Research on the application of digital technology

Research objectives 
Within the e-University project, scientific research is being conducted aimed at analyzing the impact of digital technologies on the higher education system of the Republic of Croatia. The goal of the research is to determine how the project's elements influence the development of digital competencies, attitudes, and experiences of various groups in the academic environment – management staff, faculty, students, library staff, and technical support specialists. 
In addition to the analysis of individual effects, the research will also cover broader organizational changes within higher education institutions, including the adaptation of learning, teaching, and management processes. Furthermore, the project's impact on partner institutions and the wider educational system will be investigated. 
Based on the collected data, strategic and operative recommendations will be developed for the future development and sustainability of digital transformation in the Croatian higher education system. The research results will provide valuable guidelines for future educational informatization projects, with the aim of improving the quality of teaching and more efficient management of educational institutions.

Research Methodology 
In the research on the application of digital technology, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods is used.  
By combining these methods, the research will explore not only the individual impact of the project on the level of digital competencies, attitudes, and experiences of various stakeholders (management staff, teachers, library staff, technical support specialists, students), but also wider organizational changes in the learning, teaching, and management processes of higher education institutions. The data obtained will be used to develop strategic and operational recommendations that will contribute to the sustainability of digital transformation and future computerization projects in the Croatian education system. 
Research instruments include semi-structured interviews with management staff, teachers, students, library staff, and technical support specialists, survey questionnaires for these groups of participants, aimed at quantitative analysis of the project's impact, focus groups with representatives of partner institutions (AZVO, NSK, SRCE) to gather additional insights into the broader effects of the project, and semi-structured interviews with representatives of relevant ministries (MZOM) to understand institutional changes.

Research implementation timeline 
The research implementation began in October 2024 with the research design, while the main research activities and analysis of the collected data will be conducted until May 2026, or until the end of the e-University project implementation.