Digitalization challenges the way in which business processes are seen. The potential for enhancement is even recognized in business areas that traditionally have little to do with IT. Even though universities have long-standing traditions of how work is organized, they have not been eager to adopt digitalized processes. Because core university processes rely on highly skilled experts, digitalizing processes are not as straightforward as they would be in more mechanical work. We developed an expert-oriented digitalization model (EXOD) for the digitalization of university processes and tested it using a case study. After digitalizing a core process, we interviewed the experts involved. The results show the usefulness and adaptability of the model. Based on the results, we recommend further studies to refine and test the model more comprehensively. In addition, based on the adaptability of the model, we recommend it as a baseline for university process digitalization projects in general.

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Societies are changing rapidly because of automation and digitalization, but local and global business environments are also becoming more volatile. Changing societies also place requirements on education: the number of atypical learners is growing all the time, and lifelong careers have been changed to lifelong learning. Traditional education approaches do not support part-time learners or lifelong learning; personalizing the learning process for every student separately is too laborious. In this paper, we study a flexible, personalized learning approach and an information system (Wihi) to support it. Wihi is a thesis management tool for students to plan and schedule their theses and for the thesis supervisor to centrally monitor the progress of different theses. In addition, it allows curriculum management to follow the whole thesis situation. Although Wihi was developed for a specific need, the personalized learning assumptions behind it are also applicable in other education cases.

Digitalization is relevant to all industries, and there are good reasons for it in education. While it is relatively easy to acquire a new information system, beneficial implementation and sustainable process improvements are more difficult to achieve. Here, we investigate how a digitalized thesis management process and a supporting information system have been adapted in a university and evaluate the success of the adaptation. The evaluation is based on data from a survey of thesis supervisors. The results show a high level of adaptation, indicating a good level of perceived usefulness, as well as a good level of perceived visual clarity and usability, indicating ease of use for the new information system. Also, the adaptation can be seen as successful, and the results provide confidence in the sustainability of the digitalized thesis management process. Based on this, we see usefulness and ease of use for this feasible approach to evaluating success in digitalization.

We are in the middle of rapid change in the fields of digitalization and automation. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the industry 4.0 work revolution by shifting people to a remote mode at work wherever it is possible. At the same time, the younger generations entering higher degree studies demand more personalized solutions in their learning paths. Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences has been developing a digitalized edtech tool Wihi to support students' personalized thesis process and help supervisors to monitor multiple thesis projects. Wihi represents new kind of process-centric philosophy where a student's learning process and a supervisor's process are combined. While used two academic years so far, it was time to review what has been achieved, and especially, how students perceive the support of the system and the approach it represents. To find that out, we conducted a survey with structured and openended questions. The target group was the students who were in the thesis writing process or had recently completed it. The results reveal that Wihi supports students' thesis project and enables personalized learning approach. However, Wihi's features are used in different efficacy and there are also some challenges to be taken into account in further development and research.