Research hotspots and trends in digitalization in higher education: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

This bibliometric analysis reviews 8521 articles related to the digitalization of higher education, spanning from 1968 and 2023, sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), PubMed, and Scopus databases. Employing this analytical framework, we identify key authors, leading institutions, and influential countries while highlighting high-impact literature and intricate collaborative networks within this field. Through an examination of high-frequency keywords and topics, this study maps the knowledge structure of the field, suggesting emerging hotspots and setting the trajectories for future research directions. Notably, the study by Crawford et al., in 2020 has received the highest number of citations, marking a significant impact. Furthermore, Spain has been particularly active, emerging as a leader in the volume of contributions to digital research in higher education. Keywords such as “co-creation”, “competency”, “hybrid teaching”, and “digital writing” are identified to drive future research trends, reflecting a growing interest in these areas. Meanwhile, themes like “e-learning” and “blended learning” are expected to remain central in upcoming research work. © 2024 The Authors

Keywords

Author Keywords

Higher education Digitalization Bibliometrics research hotspots Biblioshiny

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

School of Public Administration, Heilongjiang University of Science and Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China

Ningxia Polytechnic University, Yinchuan, China

Funding & Acknowledgements

Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, MESU

This bibliometric analysis reviewed 8521literature related to the digitization of higher education using the R-Bibliometrix package. The paper revealed that research interest in this area began in 1968 and has continuously received increasing attention, especially in 2022. Leading institutions in this research field include the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the University of Granada, and Deakin University. Among the authors, Cabero-Almenaraj, Esteve-monf, and Khan A published the most relevant paper. Spain, the USA, the United Kingdom, and China are the nations contributing the most publications. The prevalent keywords are \u201Conline learning\u201D, \u201Ce-learning,\u201D \u201Cdigital competence,\u201D and \u201Cdigital technologies\u201D, with significant discussions in 2016, around \u201Cdigital library\u201D, \u201Cnew media\u201D, and \u201Ctechnology-enhanced learning\u201D. By 2019, \u201CMOOC\u201D and \u201COpen Education\u201D were the focal research themes. that the study predicts that \u201Cco-creation\u201D, \u201Ccompetency\u201D, \u201Chybrid teaching\u201D, and \u201Cdigital writing\u201D will be prominent topics in 2023, while \u201Copen education\u201D, \u201Cdigital economy\u201D, and \u201Cartificial intelligence\u201D are anticipated to guide future research directions.

Universidad de Granada, UGR

This bibliometric analysis reviewed 8521literature related to the digitization of higher education using the R-Bibliometrix package. The paper revealed that research interest in this area began in 1968 and has continuously received increasing attention, especially in 2022. Leading institutions in this research field include the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the University of Granada, and Deakin University. Among the authors, Cabero-Almenaraj, Esteve-monf, and Khan A published the most relevant paper. Spain, the USA, the United Kingdom, and China are the nations contributing the most publications. The prevalent keywords are \u201Conline learning\u201D, \u201Ce-learning,\u201D \u201Cdigital competence,\u201D and \u201Cdigital technologies\u201D, with significant discussions in 2016, around \u201Cdigital library\u201D, \u201Cnew media\u201D, and \u201Ctechnology-enhanced learning\u201D. By 2019, \u201CMOOC\u201D and \u201COpen Education\u201D were the focal research themes. that the study predicts that \u201Cco-creation\u201D, \u201Ccompetency\u201D, \u201Chybrid teaching\u201D, and \u201Cdigital writing\u201D will be prominent topics in 2023, while \u201Copen education\u201D, \u201Cdigital economy\u201D, and \u201Cartificial intelligence\u201D are anticipated to guide future research directions.

Deakin University

This bibliometric analysis reviewed 8521literature related to the digitization of higher education using the R-Bibliometrix package. The paper revealed that research interest in this area began in 1968 and has continuously received increasing attention, especially in 2022. Leading institutions in this research field include the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the University of Granada, and Deakin University. Among the authors, Cabero-Almenaraj, Esteve-monf, and Khan A published the most relevant paper. Spain, the USA, the United Kingdom, and China are the nations contributing the most publications. The prevalent keywords are \u201Conline learning\u201D, \u201Ce-learning,\u201D \u201Cdigital competence,\u201D and \u201Cdigital technologies\u201D, with significant discussions in 2016, around \u201Cdigital library\u201D, \u201Cnew media\u201D, and \u201Ctechnology-enhanced learning\u201D. By 2019, \u201CMOOC\u201D and \u201COpen Education\u201D were the focal research themes. that the study predicts that \u201Cco-creation\u201D, \u201Ccompetency\u201D, \u201Chybrid teaching\u201D, and \u201Cdigital writing\u201D will be prominent topics in 2023, while \u201Copen education\u201D, \u201Cdigital economy\u201D, and \u201Cartificial intelligence\u201D are anticipated to guide future research directions.

References 10 References

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7 Telukdarie, Arnesh, Digitization of Higher Education Institutions, IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, pp. 716-721, (2019)

8 Farley, Helen, The prison is another country: incarcerated students and (im)mobility in Australian prisons, Critical Studies in Education, 58, 2, pp. 150-167, (2017)

9 Cronin, Catherine, Openness and praxis: Exploring the use of open educational practices in higher education, International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18, 5, pp. 15-34, (2017)

10 Kardes, Ilke, Increasing Classroom Engagement in International Business Courses via Digital Technology, Journal of Teaching in International Business, 31, 1, pp. 51-74, (2020)

Research hotspots and trends in digitalization in higher education: A bibliometric analysis

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