The Impact of Learning Technologies on the Learning Environment of Medical Students in Africa: A Review of the Current Literature

Medical education continues to evolve rapidly, reshaping how future health professionals are trained and supported. This evolution reflects broader global trends toward learner-centred, competency-based, and technology-enhanced education. Broadly defined, learning technologies are digital tools, platforms, and systems that support teaching, learning, and assessment. While learning environments refer to the physical, social, psychological, and digital spaces where education occurs. This study systematically reviewed the impact of learning technologies within the learning environment of medical students in Africa. Embase, Ovid, and Emcare databases were queried for relevant research articles regarding learning technologies for medical students in undergraduate medical schools in Africa. Eligible studies involved the implementation of a form of digital technology for medical students. Two independent reviewers selected appropriate literature according to specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 14 articles were identified for this review. The included studies in the review were conducted across seven African countries. The majority of studies originated from South Africa (n = 4), followed by Nigeria (n = 3) and Egypt (n = 3). Other regions represented were Uganda (n = 1), Kenya (n = 1), Zambia (n = 1), and Somaliland (n = 1). A wide variety of digital learning technologies were employed across the included studies. The most frequently used were live conferencing platforms such as Zoom (Zoom Video Communications, San Jose, CA), WizIQ (WizIQ Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, India), and YouTube (Google LLC, Mountain View, CA). Multiple studies concluded that blended approaches were preferred and superior to either fully online or traditional teaching, bridging gaps between theory and practice while enhancing engagement. Learning technologies hold enormous potential to transform medical education in Africa, enhancing access, equity, and quality of training, whilst also improving the learning environment. Yet this potential remains constrained by systemic barriers, from infrastructure limitations to pedagogical gaps.