Problems and Challenges of Digitalization for University Staff. The Case of the University of Tirana

Abstract

During this dynamic period, digital technology is being rapidly applied in education, enabling innovative methods for the development of the university institution, teaching, knowledge assessment, institutional communication, and communication between educators, administrative staff, and students, as well as serving as an international ranking standard. In this regard, the University of Tirana has initiated the digital transformation process, which was deeply understood and significantly accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is going on in conformity with the growth and increase of investments closely connected with continuous technological developments side by side with the investments for the qualification of human resources, which serve and benefit this professional community as well as the improvement in the fields of Law and Administration based on the standards of digital ethics. Being the biggest university community in Albania, it has become a necessity to build a survival, friendly welcoming, just safe, and life-sustaining digital community. This is the key to solving the educational and administrative problems facing students, and academic and administrative staff. Besides being a vision for the University's development, it is an ethical vision as well. Moreover, it stands as an ethical challenge. This work based on the data from the study “Digital Ethics, Humane and Institutional Agora and the University of Tirana” aims at exploring the impact of age on digital ethics, both for the academic and support staff at the University of Tirana, with a special focus on staff aged 45 and above. Data from a survey conducted in the November-December 2022 period have been used, involving 315 educators out of a total of 746 and 214 support staff out of 334 to achieve at least 95% reliability. The data was based on half-structured interviews focusing on groups composed of university academic and administrative staff. Descriptive and inferential analyses using the chi-square test for independence have been used to determine whether age influences the following, for academic and administrative staff: 1. accurate knowledge of digital ethics, 2. responsible use of digital tools, 3. trust in UT in using and preserving information for students and academic staff, 4. security issues, and 5. efforts to enhance awareness of keeping pace with the time in the university environment. This work aims to address the issues that have arisen to take specific measures by the responsible authorities to increase knowledge about digital ethics at all levels, actors, and factors, within UT.