Digital transformation is reshaping higher education, driving the adoption of online and blended learning platforms worldwide. Despite substantial investments in digital technologies, student adoption remains uneven and engagement often falls short, highlighting critical gaps in understanding the factors that enable effective digital learning. This study examines the technological, individual and institutional determinants that drive student adoption and sustained engagement.
This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 99 empirical studies conducted between 2020 and 2025 across diverse geographic and cultural contexts, examining how students perceive and adopt digital transformation initiatives in higher education institutions.
The review reveals that technological factors (e.g. perceived usefulness, ease of use and system quality) interact with individual factors (e.g. motivation, attitude and skills) and institutional factors (e.g. support and infrastructure) to influence behavioral outcomes such as adoption, engagement and intention to continue online learning. While dominant theoretical frameworks, including the technology acceptance model (TAM), unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and theory of planned behavior, remain widely applied, recent trends favor hybrid models integrating cognitive, affective, and contextual dimensions. Persistence gaps include overreliance on TAM, limited exploration of socio-emotional and cross-cultural factors and scarcity of longitudinal studies.
By synthesizing contemporary evidence this study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding digital adoption in higher education integrating behavioral, cognitive, and affective dimensions. It offers both theoretical and practical insights, guiding policymakers, educators and platform designers in enhancing engagement, usability and sustained adoption. This review supports equitable, effective, and long-term implementation of digital tools, fostering meaningful learning, bridging digital inequities and enabling innovation in higher education worldwide.
