Technology Integration and Digital Practices in Higher Education

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the meaningful integration of digital technologies in higher education, with the learning processes of students as its central concern. Rather than positioning technology as an end, we invite contributions that critically examine how digital practices can enhance the quality of learning, teaching, and educational design. The emphasis is on pedagogically grounded approaches in which technology is purposefully integrated to support students’ understanding, engagement, self-regulation, collaboration, and active participation in learning.

In line with this perspective, the Special Issue foregrounds educational practices in which technology contributes to high-quality teaching and learning in higher education. We are particularly interested in studies that move beyond narrow outcome measures and instead offer richer accounts of how learning processes unfold in technology-enhanced educational settings. Attention to inclusivity, accessibility, and the realistic conditions of everyday higher education practice is considered essential, as are contributions that critically reflect on the choices and trade-offs involved in integrating digital technologies.

We particularly welcome contributions that are grounded in educational practice and that provide in-depth insights into real-world contexts. Practice-oriented research approaches, such as educational design research, design-based research and mixed-methods studies with substantial qualitative components, are especially encouraged. Studies that foreground the perspectives and experiences of both students and teachers and that make explicit the relationship between pedagogical intentions, design decisions, and learning processes are highly relevant to this Special Issue. While quantitative approaches are certainly not excluded, contributions that move beyond isolated effectiveness measures and instead offer nuanced understandings of learning processes, pedagogical choices, and contextual factors are particularly valued.

Dr. Nynke Bos
Dr. Hanneke Theelen
Dr. Tjark Huizinga
Dr. Suzan van Brussel
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.