Investigating the Impact of Education 4.0 and Digital Learning on Students’ Learning Outcomes in Engineering: A Four-Year Multiple-Case Study

Education 4.0 and digital learning have led to a technology-driven transformation in educational methodologies and the roles of teachers, primarily at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). From an educational standpoint, the extant literature on Education 4.0 highlights its technological features and benefits; however, there is a lack of studies that assess its impact on students’ learning outcomes. Seemingly, Education 4.0 features are taken for granted, as if the technology in itself were enough to guarantee students’ learning, self-efficacy, and engagement. Seeking to address this lack, this study describes the implications of tailoring Education 4.0 tenets and digital learning in an engineering curriculum. Four case studies conducted in the last four years with 119 students are presented, in which technologies such as digital twins, a Modular Production System (MPS), low-cost robotics, 3D printing, generative AI, machine learning, and mobile learning were integrated. With these case studies, an educational methodology with active learning, hands-on activities, and continuous teacher support was designed and deployed to foster cognitive and affective learning outcomes. A mixed-methods study was conducted, utilizing students’ grades, surveys, and semi-structured interviews to assess the approach’s impact. The outcomes suggest that including Education 4.0 tenets and digital learning can enhance discipline-based skills, creativity, self-efficacy, collaboration, and self-directed learning. These results were obtained not only via the technological features but also through the incorporation of reflective teaching that provided several educational resources and oriented the methodology for students’ learning and engagement. The results of this study can help complement the concept of Education 4.0, helping to find a student-centered approach and conceiving a balance between technology, teaching practices, and cognitive and affective learning outcomes.