Students’ Perceptions and Acceptance of Differentiated Learning Through Digital Pedagogical Design: A Descriptive Survey in Information Technology Education

Student diversity poses a continuing challenge in higher education, particularly when common learning objectives must be maintained while providing flexibility in learning resources, activities, interaction, support, and assessment. This study examined students’ perceptions and acceptance of digitally supported differentiated learning in Information Technology Education. A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted with 35 students at Universitas Lampung, Indonesia, after the learning experience. Data were collected using a 31-item questionnaire rated on a four-point Likert scale, with reported high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.985), and were analyzed using means, standard deviations, and normalized mean scores. Students rated the five implementation dimensions favorably (M = 3.28, 81.88%). Digital pedagogical design received the highest rating (M = 3.34, 83.45%), whereas product and assessment differentiation received the lowest (M = 3.18, 79.57%). Technology-supported collaboration was the highest-rated individual item (M = 3.49, 87.14%), whereas choices in presentation formats and the timeliness of digital feedback received lower ratings. The secondary acceptance summary was similarly favorable (M = 3.31, 82.74%), with increased learning motivation receiving the highest rating. These findings identify digital support and collaboration as perceived strengths of the learning design, while flexibility in student products and the timeliness of feedback warrant further attention. Given the single-cohort, post-only design and absence of objective learning-outcome measures, the findings should be interpreted as context-specific evidence of students’ perceptions of implementation rather than evidence of causal effects on learning.