The rapid transition to online learning during the pandemic: Challenges and implications for digital transformation in higher education

Abstract

Digital transformation is a requisite for dealing with equity, access, quality, and sustainability issues in higher education. Understanding the challenges faced during the rapid transition to online learning amid the pandemic would provide valuable insights into digital transformation in higher education. Therefore, this chapter presents the challenges faced during the rapid transition to online learning, the first year of the pandemic, and the implications for digital transformation. The synthesized findings from the reviewed articles published during the rapid transition period were presented and discussed with the example empirical studies. The identified challenges were classified into four categories: (1) challenges faced by learners, (2) challenges faced by instructors, (3) challenges faced in online teaching, and (4) challenges faced in management and organization. Based on these challenges, © 2025, IGI Global Scientific Publishing. All rights reserved.