A Proposed Perspective to Improve Practicing of Heads of Academic Departments at Al-Istiqlal University Concerning the Digital Leadership Dimensions

Abstract

The research aimed to present a proposed vision to improve the practices of the heads of academic departments at Al-Istiqlal University Concerning the Digital Leadership Dimensions. The descriptive approach was used to reveal the reality of the practices of academic department heads at the university regarding the dimensions of digital leadership. A questionnaire was applied to a sample of 107 members, using a comprehensive survey method for the study population, which consists of 142 members. The research results showed that the degree of practice of academic department heads in digital leadership dimensions was "high," with an arithmetic mean of (3.70). The study revealed that the dimension of "Future Leadership" ranked first with a mean of (3.72), followed by the dimension of "Digital Age Learning Culture" in second place with a mean of (3.75). Meanwhile, "Systematic Development and Improvement" ranked third with a mean of (2.68), followed by "Digital Citizenship" in fourth place with a mean of (2.67). Lastly, "Technology-Driven Professional Development" ranked fifth, showing a "weak" level of practice with an arithmetic mean of (2.5). The research results also revealed the presence of statistically significant differences at the significance level (0.01) based on the administrative position variable in favor of the category of those holding a position. However, no statistically significant differences were found at the significance level (0.01) based on gender and years of experience. One of the main recommendations of the study was the need for growth and systematic improvement in digital leadership methodologies, as well as the importance of digital citizenship and technology-driven professional development for academic department heads. Moreover, future research efforts should focus on expanding knowledge about digital leadership dimensions in various academic environments to improve the transition of education to the digital landscape.