The findings revealed six (6) significant themes

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the limitations and recommendations of the source papers, classified as general, spanning 6 journals. Those papers have been cited 1 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 8 representative gaps

• Digital Learning, Educational Equity, and Sustainable Development in Rural Higher Education: A Qualitative Study of Learning Management System Use in South Africa (2026) · International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research · cited 1× · doi

  The researchers acknowledge the multiple limitations of their work, which affect how results should be understood. First, the study used qualitative methods and a single rural university as its research site, which limits the applicability of the results to other rural and urban higher education institutions with different institutional environments, resource distributions, and student population characteristics. The study relies on self-reported experiences, as participants reported them through their learning management system and digital literacy abilities, because recollection difficulties and social acceptance needs affected how they described their experiences. The research includes student perspectives, which provide valuable information, but the study lacks essential data from academic staff, institutional leadership, and technical support staff who experienced operational challenges across policy, teaching, and infrastructure systems. The research design presents data from a single point in time, omitting information on how institutional support, digital skills, and infrastructure enhancements evolved over the research period. The research needs to use multi-site approaches which incorporate various research methods and track developments over time to study sustainable and fair digital learning systems in rural higher education environments.

  generallimitationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: rural institutional digital single site higher education environments student reported experiences learning needs information staff
• Digital Pathways to Sustainable Education: A Qualitative Analysis of ICT Integration in Teaching and Learning (2026) · Amitrakshar International Journal of Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Research · doi

  Based on the findings and analysis, the following recommendations are proposed for the effective integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): ➢ Strengthening Digital Infrastructure: Governments and educational institutions should invest in developing robust digital infrastructure, including reliable internet connectivity, access to digital devices, and technological support systems. This is particularly important for rural and underprivileged areas to bridge the digital divide. ➢ Promoting Teacher Training and Capacity Building: Continuous professional development programs should be organized to enhance teachers’ digital competencies and pedagogical skills. Training should focus on the effective use of ICT tools in teaching sustainability concepts and fostering learner engagement. ➢ Integrating ICT into Curriculum Design : ICT should be systematically incorporated into curriculum frameworks to support sustainability education. Curriculum planners should ensure that digital tools are aligned with learning objectives related to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. ➢ Ensuring Equitable Access to Technology: Efforts should be made to ensure inclusive access to ICT resources for all learners, regardless of socio-economic background. Policies should aim to reduce inequalities by providing affordable or free access to digital tools and learning platforms. ➢ Encouraging the Use of Open Educational Resources (OER) :The use of open and freely accessible educational resources should be promoted to enhance learning opportunities. OER can support flexible, cost-effective, and inclusive education for sustainable development. ➢ Enhancing Collaboration and Partnerships: Educational institutions should collaborate with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and international bodies such as UNESCO to promote the effective use of ICT in ESD. Such partnerships can facilitate knowledge sharing and resource development. ➢ Fostering Research and Innovation: Further research should be encouraged to explore innovative ways of integrating ICT in sustainability education. Emphasis should be placed on context-specific solutions, particularly in developing countries. ➢ Addressing Cybersecurity and Ethical Concerns: Appropriate measures should be taken to ensure data privacy, cybersecurity, and ethical use of digital technologies in education. Awareness programs should be conducted to promote responsible digital behavior among learners. ➢ Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms: Regular monitoring and evaluation systems should be established to assess the effectiveness of ICT integration in ESD. Feedback mechanisms can help in improving policies and practices over time.

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: digital education effective development educational access sustainability support tools curriculum ensure learning resources integration technology
• Effect of Virtual Learning on the Academic Achievement of Basic Science Students in Yenagoa Local Government Area (2026) · International Journal of Advanced Academic Research · doi

  1. Educational institutions and teachers should adopt the use of virtual learning as an alternative when physical lessons are not possible rather than halting the while educational process like during floods 2. Government and educational stakeholders should create training opportunities for teachers to effectively make use of virtual platforms to carry out Instruction 3. Government and other stakeholders should provide resources to support digital or virtual learning as when needed, including devices, internet access, and software. 4. Teachers and educational institutions should combine virtual learning with traditional instruction to leverage the strengths of both approaches. 5. Alternative approaches for virtual learning should be explored to enhance students' achievement.

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: virtual educational learning teachers institutions alternative government stakeholders instruction approaches adopt physical lessons possible rather
• Training Needs Assessment for Teachers on ICT and AI in 21st Century Inclusive Classrooms (2026) · Journal of Education and Training Studies · doi

  We suggest to start a province-wide, competency-based Continuous Professional Development programme, organized into three progressive levels, namely, basic, intermediate and advanced, all in accordance with modern pedagogical demands, including ICT-based integration, AI-based lesson planning and inclusive digital pedagogies. Pragmatic modules ought to be demonstrated to be applicable and modules must be linked to professional certification and promotion credits to instill accountability and long-term sustainability. 2. It is necessary to create the District ICT-AI Support Cells one in each district, and its foundation is QAED/DEA. These units would be offering on-demand technical support, guidance to assistive technologies, such as screen readers, augmentative and alternative communication tools, captioning and accessible formats, and ease coaching visits to schools, which lowers the reliance on ad-hoc teacher troubleshooting. 3. There is a strategic necessity to prioritise under-resourced institutions, especially the rural ones. A basic infrastructure package must be provided, including practicable, reliable broadband and back-up power options, projection or smart-display technologies, teacher laptops or tablets, and other necessary accessibility tools, and should be introduced to inclusive schools and special-education integrated clusters. The phased roll-out of this kind will reduce the digital divide. 4. A Punjab-specific AI-in-Education policy should tackle the privacy of data, student safety, academic honesty and bias reduction. Such principles must be used to guide specific education to the headteachers and teachers about the responsible use of AI by ensuring that parental consent is taken where necessary. The focus must be on the implementation of approved AI applications in the planning of lessons and their availability without uncontrolled utilization, which will lead to unethical practices and bias. 187 Journal of Education and Training Studies Vol. 14, No.

