Digital avatar as an economic asset of the university

Abstract

The article provides a theoretical and methodological substantiation of the conceptualization of a teacher’s digital avatar as an intangible economic asset in the ecosystem of a digital university. The essence, structural components, and functional connections of the avatar with key university subsystems are defined, and its role in forming value propositions and transforming data and pedagogical expertise into economic results is demonstrated. It is argued that the combination of data, AI algorithms, and institutional management mechanisms ensures the transition from fragmented digitalization to controlled digital capital of the university. The existing approaches to digital transformation of education and platformization are analyzed, and their limitations regarding economic identification and measurement of the effects of digital assets are outlined. A framework for evaluating a teacher’s digital avatar is proposed, taking into account the identifiability of the asset, the manageability of the model lifecycle (design – training – validation – deployment – monitoring/audit – update), privacy-by-design requirements, explainability, and intellectual property. A generalized map of economic value is presented with metrics of causal attribution of impact on income, costs, quality of educational outcomes, and risks. It has been demonstrated that a teacher’s digital avatar as a virtual pedagogical agent based on AI provides personalization of learning, scalability of 1:N interaction, reduction of service transaction costs, acceleration of course development, and strengthening of the university’s brand due to the network effects of an integrated digital infrastructure. It has been proven that institutionalizing the avatar as an asset (legal regime, data policies, management accounting, KPIs, external quality audit) creates the foundation for sustainable monetization and long-term competitiveness. The research results confirm the feasibility of transitioning to an ecosystem model of a digital university, in which a teacher’s digital avatar is the core of value creation and intellectual capital reproduction. Practical recommendations have been formulated regarding the phased implementation (from pilots to scaling), integration with internal systems, and the establishment of evidence-informed management metrics.