DIGITALIZATION IN TEACHING AND LEARNING: IMPACT ON STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

Digitization has revolutionized the process of teaching and learning worldwide and in the post-pandemic world. The incorporation of technological applications like Learning Management Systems (LMS), virtual classrooms, and multimedia materials, and artificial intelligence has revolutionized the pedagogical practice greatly. The current research question focuses on exploring how student engagement and academic performance at secondary level is affected by digitalization. The method of a descriptive survey was chosen. The 400 students of secondary education institutions were used to collect the data on the basis of a structured questionnaire and academic records. Such statistical methods were employed as mean, standard deviation, t-test, and correlation analysis. The results indicate that online instructional practices are majorly more effective in engagement, motivation, and performance among students as compared to the conventional one. But there exist challenges of digital divide, poor infrastructure as well as gaps in teacher training. The research concludes that digitalization when wisely used can make a significant contribution to the learning results and equip students with the skills of the future.