Student-Led Digital Ecosystems in Humanities: A Mixed-Methods E-Learning Study
Downloads
The rapid advancement of digital technology has transformed higher education by creating new possibilities for student-centred and participatory learning environments. However, humanities education continues to face challenges related to student engagement, digital adaptation, and the relevance of traditional learning approaches in the digital era. This study aims to examine how a student-led digital ecosystem functions as a technology-enhanced learning environment and how participation in digital platforms contributes to students’ learning outcomes. This research employed a convergent mixed-methods design involving both quantitative and qualitative data collection. The participants consisted of 50 undergraduate and postgraduate students selected through purposive sampling from the PG and Research Department of English at St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli, India. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, open-ended feedback, and platform engagement records, which were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings indicate that student-led digital platforms, including digital publishing, podcasts, mobile applications, and social media, effectively support learning through content creation, collaboration, and active participation. Students reported improvements in communication skills, digital literacy, creativity, confidence, and teamwork. The study concludes that student-driven digital ecosystems can serve as sustainable and inclusive models of technology-enhanced learning, particularly in resource-constrained higher education contexts. This research contributes to digital pedagogy by demonstrating that meaningful digital transformation depends not only on technological infrastructure but also on student agency, collaborative practices, and contextually relevant learning design.
Arruabarrena, Rosa et al. 2019. “Integration of Good Practices of Active Methodologies with the Reuse of Student-Generated Content.” International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 16(1): 10.
Arruabarrena, R., et al. (2019). Integration of good practices of active methodologies with the reuse of student-generated content. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 16(1), 10.
Barbetta, P. M. (2023). Technologies as tools to increase active learning during online higher-education instruction. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 51(3), 317–339.
Bates, A. W. (2019). Teaching in a digital age (2nd ed.). Tony Bates Associates Ltd. https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/
Bolliger, D. U., & Martin, F. (2018). Instructor and student perceptions of online student engagement strategies. Distance Education, 39(4), 568–583. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2018.1520041
Chtena, A. (2019). From codex to bits: Discourses, practices and materialities in the open textbook phenomenon (Doctoral dissertation). University of California, Los Angeles.
Chubko, N., Morris, J. E., McKinnon, D. H., Slater, E. V., & Lummis, G. W. (2020). Digital storytelling as a disciplinary literacy enhancement tool for EFL students. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(6), 3587–3604. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09833-x
Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2020). Multimodal learning and pedagogy. Cambridge University Press.
De Feo, G. (2025). Engaging environmental education for sustainable waste management—The Greenopoli education framework. Recycling, 11(1), 2.
Dera, J. (2024). BookTok: A narrative review of current literature and directions for future research. Literature Compass, 21(11), e70012. https://doi.org/10.1111/lic3.70012
Gros, B., & García-Peñalvo, F. J. (2016). Future trends in the design strategies and technological affordances of e-learning. In Springer.
Gunderson, J. L., & Cumming, T. M. (2022). Podcasting in higher education as a component of Universal Design for Learning: A systematic review of the literature. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60(4), 583–593. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2022.2075430
Johinke, R. (2020). Social production as authentic assessment: Wikipedia, digital writing, and hope labour. Studies in Higher Education, 45(5), 1015–1025.
Martens, M., Balling, G., & Higgason, K. A. (2022). #BookTokMadeMeReadIt: Young adult reading communities across an international, sociotechnical landscape. Information and Learning Sciences, 123(11/12), 705–722. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-04-2022-0050
McCormack, S., & Baron, P. (2023). The impact of employability on humanities, arts and social sciences degrees in Australia. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 22(2), 164–182. https://doi.org/10.1177/14740222231156888
Moore, T. (2024). Pedagogy, podcasts, and politics: What role does podcasting have in planning education? Journal of Planning Education and Research, 44(3), 1134–1147.
Munna, M. S. H., Hossain, M. R., & Saylo, K. R. (2024). Digital education revolution: Evaluating LMS-based learning and traditional approaches. Journal of Innovative Technology Convergence, 6(2).
Poore, M. (2015). Using social media in the classroom: A best practice guide.
Razmi, M., & Afzali, M. (2021). Digital storytelling as a means of literature learning in online environments. Computers in the Schools, 38(1), 73–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2021.1873680
Ruslan, M., Lyesmaya, D., Barkah, & Thakur, I. (2025). Reading in the scroll era: Generation Z's digital literacy in a culture of quick forgetfulness. Tadris: Jurnal Keguruan dan Ilmu Tarbiyah, 10(2), 637–648. https://doi.org/10.24042/tadris.v10i1.28690
Selfa Sastre, M., & Falguera Garcia, E. (2022). From text on paper to digital poetry: Creativity and digital literary reading practices in initial teacher education. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 882898. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.882898
Selwyn, N. (2016). Education and technology: Key issues and debates. Bloomsbury Academic.
Tushar, H., & Sooraksa, N. (2023). Global employability skills in the 21st century workplace: A semi-systematic literature review. Heliyon, 9(10), e21023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21023
Wu, J. (2025). E-learning management systems in higher education: Features of the application at a Chinese vs. European University. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 16(1), 5025–5055.
Copyright (c) 2026 prasanth, Alagu Revathi L, Cohiran J
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International. that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
