Modelling leadership capacity for digital curriculum transformation and students’ engagement: A mediated model based on the advanced higher education framework

Khaled Mohammad Alomari; Ahmed Mahade; Safwan Maghaydah; Abdallah Elmahi

doi:10.30935/cedtech/18903

Khaled Mohammad Alomari ¹ ^* , Ahmed Mahade ², Safwan Maghaydah ¹, Abdallah Elmahi ³

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CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 18, Issue 3, Article No: ep671

https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18903

Submitted: 23 March 2026, Published Online: 01 July 2026

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Abstract

This study examines how leadership capacity drives digital transformation in higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), guided by the Advance HE (2025) framework for leading in higher education (HE). Using a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design supplemented by structured multiple-response items, the authors surveyed 283 academic staff and leaders and analyzed the data with partial least squares-structural equation modelling. Leadership knowledge and digital literacy, leadership values and mindsets, and institutional digital strategies and support significantly predicted faculty willingness to adopt technology. Faculty willingness mediated the association between leadership capacity and digital curriculum transformation, which in turn related to stronger student engagement and learning outcomes. Structured section 8 responses highlighted workload pressures, infrastructure constraints, and data-privacy concerns, as well as the importance of vision-led leadership and sustained institutional support. The findings suggest that sustainable digital transformation depends less on technology availability alone than on coherent leadership, faculty readiness, and curriculum-centered reform. The study offers practical implications for aligning governance, professional development, and policy in UAE HE.

Keywords: digital transformation, leadership, faculty willingness, curriculum innovation, advance HE framework, UAE

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Citation

Alomari, K. M., Mahade, A., Maghaydah, S., & Elmahi, A. (2026). Modelling leadership capacity for digital curriculum transformation and students’ engagement: A mediated model based on the advanced higher education framework. Contemporary Educational Technology, 18(3), Article ep671. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18903

Alomari, K. M., Mahade, A., Maghaydah, S., and Elmahi, A. (2026). Modelling leadership capacity for digital curriculum transformation and students’ engagement: A mediated model based on the advanced higher education framework. Contemporary Educational Technology, 18(3), ep671. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18903

Alomari KM, Mahade A, Maghaydah S, Elmahi A. Modelling leadership capacity for digital curriculum transformation and students’ engagement: A mediated model based on the advanced higher education framework. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2026;18(3), ep671. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18903

Alomari, Khaled Mohammad, Ahmed Mahade, Safwan Maghaydah, and Abdallah Elmahi. "Modelling leadership capacity for digital curriculum transformation and students’ engagement: A mediated model based on the advanced higher education framework". Contemporary Educational Technology 2026 18 no. 3 (2026): ep671. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18903

Alomari, Khaled Mohammad et al. "Modelling leadership capacity for digital curriculum transformation and students’ engagement: A mediated model based on the advanced higher education framework". Contemporary Educational Technology, vol. 18, no. 3, 2026, ep671. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18903

Alomari KM, Mahade A, Maghaydah S, Elmahi A. Modelling leadership capacity for digital curriculum transformation and students’ engagement: A mediated model based on the advanced higher education framework. CONT ED TECHNOLOGY. 2026;18(3):ep671. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/18903