Boundary-Spanning and Sustainability in the Digital Higher Education Space: A Case Study of Anadolu University

Abstract

This research explores how boundary-spanning efforts in higher education can be expanded through the digital space and contribute to sustainability in higher education. By employing a qualitative case study design, we examine the journey of a Turkish public university's open education faculty, focusing on how the university has leveraged its open education mission and the developments in digital space to span boundaries and contribute to societal development constantly. Alongside reviewing institutional documents, we interviewed with 12 faculty members at the case institution. Benefitting from an inductive descriptive thematic analysis approach, we categorised related strategies and experiences into three themes: key agents, drivers and challenges and sustainability. The findings reveal that universities can better position themselves in the digital education space if the leadership embraces a clear vision regarding digital evolvement. Also, national regulations influence the digital development of universities and lead them to push boundaries in generating new teaching-learning, research and service platforms. Our research demonstrates that by enhancing digital environments and online technologies, universities can extend their collaboration with different stakeholders and maintain boundary-spanning efforts to improve their societal contribution. Further discussions and recommendations are made on the role of digital space in boundary spanning and sustainability in higher education.