From Option to Necessity: The Digitalization of Higher Education in Morocco - A Literature Review

Abstract

The integration of digital technologies into higher education has become a defining transformation of the contemporary university, and Morocco offers a distinctive case of this global movement. This paper reviews the evolution of digitalization in Moroccan higher education, from the earliest national information and communication technology (ICT) integration efforts of the late 1990s to its recent framing as an institutional requirement rather than a strategic option. Drawing on a qualitative synthesis of the existing literature, it examines peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, and institutional and policy reports published between 2008 and 2025, retrieved from academic databases including Semantic Scholar, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar. The reviewed literature is organized into five analytical phases: the theoretical foundations of technology adoption and integration; the global emergence of e-learning; pre-pandemic digitalization in Morocco; the COVID-19 acceleration; and the post-pandemic shift toward institutionalization. The review identifies a consistent pattern: despite successive national strategies, digitalization is repeatedly described as partial, unevenly resourced, and constrained by a recurring set of obstacles - inadequate digital infrastructure, limited faculty training, resistance to pedagogical change, and a persistent urban-rural digital divide. The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst that shifted digitalization from an optional initiative to an operational necessity, while more recent policy frameworks, notably the PACTE ESRI 2030, reinforce its status as an institutional obligation. Unlike prior reviews centred on institutional performance or digital inclusion specifically, this review foregrounds the historical trajectory of the transition itself, and it outlines underexplored areas - particularly long-term learning outcomes and regional disparities - that remain open for future research.