Economic feasibility of implementing teachers’ digital avatars in the higher education system

Abstract

The article provides a theoretical and analytical justification of the economic feasibility of implementing teachers’ digital avatars in the higher education system as an innovative component of the digital transformation of the educational and organizational environment. It highlights how digital avatars can expand the teaching functionality by enabling interactive communication, visualizing educational content, personalizing learning, and responding flexibly to students’ academic needs. A multi-level classification of digital avatar functions has been formulated, based on their level of complexity, from elementary representative actions to complex simulations of pedagogical interaction, and their level of maturity, from prototype models to cognitively adaptive systems based on artificial intelligence. It has been established that the prospects for integrating avatars are directly related to the development of generative AI technologies, the possibilities of virtualizing the learning environment, and the formation of mixed educational ecosystems. The main barriers to implementing teachers’ digital avatars have been analyzed, covering technical, financial, institutional, and human resource factors, including software complexity, limited compatibility with existing infrastructure, and a shortage of specialists. Based on an interdisciplinary approach, the conditions for ensuring the sustainable implementation of such innovations have been identified, among which the key ones are: strategic management of digital change, improving the digital competencies of staff, investing in IT infrastructure, and developing policies for the ethical use of AI in education. The experience of leading universities, particularly ETH Zurich, confirms the relevance of a proactive policy of introducing generative AI into the educational process, creating conditions for scaling innovation. Digital avatars are seen as an integral part of the academic ecosystem of a digital university, capable not only of transforming teaching activities and improving the quality, accessibility, and personalization of education. The research results form the basis for developing strategic decisions on implementing digital avatars in higher education practice and can be used to build institutional models of digital transformation.