Pedagogical innovation and critical thinking in higher education: challenges for university training in the digital age

Abstract

Higher education is undergoing a profound reconfiguration driven by accelerated digitalisation, emerging technologies, and the need to revisit its pedagogical frameworks to respond to dynamic social and productive contexts. This process involves not only technological adoption but also curricular transformation, changes in teaching models, and institutional relationships, positioning pedagogical innovation as a crucial strategy to enhance the quality and relevance of university education. Simultaneously, critical thinking is established as an indispensable competence within complex digital environments, where information abundance, artificial intelligence, and socio-economic challenges demand integrated analytical, evaluative, and metacognitive skills, alongside ethical and communicative dimensions. This study, through a systematic literature review guided by the PRISMA 2020 method, examines how pedagogical innovation strengthens critical thinking in digital higher education, following a rigorous protocol that organised the phases of search, selection, and synthesis of evidence. The findings indicate that the convergence of active methodologies, formative assessment, and technological integration creates opportunities to transform educational practices, yet its impact depends on alignment with solid pedagogical foundations and a deep understanding of the cognitive processes involved in fostering critical thinking, thereby establishing itself as a strategic pillar for educational improvement in the digital era.