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International Journal of Educational Curriculum Management and Research, 2025, 6(1); doi: 10.38007/IJECMR.2025.060118.

Measurement and Regional Differences of Digital Transformation Level of Higher Education in China

Author(s)

Weihua Pan, Rongqin Zhou

Corresponding Author:
Rongqin Zhou
Affiliation(s)

School of Digital Economy, Hubei University of Automotive Technology, Shiyan 442002, Hubei, China


Abstract

This paper constructs an evaluation index system for the digital transformation and development of China's higher education from three dimensions: “digital infrastructure of higher education,” “resource allocation in higher education,” and “societal digitalization level.” It employs the entropy-weighted TOPSIS model for measurement and utilizes the Dagum Gini coefficient to empirically study regional differences and their sources. The results indicate: (1) The digital development level of China's higher education has significantly improved, with annual average values decreasing in order from east, central, west, to northeast. (2) The overall level of digital development in higher education exhibits significant differences, with inter-provincial disparities within the eastern region being more pronounced than those within the central, western, and northeastern regions. (3) China's higher education digital development exhibits convergent characteristics. Inter-regional disparities are the primary source of overall differences in China's higher education digital development, with the number of regions experiencing an increase in the Gini coefficient exceeding those with a decrease.

Keywords

Higher education; Digitalization; entropy weighting method; Regional difference

Cite This Paper

Weihua Pan, Rongqin Zhou.Measurement and Regional Differences of Digital  Transformation Level of Higher Education in China. International Journal of Educational Curriculum Management and Research (2025), Vol. 6, Issue 1: 150-160. https://doi.org/10.38007/IJECMR.2025.060118.

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