Lytras, MiltiadisSerban, Andreea ClaudiaAlkhaldi, AfnanAldosemani, TahaniMalik, Sawsan2024-05-132024-05-138/31/2024Lytras, M. D., Serban, A., Alkhaldi, A., Aldosemani, T., & Malik, S. (2024). Chapter1. Digital transformation in higher education in times of artificial intelligence: Setting the emerging landscape. In M. D. Lytras, A. Serban, A. Alkhaldi, T. Aldosemani, & S. Malik (Eds.), Digital transformation in higher education: Challenges and best practices (Part A). In Emerald Studies in Active and Transformative Learning in Higher Education. Emerald Publishing.http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14131/1649Digital transformation has become a top priority for Higher Education, driven by technological advances like: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), and Generative Open AI. It serves as a catalyst for the reshaping of mainstream processes in academic institutions, emphasising teamwork, collaborative projects, and critical thinking in research, learning, and assessment strategies. In this chapter, we contextualise the use of this digital transformation, highlighting its potential to improve learning experiences, business efficiency, and upskill students and faculty. Our holistic approach to Digital Transformation as an enabler of excellence in Higher Education is based on four pillars of excellence and impact: Business Process Reengineering, Learning Excellence & Skills Building, Research Capacity and Innovation, and Partnership & Outlook. Digital transformation needs the development of efficient, resilient, flexible and adaptable strategies and a strong collaboration between all the actors involved in the process, to ensure the coherence, the sustainability, and alignment of the objectives, means, and targets with the real needs of the learners, tutors, labour market, and society as whole. Our bold proposition consists of a model for the strategy design of digital transformation in universities and colleges organised in three dimensions: Understand, Strategize, Deploy & Exploit. Each dimension emphasises different stages of the process: understanding emerging technologies and their impact on higher education, collaboration between stakeholders, strategy and priorities formulation, roadmap of implementation, deployment and exploitation of digital technologies, etc. The ongoing digital transformation in Higher Education will continue to create an extensive shift in educational processes - learning, teaching, research, and management. Institutions around the world are taking bold initiatives to adapt to this rapidly changing environment, emphasizing the importance of readiness for technological changes, system development, inclusive, and sustainable transformation.Digital TransformationHigher EducationArtificial IntelligenceActive LearningChallengesEducation