Evaluating Digital Maturity in Higher Education Institutions: A Preliminary Empirical Study in the Western Balkans

Digital transformation (DT) has become one of the most significant trends in higher education institutions (HEIs) in both EU and non-EU countries. Using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to reinvent higher education is contingent upon several factors, including an institution’s development stage regarding the application and strategic integration of ICTs across its key activities and processes. In the extant literature, multiple frameworks of ICT development (maturity) paths have been developed. However, there is a lack of empirical studies on how well those models predict the DT success, and which of their dimensions are most relevant. In this paper, we use a research instrument, adapted from the HigherDecision research project, to capture the subjective assessments of academics and students at three public higher education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Using seven dimensions of the DT construct, prescribed by the HigherDecision framework, we examine their contribution to the subjectively evaluated success of each HEI’s DT initiative and identify the most impactful dimension(s). Our results show that the digital infrastructure and academic teaching and learning are perceived as critical drivers of DT in the academic sector. Provided that the University of Mostar, as a mid-sized public university located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, currently represents one of the DT leaders in the Western Balkans (WB) region, we discuss implications for scaling its good practices in smaller HEIs across the region.