A Study on the Perception of Digitalization and Use of Digital Technologies in Higher-Education Institutions

Correlating the education and training system with the evolution of today’s technologies is a complex but necessary process for training, improvement, and lifelong learning. Digital technologies are present today in all fields, and have become increasingly necessary in higher education institutions, not only to attract students, to bring them into a familiar environment, but also to initiate and improve their skills in what is an evolution in science. The digitalization of education services is necessary to have a more accessible, interactive, and personalized educational process and this also involves the use of digital technologies, elements that contribute to people’s self-education, and education outside of schools’ walls. In this paper we present aspects related to the digitalization of education, both from the perspective of educators and learners. It is a study carried out in two Romanian universities, the University of Craiova and the “Constantin Brâncuși” University of Târgu Jiu. The purpose of this work is to emphasize the necessity of digitalization, its importance, but also to emphasize the stage in which the two universities are now, in relation to what is meant by digitalization, who should be involved in the digitalization of the institution, what activities should be digitalized, knowledge of the digital signature concept or whether respondents use machine learning tools such as ChatGPT, or others. The results of this study reflect the opinion of the teachers and students of the two universities.