The Effectiveness of Digital Development in University Ideological and Political Education from the Perspective of Symbiosis Theory

Abstract

This study addresses critical challenges in the digital transformation of ideological and political education (IPE) in Chinese universities—namely, insufficient interdepartmental collaboration and fragmented allocation of digital resources. Applying symbiosis theory, the research provides both theoretical underpinnings and practical pathways for systematically advancing digital IPE under the national educational digitalization strategy. Key independent variables were defined: digital resource investment (measured by annual budget for digital platforms and content development), symbiotic relationship intensity (captured through frequency of cross-departmental collaboration and data sharing), and teacher-student engagement (indicated by average weekly active usage of digital IPE tools). Dependent variables included educational outcomes (e.g., student learning satisfaction and knowledge retention scores) and mechanism operational efficiency (e.g., response time to pedagogical adjustments and resource utilization rate). A multiple linear regression model was constructed using survey and system-log data collected from 12 universities in Zhejiang Province, yielding 1,248 valid respondent records (students and IPE instructors) after data cleaning, covering a full academic year (2023–2024). The regression model showed good fit (adjusted R² = 0.732 for educational outcomes, adjusted R² = 0.698 for operational efficiency). All three independent variables exerted significant positive effects: digital resource investment (β = 0.284, p < 0.01), symbiotic relationship intensity (β = 0.417, p < 0.001), and teacher-student engagement (β = 0.203, p < 0.05). Symbiotic relationship intensity had the strongest influence, confirming that collaborative, mutually beneficial interactions among administrative units, IT departments, and teaching staff are the most powerful driver of both educational effectiveness and process efficiency. The findings verify that a symbiosis‑based collaborative education mechanism significantly enhances the quality of university IPE. For practice, universities should prioritize building cross‑functional symbiotic networks and shared digital ecosystems over merely increasing hardware investment. This study provides clear, evidence‑based directions for optimizing the digital development of ideological and political education in higher education institutions.