Digital transformation has become a transversal phenomenon affecting all organizations, including universities, alongside the rise of new remote modes of work. In the French higher education context, Responsible Digital Transformation takes on specific significance, as the system has shifted from state and professional regulation toward a stronger knowledge economy orientation (Mocquet, 2024). Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this transition required institutions to adopt digital technologies at unprecedented speed, supporting both teaching and research activities (Faridi et al., 2020). It highlighted the importance of robust data governance, essential for addressing technological demands and advancing sustainability goals, particularly through resource optimization.
Yet, digital transformation in French universities remains an unfinished and exploratory process, shaped by technological acceleration and tensions with sustainability. Few studies address how responsible digital practices are implemented in universities. Moreover, digital transformation generates a digital divide among students and faculty (Collin, 2013; Lemieux, 20221). How do students perceive and adapt to these changes? This study explores student perceptions of responsible digital transformation by identifying adaptive practices with digital tools, examining environmental awareness related to digital use, and contributing to reflections on sustainable digital strategies.
Funded by the multidisciplinary "TNR" chair at the University of Haute-Alsace, this qualitative study was conducted in spring 2025. Twenty-seven management students participated: 12 undergraduates, 15 master's students, and 15 in work-study placements. Data were analyzed using Nvivo software.
Results highlight several insights: digital technologies sustain pedagogical continuity, enable knowledge transmission, enhance student success, and foster employability. However, challenges persist: a digital divide remains, stemming from unequal access to equipment and skills. Environmental awareness is growing but limited, while eco-responsible practices are sporadic and lack strategic integration.
Preliminary findings underscore the distinctiveness of responsible digital transformation in higher education and its theoretical relevance to frameworks such as transformative learning and the digital divide.