Transformation of Higher Education Didactics in the Context of Digitalization: Challenges, Principles, and Risks

The digital transformation of higher education, accompanied by the introduction of artificial intelligence, has highlighted the need to revise key didactic principles. Classical didactics face the challenge of critically reflecting their categorical framework and adapting to new conditions. The purpose of this article is to identify, systematize, and conceptualize the challenges, principles, and risks of transforming didactics in a digital educational environment through a theoretical and methodological analysis of contemporary foreign and domestic research in this field. The scientific novelty of the study lies in substantiating an analytical model of the transformation of didactics based on the triad “challenges – principles – risks”; introducing a conceptual framework (“canon – argon”) that allows describing the degree and nature of the modernization of teaching methods; and developing a typology of risks that differentiates the threats of digitalization. The methodological framework is based on a systematic approach that allows considering didactics as a holistic structure, and an evolutionary approach that focuses on identifying the mechanisms of adapting classical didactic constructs to the new environment. As a result of the study, the ontological status of digital didactics has been determined as an evolutionary development of classical didactics rather than an independent scientific discipline. The “canon – argon” dichotomy has been substantiated, distinguishing between the invariant essence of teaching methods and their transformable instrumental component. A system of external and internal challenges has been identified, necessitating the revision of didactic principles. A typology of digital transformation risks has been proposed, including the risk of technocratization, operational risks, and social risks. The article updates the system of principles of digital didactics (personalization, gamification, inclusion, digital ethics, and security) and provides a criterion-based justification for their priority. The practical significance of the article lies in the fact that the proposed model and conceptual framework can serve as a basis for designing educational programs, methodological systems, and criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of digital transformation in higher education, ensuring a balanced combination of innovation and tradition.