to observe how fields of influence are shaped within the network of <emph>human and non‐human actors</emph>, each contributing to its problematisation and progress. This approach identified institutional actors operating at various supranational and national levels of governance (such as the European Commission, MI, MUR, INDIRE, ANVUR, AGID, etc.), as well as collective entities (such as CRUI, GARR Network) and organisations (such as universities). Reconstructing this complex network of actors allowed us to recognise the growing crowding of the field of relations that progressively reduces the autonomy and legitimacy of the university in its role as a knowledge producer. In doing so, we examined the key terms around which diverse interests converge. Digitalisation and integration have emerged as the new mantras of change, driven by the urgency to address the digital divide—a longstanding issue affecting Europe, particularly Italy, within the global context. These pressures are shaping a specific policy space, propelled by supranational governance, to tackle this critical challenge.</p> <p>The causes of this delay can be traced back to the digital divide, which acts at different levels (Park [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref37">25</reflink>]). In its financial and statutory autonomy, this divide has left the university alone and without resources in the face of an epochal change.</p> <p>For a long time, the solution has been sought at the regulatory level, without achieving the desired effects, without a real investment, cultural even before economic, aimed at aggregating interests, forces, and dispersed skills in the varied <emph>panel</emph> of actors that animate the field. The university, as a complex organisation consisting of countless "small worlds" (Clark [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref38">12</reflink>]), is confronted with the pressures for change that come from the global environment by asking the university for a new radical rethinking of its internal models, no longer adequate to respond to the challenges of the moment. Far from the quiet and protected context that characterised a model of university understood as an "ivory tower", stunned by the influences of the theories of the New Public Management that led to imagining the university in an entrepreneurial key, stretched between the expansionist thrusts linked to the first phase of university autonomy and the reductive ones determined by the consequences of the season of cuts, the advent of digital feared since the end of the twentieth century by the organs supranational has not been grasped in its revolutionary scope.</p> <p>The pandemic crisis, focusing on the emergency plan, has seen the debate shift toward the issue of resources, leveraging the positive effects introduced by the funds released by the PNRR. Under the pressure of the emergency, a process that for years was characterised by local experimentation, lack of design, and fragmentation has been brought under the umbrella of supranational policies, which have helped to determine choices and strategies in digitisation (Table 2).</p> <p>2 TABLE Building the digital university.</p> <p> <ephtml> <table><thead valign="bottom"><tr><th align="left">Pre‐COVID 19</th><th align="center">Pre‐COVID 19</th></tr></thead><tbody valign="top"><tr><td align="left">Local experimentation</td><td align="center">Sovranational recommendation</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Fragmentation</td><td align="center">Search for integration and coordination</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Time factor absent</td><td align="center">Acceleration</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Lack of design</td><td align="center">Search system innovation</td></tr><tr><td align="left">Autonomous decision at the university level</td><td align="center">Supranational/national decisions, policies & strategies</td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p>An increasingly fast‐paced process and the search for functional places of integration and coordination to ensure system innovation and a paradigm shift capable of serving as a backdrop to a model that no longer finds its place in both transmissible and closed models. However, the risk that can be glimpsed is connected to the absence of a renewed cultural perspective that can redefine digital higher education's role, mission, and objectives. As this study has tried to illustrate, the cultural dimension, the ability to give meaning and build a vision of universities in the new digital space, is the real challenge of our time.</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-14">Acknowledgements</hd> <p>We thank the President of the National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research (ANVUR), the President of the National Conference of Italian Universities (CRUI), the coordinator of the ICT–CRUI working group, and the Management Office Referent of the Higher Education Sector National Agency (INDIRE). Their invaluable insights and professional experience made this research possible.</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-15">Conflicts of Interest</hd> <p>This research was funded by ERASMUS + Programme of the European Union (ECOLHE "Empower Competences for <emph>Onlife</emph> Learning in HE", Project Code: 2020‐1‐IT02‐KA203‐079176). The European Union had no role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, or in the writing of the manuscript. The views and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the European Union.</p> <hd id="AN0185619905-16">Data Availability Statement</hd> <p>The interviewees were informed about the study's objectives and freely provided their informed consent to participate. Due to privacy policies, interview transcripts are not available, and the excerpts included in the manuscript have been anonymised.</p> <ref id="AN0185619905-17"> <title> Footnotes </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref25" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> The Department was established with: the decree of the President of the Council of Ministers (Dpcm) of 19 June 2019 (Amendments to the Dpcm 1 October 2012, Department for Digital Transformation and other structures); DSG of 24 July 2019, which establishes "the internal organisation of the Department for Digital Transformation"; DM 3 September 2020: Amendments to the DSG 24 July 2019.