Exploring the impact of digital technology in Indian higher education: a comprehensive analysis

PurposeThe study aims to analyze the relationship between teachers' information and communication technology (ICT) efficacy and the ICT environment in teaching-learning. For this, the current research attempts to explore and understand the role of ICT factors in higher education and develop a framework for future researchers to gain a substantial understanding of the teachers' ICT efficacy and ICT environment.Design/methodology/approachTeachers' ICT efficacy has been analyzed in three domains, i.e. technological, content and pedagogical. The ICT environment is measured on training aspects, ICT tools and administrative support. The researcher adopted purposive sampling as a part of the non-probability sampling technique. The questionnaire was circulated among the experts through e-mail to collect the required response sheets. The experts are working in different academic institutes in India, primarily from premier institutes of the country. It covers all the regions of the country, and 22 experts are taken in the research study for collecting the data. The study uses the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method to explore the link among identified factors and criteria through the expert's opinion method to achieve the set objectives within the Indian context.FindingsThe results indicate that the content efficacy of a teacher is pivotal to providing sound teaching-learning using digital tools and techniques. The developed model, measuring the cause-effect relationship based on the role of ICT efficacy of teachers in delivering teaching, will enable academic organizations to frame policies and strategies that will focus on enhancing teachers' competencies towards self and organizational growth.Originality/valueThe present research is one of the pioneering works that investigates the factors of ICT in higher education.