Digital transformation in Tanzanian higher education under the HEET project: A socio-technical systems analysis
Abstract
Digital transformation has become a strategic priority in higher education, especially in settings where universities must expand access, improve quality, strengthen resilience, and modernize administration at the same time. In Tanzania, the Higher Education for Economic Transformation (HEET) Project created a rare opportunity to scale digitalization across higher education institutions and sector agencies. Guided by a socio-technical systems perspective, this study examines the extent, character, and limits of digital transformation among 19 Tanzanian higher education institutions participating in the HEET Project. The study used a mixed-methods design combining a structured institutional questionnaire, documentary validation, and comparative case analysis of the Open University of Tanzania and Mzumbe University. Findings show strong progress in technical enablement: 17 of 19 institutions had operational learning management systems, 18 had upgraded digital libraries, 10,396 courses had been uploaded to institutional platforms, and 74 blended programmes had been reported. However, progress remained uneven and only partially consolidated. Digital content and blended programmes were concentrated in a small group of institutions, no institution had yet reported a fully online programme, and staff capacity in open, distance and e-learning pedagogy remained limited. The study shows that institutions advanced faster in technological deployment than in the organizational and pedagogical changes needed for sustained academic use. The main conclusion is that infrastructure rollout, although necessary, is insufficient for durable transformation. Digital reform becomes meaningful only when platforms, pedagogy, governance, support systems, inclusion measures, and sustainability arrangements are developed together. The paper contributes a system-level account of digital transformation in Tanzanian higher education and offers policy lessons for large-scale reform in resource-constrained contexts.