Within the scope of this survey, it is aimed to present the current situation in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) where Erasmus + mobilities are carried out in terms of digitalization in a healthy and comprehensive way before the digital transformation processes. For this purpose, an international research design will be used to include data on digital transformation processes from all components of HEIs involved in Erasmus + program processes. In the development of the survey design, the opinions of all partners involved in the project were taken, and arrangements were made in the design, considering the changes specific to the countries of the partners. In this way, it will be possible to produce the strategies and road maps to be followed by HEIs in the digital transformation program under the Erasmus + program with an international perspective.

The survey will also enable HEIs to save time, resources and personnel by minimizing the high risks in digital transformation processes taking place within the scope of the Erasmus + program, with the data it will reveal and the visual mapping method. Within the scope of the study, besides the goals to be achieved above, the contribution of digitalization to internationalization and student-staff mobility will be revealed in detail through separate data collected in each partner country. Thereafter, the needs specific to HEIs in digital transformation process such as the importance of digitalization, institutional motivation, administrative requirements, structuring of information technologies and staff prototype will be determined. In addition to this, through the analysis obtained by the survey HEIs will be able to see what kinds of strategy they embrace for digital transformation in Erasmus+ mobilities bring the organizations closer to the completion of the ESCI and realization of their objectives in terms of duration, scope, resources, infrastructures, and activities.

While determining the target group in this survey, a wide perspective and a versatile sample selection should be made on the basis of the outcomes that the study aims to present. In this context, the objectives of the project have been decisive in determining the target group to create strategies and road maps regarding the digital transformation process taking place within the scope of the Erasmus + program. For this reason, all direct and indirect stakeholders of Erasmus + mobility processes in HEIs were determined as the target group and included in the study sample to constitute the sample of the survey. Since the main objectives of this survey include revealing the existing potential for the digital transformation of Erasmus+ mobility processes, it is necessary to include a very large group from the administrators of HEIs to their students. For this reason, using the purposeful sampling method, all stakeholders involved in the execution of Erasmus + mobility processes in HEIs were determined as the target group of the survey and included in the sample.

The survey method was preferred as the data collection tool for the survey designed according to the quantitative research design. Questionnaires will be conducted digitally due to the Covid19 Pandemic and data will be collected. Questionnaires will be implemented in project partners’ countries of Italy, Spain, Turkey and Belgium by project partners in HEIs.

The sample determined in the research design includes the details of the target group of the survey. In this context, HEIs are included in the main target group of the survey, and within this main group there is a cluster consisting of 6 different subgroups.

These subgroups are; 

• National Agency managers coordinating the implementation of Erasmus + Program in countries and HEIs. 

• University administrators who decide to implement the Erasmus+ Program in HEIs.

• Erasmus+ Office managers and employees who are the implementers of the Erasmus+ Program. 

• Department coordinators ensuring the coordination of Erasmus+ mobility within the scope of faculties, schools and colleges. 

• Employees of the IT department, who manage the operation of digital platforms where Erasmus+ mobility takes place and who follow innovations. 

• Students and staff benefiting from Erasmus+ mobility. (SUDTE Report On Desk Research)