Educational Technologies (EdTech) and Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) are established fields of academic research with the potential to transform educational practices and outcomes. Yet, they are currently facing several problems that undermine their efficacy and relevance. In this discussion paper, we examine recurrent complaints of…

Jacques Ellul, a 20th century French academic, is best known for his writing on "technique," understood as both individual means to ends and an all-encompassing system that prioritizes efficient solutions to problems. While Ellul's terminology is not necessarily familiar in contemporary educational technology research, it represents…

Despite the enormous investment in educational technology research, there are sincere questions about whether it is having a meaningful effect on issues that really matter. Put simply, is education better because of us? In this paper we argue that our field is not having the impact it could, due largely to our instrumentalist approach to ed tech…

In this paper, the authors examine the complex relationship between education research and policymaking, analyzing key barriers and potential solutions for increasing research impact on policy. Four main challenges are identified: differing cultures and incentives between researchers and policymakers, communication barriers, competing values in…

Cheating in online exams without face-to-face proctoring has been a general concern for academic instructors during the crisis caused by COVID-19. The main goal of this work is to evaluate the cost of these dishonest practices by comparing the academic performance of webcam-proctored students and their unproctored peers in an online gradable test.…

COVID-19 dramatically influenced students' and staff's learning and teaching experiences and approaches to learning. While many papers examined individual experiences in the context of higher education, synthesising these papers to determine enabling and hindering influences of digital adaptation was needed to guide the next phase of online…

Blended Learning (BL) as a pedagogical approach has increased in significance during the COVID-19 pandemic, with blended and online learning environments becoming the new digital norm for higher educational institutions around the globe. While BL has been discussed in the literature for thirty years, a common approach has been to categorise…

Mindfulness practices have proven to be effective for improving the mental health of many populations, including university students. However, these practices can be challenging for naive meditators. Virtual reality (VR) can create virtual scenarios that facilitate the practice of mindfulness. This study presents secondary data from a randomized…

Amid rapid technological advancements, it is increasingly crucial for educational technology research to move beyond a narrow focus on tools and gadgets, addressing instead the broader social and ethical challenges these technologies bring to education and human performance. Translational research, with roots in the biomedical sciences, is…

The study explored Engineering students' and their instructors' knowledge and use of tools, applications, and websites; their interests, abilities, and attitudes to using technology; and their views about the advantages and challenges of using technology in the academic listening classes. The participants were 184 undergraduate students of…

Indigenous community research partnerships face challenges when integrating technology into their infrastructure, and risk compromising the community's cultural, technological, and rhetorical sovereignty. In this paper, we explore the practices that help mitigate this challenge, including making visible the technology itself and technology…

Sentiment Analysis (SA), a technique based on applying artificial intelligence to analyze textual data in natural language, can help to characterize interactions between students and teachers and improve learning through timely, personalized feedback, but its use in education is still scarce. This systematic literature review explores how SA has…

This paper examines the value of embedding a systems-thinking lens in higher education research. A systems approach enables institutions to move beyond isolated interventions to explore the broader relationships and structures influencing learning and development by addressing the interconnected dimensions of people, processes, and technology. The…

Digital competence is considered to be a crucial learning outcome in education in the 21st century. In this context, research highlights the fact that the perceptions that instructors manifest about different aspects of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) condition these professionals' behaviour towards these learning resources. In…

The educational technology field is at a critical juncture, facing the dual pressures of rapid technological advancement and a pressing need for research that genuinely addresses educational challenges. Despite increasing awareness of these issues, a significant amount of educational technology research remains entrenched in superficial or…