Digital Transformation Empowering Faculty Development via Virtual Teaching and Research Offices

Abstract

Under the strategic background of the comprehensive and in-depth digital transformation of higher education, virtual teaching and research offices, as a new type of teaching and academic community that breaks through the boundaries of time, space, and organization, have become a key innovative path for empowering the professional development of university faculty. This study focuses on two core dimensions of virtual teaching and research offices: their knowledge innovation mechanism and their actual operational efficiency for faculty development. Through a hybrid research method, it systematically explores how virtual teaching and research offices, through cross- institutional activities such as course co-construction, resource sharing, and collaborative research, construct a dynamic ecosystem for knowledge generation and transformation, thereby effectively improving faculty's digital literacy, teaching and research capabilities, and collaborative education effectiveness. The study aims to reveal the internal logic and key influencing factors of the successful operation of virtual teaching and research offices, providing a solid theoretical basis and operable practical guidelines for universities and education management departments to optimize digital faculty development models and build a sustainable new teaching and research ecosystem.