Reframing Smart Campus Assessment for the Global South: Insights from Papua New Guinea

Ken Polin, Tan Yigitcanlar (), Mark Limb, Tracy Washington, Fahimeh Golbababei and Alexander Paz
Additional contact information
Ken Polin: School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Tan Yigitcanlar: School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Mark Limb: School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Tracy Washington: School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Fahimeh Golbababei: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
Alexander Paz: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 14, 1-31

Abstract: Higher-education institutions are increasingly embracing digital transformation to meet the evolving expectations of students, academics, and administrators. The smart campus paradigm offers a strategic framework for this shift, yet most existing assessment models originate from high-income contexts and remain largely untested in the Global South, where infrastructural and technological conditions differ substantially. This study addresses this gap by evaluating the contextual relevance of a comprehensive smart campus assessment framework at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT). A questionnaire survey of 278 participants—students and staff—was conducted using a 5-point Likert scale to assess the perceived importance of performance indicators across four key dimensions: Smart Economy, Smart Society, Smart Environment, and Smart Governance. A hybrid methodology combining the Best–Worst Method (BWM) and Public Opinion (PO) data was used to prioritise framework components. The research hypothesises that contextual factors predominantly influence the framework’s relevance in developing countries and asks: To what extent is the smart campus assessment framework relevant and adaptable in the Global South? The study aims to measure the framework’s relevance and identify contextual influences shaping its application. The findings confirm its overall applicability while revealing significant variations in stakeholder priorities, emphasising the need for context-sensitive and adaptable assessment tools. This research contributes to the refinement of smart campus frameworks and supports more inclusive and responsive digital transformation strategies in developing country higher education institutions.

Keywords: smart campus; smart learning environments; higher education institute; university; digital transformation; technology adoption; user preferences; developing country context; assessment framework; Global South; Papua New Guinea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/14/6369/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/14/6369/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:14:p:6369-:d:1699815

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().