Enhancing e-learning with a digital twin for innovative learning

Purpose Digital twin enabled e-learning (DTEe-L) transitions from traditional instructional design to innovative learner-centered e-learning design. Initially, during the COVID-19 pandemic, DTEe-L demonstrated great promise for significantly optimizing e-learning environments, emerging as a suitable mechanism for innovative and active learning, making hitherto inconceivable remote and or online practical, laboratory courses and experiments a reality. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept of digital twin (DT) in the context of e-learning and discusses the dynamic and interpretive models that integrate DT in e-learning. Design/methodology/approach This study investigates the concept of DT in the context of e-learning using secondary data sources. It provides dynamic and exploratory viewpoints that analyzes the development of DTEe-L, the e-learning forward-looking paradigm change and the current multitude of challenges in educational settings. Data was collected from literature sources such as peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, periodicals and case studies. The bibliometrics data was utilized to examine and evaluate the development of DTEe-L, as well as the influence of existing publications in academic settings in particular and the field in general. Findings The findings indicated that DTEe-L benefits are diverse, including students’ motivation to learn, learner’s behavioral engagement and hands-on doing experiences. However, a plethora of issues such as students’ cognitive overload, technical issues related to the use of technology, difficulty assessing learning outcomes, weak social connections among students, lack of tactile experience when working in DT laboratories, among others, persist. Furthermore, the findings revealed an imbalance in the use of DT in e-learning in the literature between the fields of medical and engineering education, where experimental and practical hands-on competence is highly valued and less dependent on theoretical perspectives, and other domains where experimental laboratory and practical hands-on learning is not widely practiced. Research limitations/implications It is argued that despite myriads of challenges, the use of DTEe-L is the future of modern e-learning education. Because previous studies concentrated on the use of DT in health sciences and engineering education, future research would broaden to include other disciplines (such as arts, social sciences and humanities) where experimental laboratory and practical hands-on learning is not widely practiced. Originality/value The study provides academics, educational policymakers and practitioners in the fields of digital education, with the opportunities to comprehensively understand the development and the benefits of DTEe-L to improve the extant traditional e-learning platforms. The study also brings novel insights into e-learning platforms to enhance the quality of e-learning education and to increase learning motivation among e-learners.