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REVIEW article

Front. Educ.

Sec. Digital Learning Innovations

Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1562391

Digital learning in the 21st century: trends, challenges, and innovations in technology integration

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
  • 3 Gongqing College of Nanchang University, Jiujiang, Hebei Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The integration of digital technologies into education represents a significant evolution in the pedagogical landscape, with the potential to enhance accessibility, engagement, and personalization in learning. This review synthesizes current trends, challenges, and innovations within digital learning, emphasizing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and online platforms on student achievement. It highlights the importance of addressing technical, pedagogical, and socioeconomic challenges to ensure equitable access to technology.Successful initiatives like the Open University illustrate digital learning's potential to improve educational outcomes. The review also anticipates future directions, including the expanding role of AI, VR, mobile learning, and blockchain in education. It concludes with strategic recommendations for educators and policymakers to adopt best practices, prioritize infrastructure development, and focus on continuous professional development to leverage the benefits of digital learning. As education enters an era of digital transformation, a collaborative approach among stakeholders will be essential in creating an inclusive and effective learning environment for the future.

    Keywords: Adaptive learning systems, Artificial intelligence in education, Digital learning, Educational Technology, E-learning platforms

    Received: 17 Jan 2025; Accepted: 14 Mar 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Zou, Kuek, Feng and Cheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Florence Kuek, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    Wenqin Feng, Gongqing College of Nanchang University, Jiujiang, Hebei Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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