What is Digital Learning Tools

Today, higher education is experiencing significant changes in its recruitment, retention, graduation, and accreditation. Faculty professional development is considered a key for the success of Generation Z students. As a result, faculty are interested to modify their teaching environment. More and more faculty are flipping their traditional courses and offering either hybrid or online courses. Blended learning means that students receive instruction in both face-to-face and online environments. Embedded within the concept is an assumption that blended teaching environments also give students some control over the pace, flow, or focus of their learning activities. Also, blended learning prepares students for full online courses. Research indicates that empowering students to have organization in their education leads to many positive outcomes, including that students do better in inequality of access situations, are able to personalize their learning and achieve regardless of ability, and build dispositional skills, such as executive functioning, perseverance, self-awareness, and tolerance for uncertainty, that many believe are necessary to thrive in current and future societies. This chapter explains current practices and the potential of digital learning initiatives to teach Generation Z in the technology-driven world.