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: must education based necessary professional basic including planning inclusive digital modules district support technologies tools
• ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND COMPETENCY LEVEL AMONG PUBLIC SECONDARY TEACHERS: BASIS FOR A FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (2026) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi

  1. School heads may institutionalize and promote school culture that has continuous and targeted professional development programs that address varying levels of technological competence among teachers, particularly focusing on older teachers and those with longer years of teaching experience who exhibit lower levels of competence and acceptance. 2. Implementation of the proposed structured faculty development program, prioritizing training on learning management systems, online assessment tools, multimedia content creation, virtual teaching platforms, and ethical use of artificial intelligence to sustain and improve existing competencies. 3. Training initiatives should be differentiated and flexible to accommodate teachers’ age, years of experience, and frequency of technology use, ensuring that professional levels. development activities are to varying needs and skill responsive 4. Teachers may be encouraged to consistently and intentionally use educational technology in their instructional practices, as frequent use was found to be associated with higher levels of competence and acceptance. 5. School leaders may continue to strengthen facilitating conditions by ensuring access to adequate technological resources, stable internet connectivity, and ongoing technical support to maintain teachers’ high level of acceptance and readiness to use technology. 6. Schools may promote peer mentoring and collaborative learning among teachers to support colleagues who may need additional guidance, thereby fostering a culture of shared learning and continuous improvement. 7. Future studies may explore other factors influencing teachers’ technological competence and acceptance, such as access to resources, self-efficacy, school culture, and resistance in embracing the teaching-learning process.

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: teachers school levels competence acceptance learning culture development technological teaching technology promote continuous professional varying
• Digital Technology Utilisation and Career Readiness Among Educational Technology Students in Tai Solarin University Of Education (2026) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi

  Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made: 1. Integration of Digital Skills into Curriculum Universities should systematically integrate relevant digital technology skills such as data analysis, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, user experience design, and cloud computing into the Educational Technology curriculum. This directly addresses the study’s finding that these competencies are essential for career readiness. 2. Emphasis on Practical and Experiential Learning Lecturers and academic departments should adopt practice-oriented teaching approaches that promote active utilisation of digital technologies through project-based learning, simulations, and real-world tasks. This is necessary given the study’s finding that utilisation, not mere access, significantly influences career readiness. 3. Provision and Effective Use of Digital Infrastructure University management should not only invest in up-to-date digital infrastructure but also ensure that these facilities are actively utilised by students through structured academic KIJER 3(2) 278 Kontagora International Journal of Educational Research (KIJER) Volume 3, Issue 2, March 2026 https://fuekjournals.org/index.php/kijer activities. This aligns with the established significant relationship between digital technology utilisation and career readiness.

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: digital technology career readiness utilisation kijer based skills curriculum educational finding learning academic infrastructure following
• Utilizing Digital Tools for Enhancing Teaching and Learning of Science Education in University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria (2026) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi

  In light of the findings, the following recommendations were made: 1. The University of Maiduguri should invest more in ICT infrastructure, including stable electricity supply, reliable internet connectivity, and modern digital teaching facilities, to create an enabling environment for digital learning. 2. Regular training workshops and seminars should be organized for both lecturers and students to build competence in the effective use of digital tools for Science Education teaching and learning. 3. Digital tools and resources should be integrated into the Science Education curriculum to ensure that their use is aligned with instructional objectives and learning outcomes. 4. Context-specific digital resources should be developed to reflect local realities, examples, and languages, making the tools more relatable and effective for students in Maiduguri. 5. The University management should formulate and enforce policies that encourage and reward lecturers for adopting digital pedagogy, while also providing technical support to reduce workload and resistance.

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: digital learning tools kijer university maiduguri teaching lecturers students effective science education resources light following
• Utilisation of digital educational technology amongst undergraduate nursing students in the Western Cape (2026) · Health SA Gesondheid · doi

  Institutions should develop and implement a competency- based digital literacy framework that progressively builds students’ technological proficiency beyond basic tool usage towards meaningful educational engagement and addresses the prevalent technical barriers identified by students. They should promote social and collaborative learning tools to encourage the use of discussion forums and peer-collaborative platforms through curriculum design and educator facilitation. They should integrate immersive technologies to increase access to and training on virtual reality/Augmented reality (VR/AR) tools in clinical simulations, as these are underused despite their pedagogical benefits. They should provide targeted support based on demographic needs, address gender- and year-specific concerns through tailored workshop sessions to build digital confidence and reduce resistance. They should foster teacher presence in digital environments to strengthen the visibility and engagement of educators in online platforms to combat feelings of loss, particularly amongst senior students. They should conduct further research using qualitative studies to explore the reasons behind the constrains, gendered perceptions and year level differences in digital educational technology use would provide deeper insights for policy and practice.

  generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5
  Keywords: digital students based educational engagement collaborative tools platforms reality provide year institutions develop implement competency

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