# Integrating Digital Technologies Into Biochemistry Education: A Decade of Efforts, Pandemic Impacts, and Emerging Insights

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how digital technologies have been used in biochemistry education over the past decade, including during the pandemic, and discusses both benefits and challenges.

## Contribution

The paper provides a critical theoretical analysis of digital technology integration in biochemistry education, emphasizing socio-political and ethical concerns.

## Key findings

- Digital technologies can improve student engagement and learning outcomes in biochemistry.
- However, they may hinder equitable access and reduce hands-on laboratory skills.
- The pandemic highlighted issues like data privacy and algorithmic bias in digital education.

## Abstract

This review critically examines the integration of Digital Information and Communication Technologies (TDICs) in biochemistry education over the past decade, highlighting both the benefits and challenges from a critical theoretical perspective. A systematic review was conducted to identify relevant literature, followed by thematic analysis and a detailed synthesis of the findings. Grounded in Feenberg's critical theory of technology and Selwyn's scholarship on education and digital technology, this review examines the implications of virtual laboratories, augmented reality, gamification, and online platforms in biochemistry education, as well as their implications related to the pandemic. We observed that digital technologies can enhance certain aspects of student engagement and learning outcomes; however, they can also hinder equitable access and hands‐on laboratory skills. This review also highlights the key elements of critical reflection on the socio‐political and ethical implications of digital technologies in biochemistry education, with a particular focus on pandemic‐era concerns, including data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the commercialization of teaching practices. Future research should focus on these dimensions to ensure that technological advancements do not perpetuate or amplify educational inequities.