Editorial: Emerging technologies and digital innovations: recent research and practices in technology-enhanced learning environments
Year: 2026
Type: editorial
Abstract: The emergence of digital and communication technologies has significantly transformed people's daily lives in many ways. In education, the use of digital technologies has greatly changed the ways people learn and communicate with others, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic (Eteokleous & Panaoura, 2021;Timotheou et al., 2023). The demand for using various types of digital technologies (e.g., online platforms, artificial intelligence systems, digital applications, mobile or wearable devices, digital games, etc.) in teaching and learning is on the rise across disciplines (Kuo et al., 2026;Meletiou-Mavrotheris et al., 2022;Park et al., 2024). Digital technologies have the potential to enhance teaching effectiveness and student learning outcomes in K-12, higher, and adult education (Kuo et al., 2024;Timotheou et al., 2023). The innovative design and development of teaching and learning approaches are essential for the effective integration of emerging technologies in various learning settings, including face-to-face, blended, hybrid, and online learning environments. This research topic brings together a collection of studies on research and practices in technologyenhanced learning environments, conducted by researchers and scholars from different geographic regions and disciplinary backgrounds. This collection consists of 22 articles, including 15 original research articles, 1 perspective article, 5 reviews, and 1 mini review. These articles highlight the various approaches of digital technology integration in different contexts and provide insights for future design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning. Based on the focus of each article, we summarized these 22 articles into seven major topics that provide an overview of major trends of research and practices in technology-enhanced learning. The following includes the major topics and a summary of all articles in this research topic.The three AI articles cover a proposed AI metaliteracy framework, the link of AI to engineering education, and the impact of using different GPT-based tools on students' reading comprehension.McPhee and Jerowsky wrote a perspective article to address the integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, as well as the importance of enhancing students' AI literacy. The authors identified three critical competency gaps, including AI tool assessment competency, critical AI evaluation skills, and AI information literacy. To address the identified gaps, they proposed the AI metaliteracy framework, a circular pedagogical framework consisting of contextual preparation, guided engagement, and collective critical reflection.Tobias and Kittur conducted a systematic literature review on deep learning in engineering. As a subset of machine learning and AI, deep learning has shown its growing influence across multiple disciplines. The authors examined 101 peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2024, and provided a comprehensive analysis of the current applications, trends, research gaps, and future directions of deep learning in engineering disciplines. This review revealed four major themes that provide a framework for future research and industry applications.Etkin et al. investigated the effects of four GPT-based tools on college students' reading comprehension. The four GPT-based tools included AI-generated summaries, AI-generated outlines, a question-and-answer tutor chatbot, and a Socratic discussion chatbot. The authors collected the data from 228 participants using the online research platform Prolific. They found that AI tools have varied impacts across individuals based on their baseline reading comprehension ability, with low performers significantly benefited by the use of AI tools, and high performers receiving significantly reduced comprehension.The four VR articles focus on the exploration of different ways of using VR tools or platforms to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness in in-person or remote learning environments. Glawogger et al. explored the use of VRTeaching for remote teaching. VRTeaching is a VR tool designed for teachers to provide remote lectures in VR that can be livestreamed to students. The authors aimed to evaluate the suitability and the effectiveness of VRTeaching, as well as the mental demand and psychophysiological reactions for lecturers and students, among VR, online, and on-site teaching environments. The findings indicated that the VR environment showed significantly higher mental demand than the online environment, but no significant effects were found for psychophysiological reactions. Uribe et al. highlighted the importance of design choices in shaping learning experiences within metaverse-based education. The study compared several virtual reality classroom platforms to examine how differences in environment design influence students' perceived quality of experience. While learning outcomes appeared broadly comparable across platforms, the authors showed that features such as avatar realism, spatial interaction, and interface complexity meaningfully affect students' sense of presence, engagement, and concentration. Notably, avatars with more natural facial expressions could enhance the immersion experience and decrease discomfort. This work provided insights for educators and designers seeking to implement immersive technologies in higher education and presented the pedagogical value of metaverse classrooms.Austermann et al. explored the use of virtual reality in a biology class at a German high school. The authors compared high school students' perceived presence between two settings, with one setting using VR and the other using iPads. They also examined the influence of individual factors on students' sense