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib2" idref="ref8" type="bt">2</bibl> <bibtext> Funding: This study was funded by ERASMUS + Programme of the European Union (ECOLHE "Empower Competences for <emph>Onlife</emph> Learning in HE", Project Code: 2020‐1‐IT02‐KA203‐079176).</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <ref id="AN0185619905-18"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibtext> Author 1. 2006. La Traduzione Locale di un Sistema Formativo Integrato. Il Ruolo Delle Strutture Intermedie. Franco Angeli.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Author, 1. 2014. Scuola, Università, E‐Learning: Un'analisi Sociologica. Armando.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib3" idref="ref2" type="bt">3</bibl> <bibtext> Author 1, & Author 2, ed. 2024. The Digital Transformation of European Higher Education: Technological, Ecological, and Social Challenges. Springer Nature.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib4" idref="ref16" type="bt">4</bibl> <bibtext> Author 1, F. Musella, and L. Cianfriglia. 2022. Analisi Sulla Didattica a Distanza Durante L'emergenza Covid‐19. Eurilink University Press.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib5" idref="ref21" type="bt">5</bibl> <bibtext> Ball, S. 1998. " Big Policies. Small World: An Introduction to International Perspectives on Education Policy." Comparative Education 34, no. 2 : 119 – 130.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib6" idref="ref6" type="bt">6</bibl> <bibtext> Baur, N. 2017. " Process‐Oriented Micro‐Macro‐Analysis. Methodological Reflections on Elias and Bourdieu." Historical Social Research/Historische Sozialforschung 42, no. 4 : 43 – 74.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib7" idref="ref18" type="bt">7</bibl> <bibtext> Callon, M. 1986. " The Sociology of an Actor‐Network: The Case of the Electric Vehicle." In Mapping the Dynamics of Science and Technology: Sociology of Science in the Real World, edited by M. Callon, J. Law, and A. Rip, 19 – 34. Macmillan Press.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib8" idref="ref28" type="bt">8</bibl> <bibtext> Camera dei Deputati. 2021. Il Fondo per il Finanziamento Ordinario Delle Università. https://temi.camera.it/leg18/post/il_fondo_per_il_finanziamento_ordinario_delle_universit_.html.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib9" idref="ref4" type="bt">9</bibl> <bibtext> Castañeda, L., and N. Selwyn. 2018. " More Than Tools? Making Sense of the Ongoing Digitisations of Higher Education." International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 15, no. 1 : 22. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239‐018‐0109‐y.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Castells, M. 2000. " The Rise of the Network Society: The Information Age: Economy." In Society and Culture. Wiley‐Backwell.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Cecchini, G., and E. Proietti. 2024. " Digital Development Culture in Europe." In The Digital Transformation of European Higher Education: Technological, Ecological, and Social Challenges, edited by Author1 & Author2. Springer Nature.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Clark, B. R. 1987. Academic Life: Small Worlds, Different Worlds. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Cocozza, A. 2014. Organizzazioni. Culture, Modelli, Governance. Franco Angeli.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Cowan, R., P. A. David, and D. Foray. 2000. " The Explicit Economics of Knowledge Codification and Tacitness." Industrial and Corporate Change 9, no. 2 : 211 – 253.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Đurek, V., N. Begičević Ređep, and N. Kadoić. 2019. " Methodology for Developing Digital Maturity Model of Higher Education Institutions." Journal of Computers 14, no. 4 : 247 – 256.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> European Commission. 2019. ESPAS Report 2019: Global Trends to 2030. European Commission.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> European Commission. 2020. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions: A New Skills Agenda for Europe. COM (2016) 38, European Commission.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> European Commission. 2024. ERASMUS+ 2024. Guide for Experts on Quality Assessment: For actions managed by National Agencies. European Union, Directorate‐General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> HLGMHE. 2013. Report to the European Commission on Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning in Europe's Higher Education Institutions. European Union Publications Office.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Ismail, M., M. Khater, and M. Zaki. 2017. Digital Business Transformation and Strategy: What Do we Know So Far? Cambridge Service Alliance.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Keeling, R. 2006. " The Bologna Process and the Lisbon Research Agenda: The European Commission's Expanding Role in Higher Education Discourse." European Journal of Education 41, no. 2 : 203 – 223.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Latour, B. 1986. " The Powers of Associationòm." In Power, Action Ad Belief, edited by J. Law, 264 – 280. Routledge.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Mathes, J. 2018. Global Quality in Online, Open, Flexible and Technology Enhanced Education: An Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. ICDE.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> OECD. 2020. Preparing Our Youth for an Inclusive and Sustainable World: The OECD PISA Global Competence Framework. OECD Publishing.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Park, S. 2017. Digital Capital. Palgrave Macmillan.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Sciolla, L., and P. M. Torrioni. 2020. Cultura, individui e Società. Sociologia dei Processi Culturali. Il Mulino.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Välimaa, J., and O. H. Ylijoki. 2008. Cultural Perspectives on Higher Education. Springer, Dordrecht.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Yin, R. 2003. Case Study Research: Design and Methods. SAGE.