The Impact of President Digital Leadership on Lecturer Technology Usage: The Mediating Role of Lecturer Digital Competence

Abstract

Information Industry Revolution 4.0 brings opportunities and challenges for university. In the context of educational digital transformation, the requirement for presidents and lecturers have changed. In response to the need for university presidents to foster and upskill lecturers digital competence and technology usage, this study examined the direct impact of president digital leadership on lecturer technology usage, and also examine how lecturer digital competence mediates this relationship in Jilin Province, China, analyzing by using structural equation modeling through SmartPLS 4.0 software. Findings reveal that president digital leadership has a moderate direct effect on lecturer technology usage. Meanwhile, lecturer digital competence do act as a mediating role on this relationship. However, not all the dimensions of lecturer digital competence mediating the relationship. The study implicates that with ongoing training to improve lecturer digital competence, universities will cope with the complex challenges brought by the digital age and could better enable universities to promote digital transformation.