A shift in the digital transformation of education

The potential role of libraries in online learning

Abstract

In our study, we attempt to define the digital transformation processes currently underway in education and intensifying as a result of the pandemic, with particular reference to online education and learning. In the course of our work, we review the causes as well as the role of technology in pedagogy, and explain why there has been a change in the pace of this process. Next, along the pillars of digital transformation, we describe the challenges that have arisen in online education.
Our research strategy was inductive theory-making, i.e. we formulated our insights based on data collected from pedagogical reality. The research method is closer to qualitative research, in the framework of which we used the brainstorming technique. The research was conducted according to the method of grounded theory, so creating preliminary hypotheses was not among our goals. Our study population was educators in public and higher education (N1, N2), and we used the method of non-representative, easily accessible subjects during the selection of the sample. The number of items in the examined sample (N1=10, N2=10) corresponded to the qualitative research, and the data collection was done in online collaborative work. The research method was concept map creation, and the results are presented in the form of thematic graphs.

In the course of our work, we give a recommendation on the new possible roles of the library in the digital transformation of the informal learning environments that support learning.