A Framework of Information Systems Reference Model for Higher Education Institutions

Significant developments in technology contribute to major transformations in all aspects of life. Information technology is a powerful tool for improving performance in institutions. However, institutions face challenges in implementing suitable information technology to achieve business objectives. There is an argument that the importance of Business/Information Technology Alignment (BITA) is critical for organizations to improve the business value of IT. Many studies have been conducted on how to achieve business and information technology alignment through some solutions, such as the reference model or the reference architecture, which have achieved great success in many areas, including banking services, healthcare, and the telecommunications industry. In comparison, the studies that dealt with institutions of higher education did not provide a complete solution to this issue. This paper proposed a framework for developing an information system reference model for higher education institutions by combining the business process management (BPM) life cycle according to the Mathias tool and the enterprise architecture tool (TOGAF ADM). This paper describes how to develop a reference model for a university to solve the incompatibility between IT and business strategy problems and move from Industry 3.0 to Industry 4.0 by enabling the technology of Industry 4.0. The proposed model will be implemented in a case study at the Faculty of Information Technology, University of Benghazi.