of presence in immersive learning environments. The results show that the VR group had a heightened sense of immersion than the iPad group. Students' previous experience with VR affected the presence significantly.Reynaert et al. created a virtual reality environment based on a French poem, aiming to support middle school students' learning experiences for poetry. The authors examined the effect of the VR environment on poetry learning. The students from a middle school in northern France were recruited to participate in the study, with 18 students in the VR group and 19 students in the control group. The VR group was found to have higher levels of motivation, engagement, and sense of presence than the control group, suggesting that the use of VR has the potential to enhance students' poetry learning experiences.The three articles in this group provide examples of different approaches to game-based learning, as well as the effectiveness of implementing games (e.g., digital games, escape games, mobile games, etc.) to facilitate content learning. Lieberoth et al. conducted a large-scale cross-country study to examine the effectiveness of using the WHO's Immune Patrol for health education in Armenia and the Republic of Moldova. The WHO's Immune Patrol is a game-based educational package that contains digital materials covering health topics on vaccines and immunization for the middle school curriculum. A quasi-experimental design was applied to compare the groups with and without the use of Immune Patrol. The findings indicated that students using the Immune Patrol had significantly higher learning outcomes and motivation to learn about vaccine-preventable diseases than their counterparts.Gruber and Faßbender evaluated the implementation of digital educational escape games (DEEG) for STEM teaching and learning in higher education. DEEG is an innovative teaching and learning method. This study explored the design elements of DEEG and the impact of didactic considerations on learning outcomes and game development. The authors conducted interviews with 11 experts in game-related fields. The findings revealed key didactic design considerations, and the relationship between didactic elements and game design elements.Teymouri conducted a concise review of recent developments in mobile-assisted vocabulary learning (MAVL), and compared the effectiveness of MAVL with that of traditional methods in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) settings. This review aimed to explore key theoretical insights and synthesize empirical studies that investigated how MAVL, particularly digital flashcards, can affect vocabulary retention, acquisition, and learner autonomy. The author discussed major findings on the effectiveness of MAVL, long-term gains and retention, the comparison between MAVL and traditional methods, autonomy and engagement, and challenges and limitations.There are two articles for computational thinking (CT), with one addressing the role of personalized learning in CT education, and the other examining the impact of CT and other variables on programming performance. Guevara-Reyes et al. conducted a systematic literature review on the implementation of personalized frameworks in computational thinking (CT) education. This review focuses on personalized learning strategies, the role of adaptive frameworks, and their impact on academic performance in CT education. Through the review of 73 empirical studies, the authors identified key trends, methodologies, and challenges in adopting adaptive learning strategies to facilitate CT education.Kuo and Kuo examined minority students' learning in programming, with a focus on the variables, including creative self-efficacy, learning self-efficacy, computational thinking, and learning performance. Positive correlations were found among the variables. Learning self-efficacy and computational thinking had a significant influence on minority' learning performance in programming.The three articles in thig group indicate some potential digital tools or platforms that can be useful for medical or nursing education. Key concepts related to the use of digital tools, such as problembased learning (PBL), digital resilience, etc. were explored. Greenspan et al. conducted a review on problem-based learning (PBL) and relevant digital resources and platforms in medical education. The authors introduced the concept of PBL and compared it to traditional didactic learning. The advantages of applying PBL approaches over traditional didactic learning in medical education were emphasized. Multiple online resources and digital platforms that were developed to facilitate the curriculum development and implementation of PBL approaches were reviewed.Li et al. conducted a comprehensive assessment to investigate key elements of digital resilience among nursing undergraduate students. Through semi-structured interviews, the authors applied a directed content analysis approach to analyze 20 nursing undergraduates' experiences with online learning or digital resources. Five major themes were identified, including understanding digital threats, knowing coping strategies, learning knowledge and skills, overcoming digital-threats stress, and adapting to digital environments. These key elements revealed critical aspects for educational and healthcare digital transformation.Xu et al. investigated the implementation of scenario simulation teaching, and its effect on student satisfaction and the scores of mini-clinical evaluation exercise (Mini-CEX) and direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS). The participants who were students in the urology program in a hospital were divided into two groups, including the scenario simulation group and the control group. The results suggest that compared to traditional teaching, the use of scenario simulation teaching significantly improved students' clinical surgical skills and examination results, as well as their learning satisfaction.The five articles place an emphasis on the concept of technology acceptance by applying it or its adapted or extended model to explore the adoption or use of various types of technologies, such as eye-tracking technology, smart learning platforms, digital onboarding tools, learning management systems (LMS), etc. Özdemir explored the factors affecting science teachers' adoption of eyetracking technology into their instructional practices. The study was developed based on the general extended technology acceptance model for e-learning (GETAMEL). The data were analyzed with 800 in-service science teachers. