Bottlenecks and Breakthrough Paths of Digital Transformation in Governance of Private Higher Educational Institutions

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the in-depth advancement of the national education digitalization strategy and the deep penetration of artificial intelligence and big data technologies into the education sector, private higher educational institutions (HEIs) as an important component of the higher education system, need to promote digital transformation of governance under the dual attributes of "educational public welfare" and "market flexibility" to solve traditional governance problems and achieve an upgrade from "experience-based governance" to "digital governance". This paper takes the Guangzhou Institute of Science and Technology (GZIST) as a case study. By defining the core concepts of governance and digital transformation of governance in private HEIs and relying on the theories of collaborative governance, technology-institutional mutual construction, and data-driven decision-making, it first reviews the initial practices of digital governance at the institution, including the construction of a smart campus framework, the introduction of intelligent teaching management systems and Office Automation (OA) systems, and the establishment of a research project management platform. Then, it analyzes the three core bottlenecks commonly faced by the private HEIs, namely, system isolation and mismatch of demands at the technology adaptation level, ambiguous rights and responsibilities, and lagging rules at the institutional guarantee level, and insufficient participation and lack of interdepartmental coordination at the subject collaboration level. Finally, it proposes three targeted breakthrough paths: constructing a "unified middleware + customized development" technology system, improving a "clear rights and responsibilities + rule adaptation" institutional framework, and establishing a "multi-party participation + cross-departmental coordination" collaborative mechanism, with the aim of providing theoretical references and replicable practical solutions for the digital transformation of governance in private HEIs.