Review of Digital Transformation in Higher Education in Arab Countries

This research aims to examine digital transformation practices in higher education across a sample of 10 Arab countries. To achieve this, the authors have employed the analytical framework developed by Florence Martin and Kui Xie, with some modifications in the number of variables and the addition of one component and one variable. The research methodology involved a combination of document analysis, a survey conducted among university faculty experts in the 10 countries under study, and visits to official websites. The results have emphasized various challenges that the surveyed Arab countries encounter in their digital transformation of higher education, which vary depending on country-specific factors such as income, infrastructure, and teachers' readiness for digital teaching. Additionally, the study has produced managerial recommendations to bolster the digital transformation process in higher education across Arab countries. These include initiatives such as furnishing families with home computers and ensuring affordable Internet access, crafting policies and strategies for the digital evolution of the higher education sector, and establishing clear, measurable objectives for integrating digital teaching and learning at the national level. On a theoretical level, this research has also provided an opportunity to revisit Florence Martin and Kui Xie’s framework for examining digital transformation in higher education at the country level.