</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Stefania Capogna and Francesca Greco</p> <p>Reported by Author; Author</p> </aug> <nolink nlid="nl1" bibid="bib28" firstref="ref1"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl2" bibid="bib13" firstref="ref3"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl3" bibid="bib23" firstref="ref5"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl4" bibid="bib11" firstref="ref7"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl5" bibid="bib19" firstref="ref9"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl6" bibid="bib17" firstref="ref10"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl7" bibid="bib24" firstref="ref11"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl8" bibid="bib15" firstref="ref12"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl9" bibid="bib16" firstref="ref13"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl10" bibid="bib20" firstref="ref14"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl11" bibid="bib21" firstref="ref15"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl12" bibid="bib22" firstref="ref20"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl13" bibid="bib18" firstref="ref22"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl14" bibid="bib10" firstref="ref23"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl15" bibid="bib14" firstref="ref24"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl16" bibid="bib26" firstref="ref29"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl17" bibid="bib27" firstref="ref30"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl18" bibid="bib25" firstref="ref37"></nolink> <nolink nlid="nl19" bibid="bib12" firstref="ref38"></nolink>
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1472636
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: The ECOLHE Erasmus + Project and the University to the Test of Digital Teaching and Learning: The Italian Case
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Stefania+Capogna%22">Stefania Capogna</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2650-0129">0000-0003-2650-0129</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Francesca+Greco%22">Francesca Greco</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6270-5693">0000-0002-6270-5693</externalLink>)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22European+Journal+of+Education%22"><i>European Journal of Education</i></searchLink>. 2025 60(2).
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 11
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Universities%22">Universities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Technology+Uses+in+Education%22">Technology Uses in Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Information+Technology%22">Information Technology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Lifelong+Learning%22">Lifelong Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Technological+Advancement%22">Technological Advancement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Technology+Integration%22">Technology Integration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Systems+Approach%22">Systems Approach</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Strategic+Planning%22">Strategic Planning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Innovation%22">Educational Innovation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pandemics%22">Pandemics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19%22">COVID-19</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Italy%22">Italy</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1111/ejed.70130
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 0141-8211<br />1465-3435
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The pandemic emergency has underscored the critical need for universities to accelerate their digital transformation to support proper teaching and learning processes. This paper presents findings from the Italian component of a broader international research project, which investigates the transformative impact of the digital revolution on Higher Education, under the umbrella of the Bologna Process, promoted by the European Community since 1999, to push the valorisation of Information and Communication Technologies to support the increasing needs of lifelong learning in the learning economy. The study posits that the mere availability of technological infrastructure is insufficient to ensure the effective integration of learning and knowledge technologies among faculty, students, and researchers. The Italian case reveals a complex landscape characterised by advancements and persistent challenges, indicative of a protracted and uneven digital integration process. But, overall, a strategic approach capable of showing a new vision and a systemic perspective to accompany this disruptive innovation is important.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1472636
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1472636
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/ejed.70130
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Universities
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Technology Uses in Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Information Technology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Lifelong Learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Technological Advancement
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Technology Integration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Systems Approach
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Strategic Planning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Innovation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pandemics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: COVID-19
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Italy
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The ECOLHE Erasmus + Project and the University to the Test of Digital Teaching and Learning: The Italian Case
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Stefania Capogna
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Francesca Greco
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 0141-8211
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1465-3435
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 60
            – Type: issue
              Value: 2
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: European Journal of Education
              Type: main
ResultId 1