In the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was considerable innovation in designing and implementing teaching and learning with technology in fully online, face-to-face and blended modes. To provide an overview of technology-enhanced learning in higher education, we conducted a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines of digital innovations in learning designs between 2014 and 2019, prior to emergency remote teaching responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. From 130 publications, we identified eight overlapping categories of digital technologies being deployed across higher education fields: simulation and augmented or virtual reality; Web 2.0; learning management systems; mobile learning; gamification and serious games; various technologies in classrooms; massive open online courses; and other software, websites, applications and cloud computing. We use these publications, supplemented with findings from selected meta-analyses and systematic reviews of specific technologies, as examples to guide educators designing technology-enhanced learning activities in changing circumstances that may require blended or fully online delivery. As the 130 publications had mixed perceived quality, levels of evidence and details of learning designs and evaluation presented, we suggest educators share their innovations following reporting guidelines relevant to their research methodologies, enabling others to consider transferability to other contexts and to build on their work.