Digital Governance in French Universities:Background,Evolutionary Process,and Paradigm
XU Lan,ZHANGYuyang,XU Bingna
Abstract：As digital technology permeates the higher education system,digital governance has become a crucial lever for French universities to respond to changes in the governance environment and enhance the quality of management and services.Since the 1990s,French universities have actively explored the empowerment of modernization of governance capacity and system through digital technology.This process is divided into three stages:the exploration phase centering on technological application,the establishment phase focusing on organizational restructuring,and the development phase based on the reconfiguration of concepts.French universities have developed a distinctive digital governance paradigm characterized by its governance objectives,organizational structure,participation mechanisms,monitoring mechanisms,and institutional norms.Under the dual influences of government leadership and university autonomy,French universities achieve the holistic and synergistic effects of digital governance,enhance the autonomy in formulating digital strategies,adhere to a people-centered digital governance philosophy,create a secure and transparent digital governance environment,and develop a digital governance model with the participation of diverse stakeholders.
Key words：French universities ; digital transformation ; university governance ; digital governance
Published in International and Comparative Education(《比较教育研究》), 2025, Issue 1.
