Digital maturity of universities. A research concept and an introductory study

The aim of this paper is twofold: firstly, to present a concept for researching the digital maturity (DM) of public universities in Poland, and secondly, to outline the results of an introductory study in this field. The research concept proposed consists of two steps: a preliminary study and a main study. In the preliminary study, we conducted an initial literature review, identified DM elements for further analysis, and carried out an introductory study on DM at two selected universities. In the subsequent main step, we intend to utilize the results of the introductory study to conduct an in-depth analysis of DM models proposed in relevant literature, with the goal of designing a questionnaire survey and carrying out the main study procedure, with the ultimate aim of developing a DM model for universities in Poland, and potentially worldwide. Additionally, this paper presents the outcomes of the introductory study conducted in January 2024, indicating significant differences in DM between the two selected universities, although certain areas of common practice can be identified.