Beyond the degree in the digital era: postsecondary students’ practices and perspectives on lifelong learning

Introduction Postsecondary education is being fundamentally transformed by rapid advances in digital technology, including its generative forms. Given the evolving landscape, we aimed to explore how digital technology is shaping postsecondary students' practices and perspectives on lifelong learning in the digital era. Methods The interpretive description approach guided our inquiry. We conducted five online focus groups with 18 university students in various professional programs. To analyze the data, we used template analysis in combination with reflexive thematic analysis. The self-determination theory framework of basic psychological needs guided the thematic synthesis of the focus group data, facilitating the development of a conceptual framework of postsecondary students' emerging lifelong learning practices and perspectives. Results The analysis of the focus group data resulted in 46 discrete codes grouped into 11 themes that were subsequently organized within Agency, Growth, Connection, and Envisioning Future categories. Overall, the results indicate that the reasons and the ways students engage with digital technologies enable them to experience agency, growth, and connection, thereby supporting their autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs in their immediate learning. These experiences, in turn, shape students' lifelong learning practices, in relation to their future professional status and future with technology. Discussion Students have integrated digital technologies into their immediate learning, with the clear expectation that these tools will be central to their lifelong learning in the digital economy. Our findings illustrate how digital technology (re-)shapes the cognitive and social aspects of learning, with implications for curriculum design, digital education research, and lifelong learning frameworks.