Abstract

Digital transformation has moved from an optional innovation to a structural feature of higher education, yet its effects on students in Nigerian polytechnics remain thinly documented. This study examined the impact of digital transformation on student development and academic performance among students of the School of Business and Management Studies, Ogun State Institute of Technology (OGITECH), Igbesa. Three objectives guided the study: to determine the extent of adoption of digital tools for teaching and learning, to assess the effect of digital transformation on students’ personal and professional development, and to examine its effect on students’ academic performance. The study adopted a descriptive survey design anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and Connectivism. A structured questionnaire titled Digital Transformation and Student Outcomes Questionnaire (DTSOQ) was administered to a stratified random sample of 220 National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) students, of whom 200 returned usable copies (90.9%). Data were analysed using frequency counts and simple percentages, with a 50% agreement threshold as the decision rule. Findings show that students widely use personal devices, messaging platforms, the institutional portal and generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for learning (mean agreement 64.8%), but institutional infrastructure such as campus Wi-Fi, computer laboratories and projector-based teaching remains weak. Digital transformation was found to improve ICT competence, independent learning, collaboration and entrepreneurial interest (mean agreement 72.4%), and to enhance understanding of course content, timely submission of assignments and self-reported grades. Erratic power supply, costly data and over-reliance on AI tools were identified as major constraints. The study concludes that digital transformation is a positive but uneven force at the School and recommends investment in campus connectivity and power, structured digital literacy and AI-ethics training, and staff capacity building in blended pedagogy.