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Sustainable E-learning Practices
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Sustainable E-learning Practices

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Education and Approaches".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 4753

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Richard Walker

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Programme Design and Learning Technology Team, University of York, Heslington YO105DD, UK
Interests: technology enhanced learning developments; staff development for online teaching
Sinéad McCotter

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
The York Management School, University of York, Heslington YO105DD, UK
Interests: teaching development; mentoring; HR support

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on sustainable e-learning practices seeks to attract contributors from across a range of sectors who have experience of enhancing e-learning with a long-term, sustainable view in mind.

Whilst, over the past year, there has been a series of papers published on institutional responses to the emergency remote teaching (ERT) phase, only limited attention has been directed to the long-term—specifically the enduring changes that will influence our conceptions about instructional design, delivery approaches and student/trainee engagement modes. As such, this Special Issue will focus on the sustainable developments in online teaching and learning practices emerging from the pandemic period, which will shape the future of teaching and learning. This Special Issue seeks to welcome interdisciplinary contributions and submissions focusing on tertiary education, as well as contributions from organisations and sectors where those involved with e-learning wish to share their work in relation to long-term innovative practices. 

We invite papers that explore the long-term perspectives on pedagogical innovations and change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing how the digital teaching landscape has changed, addressing any of the following themes:

  • Technology: how the impact of COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of new technology across the tertiary education sector [1] and highlighted the value of emergent digital services such as intelligent tutoring, personalised learning and community building platforms to support learner-centred and personalised learning opportunities.
  • Diversification of programme delivery: how the sector-wide focus on digital provision has drawn greater attention to the way that online delivery can support different modalities of learning and new approaches to pedagogic design and engagement patterns between staff and students [2,3], encouraging new hybrid teaching and learning opportunities, which value both ‘physically present’ and remote learners, in this way supporting greater learner flexibility.
  • Networking and collaboration: how the mainstreaming of technology adoption has encouraged the development of new interdisciplinary and lifelong learning opportunities, drawing on collaborations between different disciplines and institutions.
  • Professional development and support: how the pandemic has accelerated changes in teaching practice and has challenged conceptions about what effective online teaching with technology should look like. In turn, this has transformed the way that faculty (teachers and administrators) who are new to online teaching are supported to develop the requisite competencies and strategies to work effectively in this domain.

References:

  1. Marginson, S. Global HE as we know it has forever changed. Times Higher Education, 26 March 2020. Available online: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/global-he-we-know-it-has-forever-changed.
  2. Rapanta, C.; Botturi, L.; Goodyear, P.; Guàrdia, L.; Koole, M. Online University Teaching During and After the Covid-19 Crisis: Refocusing Teacher Presence and Learning Activity. Postdigit Sci Educ, 2020, 2, 923–945. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y
  3. Walker, R. Rethinking teaching practice: instructional (re)design for the next academic year. In proceeding Jisc Connect More, 16–18 June 2020. Available online: https://www.slideshare.net/RichardM_Walker/rethinking-teaching-practice-instructional-redesign-for-the-next-academic-year

Dr. Richard Walker
Guest Editor

Sinéad McCotter
Guest Editor Assistant

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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.

Keywords

  • sustainable online teaching
  • e-learning practices
  • digital innovation
  • hybrid learning

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 912 KiB  
Article
Sustainable Strategies for Teaching and Learning Online
by Dianne Forbes, Dilani Gedera, Maggie Hartnett, Ashwini Datt and Cheryl Brown
Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 13118; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151713118 - 31 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1291
Abstract
Investigating students’ lived experiences of online learning can inform us on how best to teach them. In this paper, we harness the insights gained from pandemic teaching and learning to inform sustainable approaches. Theorized in relation to Ben-Eliyahu’s sustainable learning in education (SLE), [...] Read more.
Investigating students’ lived experiences of online learning can inform us on how best to teach them. In this paper, we harness the insights gained from pandemic teaching and learning to inform sustainable approaches. Theorized in relation to Ben-Eliyahu’s sustainable learning in education (SLE), this article offers insight into what tertiary teachers can do to support students with sustainable strategies, as well as how students can develop long-term learning strategies. We draw upon the research on the perspectives and experiences of New Zealand university students studying online in 2020 to inform SLE in online teaching and learning in the long term. The researchers collaborated with student associations to undertake a survey exploring the students’ experiences of online learning. There were 952 valid survey responses from all 8 New Zealand universities, complemented by 20 individual interviews and 9 focus groups involving 43 student participants, both on and offshore. Our findings indicate that students regard support, communication, and engagement as key areas where they experienced challenges or helpful practices, and where there are sustainable directions for future teaching and learning. We propose support that institutions can provide to both students and staff for sustainable strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable E-learning Practices)
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16 pages, 602 KiB  
Article
Post-Pandemic Learning Technology Developments in UK Higher Education: What Does the UCISA Evidence Tell Us?
by Richard Walker and Julie Voce
Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12831; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712831 - 24 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1442
Abstract
This paper explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on learning technology developments within UK higher education, informed by the perspectives of the institutional Heads of E-Learning. Using a mixed-methods research design, drawing on Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA) technology-enhanced learning [...] Read more.
This paper explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on learning technology developments within UK higher education, informed by the perspectives of the institutional Heads of E-Learning. Using a mixed-methods research design, drawing on Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA) technology-enhanced learning (TEL) survey data (2018–2022) and panel discussions with institutional Heads of E-Learning, the paper discusses the key changes arising from the pandemic and the likely long-term impact they will have on technology adoption and usage within UK higher education. The UCISA data highlight an increased level of investment in TEL services in the period from 2020 to 2022, with UK higher education institutions supporting an extended core set of centrally managed tools. Interview data indicate that advances in technology provision and staff support are being used to help deliver more flexible and inclusive learning designs. However, the carrying forward of innovative practices from the emergency remote-teaching phase is far from certain, and contingent on instructional competencies (capability) and the capacity of teaching staff to support these developments. We conclude that institutions will need to commit to offering incentives and ongoing professional development to their teaching staff to support sustained innovation in their teaching and course delivery methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable E-learning Practices)
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Review

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39 pages, 2250 KiB  
Review
An Interdisciplinary Scoping Review of Sustainable E-Learning within Human Resources Higher Education Provision
by Sinéad McCotter
Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15282; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115282 - 25 Oct 2023
Viewed by 824
Abstract
Background: This paper has identified a gap in the extant Human Resource higher education literature in relation to the use of sustainable e-learning pedagogy. As such, a scoping review has been undertaken to draw conclusions to help narrow this gap. This review is [...] Read more.
Background: This paper has identified a gap in the extant Human Resource higher education literature in relation to the use of sustainable e-learning pedagogy. As such, a scoping review has been undertaken to draw conclusions to help narrow this gap. This review is timely, given the rise in e-Human Resource practices in organisations. Introduction: For Human Resource e-learning to be truly sustainable, consideration also needs to be given to the broader driving forces impacting its long-term viability in university provision. The objectives of this paper are focused on exploring the interdisciplinary nature of the context, challenges, benefits, and future directions of sustainable e-learning in tertiary education. Design: the methodological design is based upon the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. Discussion: this scoping review also considers the emerging e-learning sustainability issues at the university level to determine if a full systematic literature review would be beneficial in the long term. Conclusions: this paper offers conclusions to support Human Resource researchers and educators who wish to push the boundaries of sustainable e-learning research. Future Direction: this paper also points to the speed of advances in AI and the need to move from a uni-generational to a multi-generational sustainable e-learning focus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable E-learning Practices)
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