Accelerated Digital Transformation: The Case of The Online University Caused By Covid-19

In this article, we propose the concept of accelerated digital transformation. The Covid-19 pandemic constitutes an appealing case for this endeavor since it has caused organizations to undergo unexpected, fast-paced transformation to cope with the extraordinary situation. While current literature tends to illustrate the digital transformation journey based on high-profile cases such as Netflix and Amazon, we turn to more mundane organizational settings with an empirical focus on higher education. Based on a qualitative case study of how a social science faculty at a Danish university changed from analog to full digital teaching overnight, we identify three salient themes that capture how accelerated digital transformation became possible. We observed how the faculty (1) leveraged existing resources rather than disruptive technologies, (2) intensified informal knowledge sharing in combination with supportive top-down communication, and (3) re-organized core activities through experimentation rather than based on strategic plans. Major changes enabled by digital technologies are typically associated with a long-term change process through certain stages. Our conceptualization focuses on how the initial stage of the digital transformation process can be accelerated

Problem-based Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Can Project Groups Save the Day?

In this paper, we describe how a Danish problem-based learning university adapted to the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Our findings reveal that digital problem-based learning mitigated some negative consequences that appeared with the lockdown and resulting shift to 100 percent online teaching. While students prefer the traditional face-to-face teaching mode due to the energy, variation, and socialization associated with on-campus learning, we observed that students who have worked in project groups had a more positive experience with online learning, which indicates belonging to a project group can increase students’ motivation to participate in online teaching activities. Our findings challenge the idea that problem-based learning revolves around face-to-face interaction on campus. We highlight lessons that we learned when we rapidly shifted to online distance teaching