Structural transformations in higher education offerings: Modality transition, institutional heterogeneity

Abstract

The technologization of higher education has advanced unevenly among national systems, and research gaps persist on the mechanisms by which this transformation is institutionalized in the formal academic offer. In this framework, this study analyzes the evolution of the modalities of academic offer in Ecuadorian higher education over three consecutive time periods. To this end, a database of 8710 third and fourth level degrees officially registered in Ecuador was used, on which descriptive and inferential analyses were carried out. The results reveal a structural, cross-cutting and heterogeneous transformation, expressed in the progressive adoption of online and hybrid modalities and consolidated in the most recent period. Factors such as the level of education, the epistemological nature of the programs, the type of institutional funding, and the geographical location acted as modulating variables of change, either accelerating, slowing down, or postponing it. The findings of this study allow us to formulate a set of proposals aimed at strengthening the quality, equity and effectiveness of higher education in non-face-to-face modalities. The practical implications of the study are related to territorial equity policies in the distribution of academic offerings, differentiated digitization strategies according to the type of institutional funding, quality regulation, and the need to propose a strategic reconfiguration of institutional offerings.