COVID-19 and Technological Maturity of HEIs in Poland

ABSTRACT

Technology has become a crucial service medium also for higher education institutions (HEIs). Moreover, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly underscored the relevance of studies on e-services. This article analyzes the technological maturity of HEIs in Poland with the obtained results analyzed against the backdrop of the current pandemic. The study considers the overall level of universities' virtualization, condition of their ICT infrastructure, IT services offered by public universities, and their use of advanced technologies. The results are analyzed in terms of two aspects (1) the current technological maturity of HEIs in Poland and their ability to offer virtualized public services during the pandemic and (2) the dimensions of technological maturity that universities ought to focus on with a view to preventing the deterioration of e-services and their quality. Based on the above, recommendations are formulated in terms of improving flexibility to cope with the challenges of this difficult period.