The Innovative Capability of Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Self-Directed E-Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Scoping Review

The main research problem of the present study was to explore the cognitive and motivational transformations arising from students’ increasing interaction with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and the redefinition of their roles within intelligent learning environments. Accordingly, the aim of this study focused on examining the capacities of AI to enhance self-directed learning in higher education and to complete the knowledge map of this field in the digital era. Adopting a qualitative approach and employing a systematic scoping review method, this research used a structured framework for reviewing and analyzing research literature in emerging domains. the screening of prior studies, following an extended reporting guideline for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR), and covering the period from 2015 to 2025, led to the identification of 11 eligible and seminal studies. Subsequently, Data analysis was conducted in two parts: (1) The descriptive analysis, through the identification of patterns, trends, and the geographical and thematic distribution of studies, provided a comprehensive overview of the current state of the literature. Thereafter, (2) the qualitative synthesis process identified and highlighted a set of pathways through which AI influences the components of self-directed learning, factors affecting students’ acceptance and continued use of AI, as well as the achievements and limitations associated with students’ application of this technology. The findings, through the conceptualization of the innovative notion of “AI-based self-directed learning,” open new horizons for the higher education literature. This novel approach represents an interconnected chain of context, effects, and outcomes associated with the use of AI resources for learning content required by students. Beyond the added value it provides to prior studies, this concept entails important practical implications for higher education stakeholders in instructional design, management, policymaking, and the promotion of a technology-enhanced learning culture, collectively underscoring the originality and innovativeness of the present research.