From Resistance to Resilience: Organizational Learning and Digital Transformation in Higher Education Under Crisis

Periods of crisis often accelerate digital transformation in higher education institutions, forcing the rapid adoption of educational technologies such as learning management systems, digital assessment platforms, and video conferencing tools. While existing research has extensively examined emergency responses, less attention has been given to how these technologies evolve from short-term solutions into sustained institutional infrastructures that support long-term organizational learning and digital capability development. This study investigates how educational technologies were mobilized and selectively institutionalized during a crisis-driven disruption in a higher education institution. Using a longitudinal institutional case study based on operational platform data, assessment records, support service logs, and institutional documentation, the study analyzes patterns of resistance (limited digital embedding), accelerated adoption, and post-crisis consolidation of digitally mediated practices across teaching, assessment, and academic support activities. The findings show that educational technologies evolved from peripheral instructional tools into core institutional infrastructures supporting teaching, assessment, academic coordination, and content management. These processes fostered organizational learning and contributed to the development of sustained digital capabilities and institutional resilience. Based on these findings, the study proposes an empirically grounded Institutional Digital Transformation Model that conceptualizes crisis-driven digital transformation as a phased process linking technology adoption, organizational learning, and institutional resilience. The model offers a conceptual and practical framework for understanding and guiding sustainable digital transformation in higher education institutions.