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the relationships among proposed constructs. The findings highlighted the roles of proposed factors (i.e. subjective norm, perceived enjoyment, etc.) in shaping teachers' adoption behavior.Hsu et al. performed a systematic review to explore the factors affecting the acceptance of online learning and teaching in engineering education after the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the viewpoints of students and teachers. The review covered publications from 2020 to 2024. The findings underscored the importance of some factors for online learning acceptance in engineering education, including technology design, individual characteristics, and social factors. These factors are also important for the development of effective and engaging learning environments for engineering education.Li et al. investigated the continuous use of smart learning platforms among students in higher vocational education in China. Grounded in the extended technology acceptance model (TAM) with the inclusion of some proposed constructs, the authors developed an online survey to collect responses from students. Structural equation modeling was performed to identify the direct and indirect relationships among key variables. The findings showed the factors, including perceived enjoyment, user satisfaction, and perceived usefulness, are important for fostering the continuous use of the learning platforms.Schilling et al. evaluated students' perspectives on digital onboarding tools in higher education, with a focus on the content and design of digital onboarding tools. The authors introduced the technology acceptance model and expectancy-value theory, as the theoretical bases of this study. Five focus group interviews were conducted with participants recruited through the university's higher education network in Germany. Qualitative content analysis was performed to analyze the collected data. The findings revealed the important role of digital onboarding tools for enhancing students' motivation, interaction, information acquisition, socialization, and academic success.Lai et al. conducted a study to explore the factors that influence the use of learning management systems (LMS) among graduate students from different universities in Hong Kong. Based on the unified theory on acceptance and use of technology 2 model, the authors examined the relationships of several factors in the model by applying the structural equation modeling approach. The results showed that out of the nine factors, seven factors (i.e., performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, learning value, trust and instructor characteristics) significantly predicted Chinese graduate students' acceptance for using LMS.The last two articles focus on the evaluation of the use of digital technologies or materials, covering an analysis review on the publication trends of digital technologies in the classroom, and a research article examining the use of clustered digital materials for EFL learners. Alam et al. conducted a bibliometric analysis in their review on digital technologies in the classroom. The review consists of an analysis of 1,128 publications from 2014 to 2023. Through the use of Biblioshiny and VOSviewer tools, the authors carried out performance analysis and scientific mapping to address the publication trends and research landscape in the areas of digital technologies and classrooms. In addition, they also explored the structural aspects and trendy research topics on digital technologies in the classroom, suggesting a promising future for the research and use of digital technologies in the classroom, along with some identified challenges (i.e., technological divide, limited teacher assistance).Salih and Omar evaluated the effectiveness of using clustered digital materials to enhance students' oral and speaking competencies in English learning. The clustered digital materials included in this study were TED talks, digital posters, short films, and newspaper cartoons. The authors applied a mixed-methods approach to analyze the data collected from undergraduate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in Oman, through a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and teacher notes. The results confirmed the benefits of using digital materials for EFL learners in Oman. Among different digital materials, rated posters were the most desirable tool.Overall, this collection reveals the current trajectory of research on emerging technologies and digital innovations in education, highlighting the research interests moving from the general use of digital technologies to the topics on AI-supported learning, immersive or game-based learning environments, and technology acceptance frameworks. The methodological approaches applied include quantitative, qualitative, mix-methods, or systematic review approaches. This collection also sheds lights on some issues or challenges associated with the design and implementation of technology-integrated learning environments, which could be further investigated in future research. In addition, the intersection of these major topes is worth exploring.
Source: Frontiers in Education
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,353
OpenAlex ID: W7161252992