The Effect of Digital Technology Integration on Students’ Academic Performance through Project-Based Learning in an E-learning Environment

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a model to examine how digital technology integration contributes to the enhancement of students’ academic performance through project-based learning (PBL) amongst undergraduates in higher education. In this study, the technology acceptance model (TAM) was used as the basic model to explore the digital technology environment in terms of the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and attitude towards integrating digital technology and the influence of these factors on undergraduates' learning engagement and academic performance within PBL. Therefore, this study proposed a model comprising factors that assist in addressing the study objective. As the main data collection method, a questionnaire was developed to obtain relevant information regarding digital technology acceptance, PBL, students' learning engagement and academic performance. The study sample comprised 185 undergraduate students who were enrolled in a course that utilised PBL. A quantitative research method via structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data. The finding suggested that TAM-related factors and students’ learning engagement positively affect their academic performance when digital technology is integrated into the PBL environment.