Strategic Management Through Digital Platforms for Remote Working in the Higher Education Industry During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Published in: Forum Scienciae Oeconomia (Online) Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 111 - 128
• Main Authors: YAMOAH, FRED A, Ul Haque, Adnan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Akademii WSB 29-06-2022; Publishing Department of the WSB University
• Subjects: Distance learning / e-learning; Education; Higher Education; Social Sciences; Strategic management; elearning opportunities; elearning challenges; higher education industry; digital learning platforms
• ISSN: 2300-5947; 2353-4435
• DOI: 10.23762/FSO_VOL10_NO2_6

Strategic management is a vital part of every industry; however, the COVID-19 crisis has further escalated the importance of strategic management and adaptability in the higher education industry. The convergence of digital, information and communication technologies coupled with lockdown measures imposed due to the COVID-19 pan-demic has catalysed the adoption of digital platforms and technologies for online teaching and learning in higher ed-ucation. This qualitative paper aims to examine the view-points of and challenges faced by students and lecturers pertaining to digital platforms and technologies in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research methodology encompasses the use of a networking ap-proach; 80 interviews were conducted with 38 students and 42 university lecturers in Europe, Australia, North America, and Asia. The selection of a sample was undertaken by means of a gatekeeper strategy combined with convenience sampling, while the saturation point was used as a bench-mark to reach a representative sample size. The results re-vealed that digital platforms and technologies facilitate a participative teaching style and improve the learning ca-pabilities of students. The results further highlight the fact that break-out rooms, pre-class videos and creative learning activities promote higher levels of student attendance and engagement. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that, de-spite the significant development of digital technologies and information and communication technologies (ICTs), both lecturers and students prefer traditional face-to-face teach-ing because it offers greater emotional connectivity. Major challenges unearthed include poor connectivity, a higher incidence of depression, feelings of self-isolation and a lack of emotional engagement. Recommendations and implica-tions for the higher education industry relating to remote learning are presented in the latter part of this paper.