DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION DURING COVID-19: CROATIA AND SLOVENIA IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

The current COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has radically transformed the lives of masses of people, including higher education students. Apart from the devastating health consequences for those directly affected by the virus, the COVID-19 pandemic holds major implications for the way higher education students live and work, affecting their physical and mental well-being in profound ways. In an attempt to manage the spread of COVID-19, most governments decided to temporarily close all education institutions and suspended personal class attendance. This has led to a rapid transition from onsite to online study, which posed many challenges for both higher education institutions and students. Accordingly, the main aim of the paper is to provide some new insights of the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on digital transformation in higher education by comparing Croatian and Slovenian experiences. Empirical data are derived from the comprehensive global student survey "Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on life of higher education students", which was carried out online from 5 May 2020 to 15 June 2020 among more than 30,000 higher education students coming from all around the world. The final sample for Croatia covers 673, while for Slovenia of 1,043 survey responses. The empirical analysis is facilitated with established statistical techniques for multiple group comparison. The results show that both Croatian and Slovenian students exhibited higher satisfaction in different aspects of academic work and life. However, Slovenian students were more satisfied with the organization of online lectures, responses and support of teaching and support staff, had better access to infrastructure for studying at home and were more confident in using online teaching platforms, while Croatian students found it easier to adapt to the new teaching and learning experience. Policymakers and higher education institutions around the world may benefit from these findings while formulating policy recommendations and strategies to support students during this and any future pandemics.