Technology, Lifelong Learning, and Lessons Learned: The Aftermath of COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear Colleagues,

The recent COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to move to emergency remote teaching (ERT) and the reliance on online learning. However, ERT does not necessarily mean online learning. Online learning employs well-planned learning experiences that take time to design and develop. ERT, on the other hand, is a temporary move to a different mode of instruction due to a sudden crisis (Hodge et al., 2020). Nonetheless, teachers at all levels used (even unconsciously) important theories of learning during this emergency: andragogy, self-directed learning, transformational learning (Merriam, 2001), Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1971), and Connectivism (Siemens, 2005), among others, that were mediated by the use of technology. While the 2020 and 2021 years may be considered a loss in terms of student learning (Chen et al., 2021), faculty at all levels engaged with technology in ways that many of them could not imagine before. The use of Learning Management Systems (LMS), Artificial Intelligence in the form of intelligent tutors, Connectivism in the form of using online conferencing tools, and Virtual Reality to train future professionals, among others, were an everyday occurance and many of those tools will continue to be employed as the use of technology is giving access to a diverse set of learners who have mobility issues or live in remote areas (Hansen, et al., 2019). Given that teaching is a dialogue, learning is engagement, growth is discovery, and knowledge is application (Bryson, 2013), what are the lessons learned in the aftermath of COVID-19? What changes are here to stay? What will it be discarded from the faculty’s teaching repertoire? What forms of learning did faculty use to succeed in ERT? How has the global pandemic impacted lifelong learning when most adults (73%) already consider themselves lifelong learners and define themselves as being “personal learners” or “professional learners”? (Pew Research Center, 2016).

We invite novel and origingal research, reflections, and essays to this special issue that aims to answer the following questions:

1. What promises does Artificial Intelligence (AI) hold for lifelong learning?
2. How does and will technology mediate schooling at all levels?
3. What are some lessons learned in terms of technology and lifelong learning in the context of teaching and learning?
4. What specific skills are and will be needed to be a successful teacher now and the rest of this twenty first century?

This issue attempts to define the place that technology-mediated teaching and learning in the context of lifelong learning have in the present and future of our society, and what changes we need to start implementing now to build a more equitable society.

Bandura, A. (1971). Social learning theory. General Learning Coorporation. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 75-170398.

Bryson, J. D. (2013). Engaging adult learners: Philosophy, principles and practices. Barrie, ON CA: Author.

Chen, L., Dorn, E. Sarakatsannis, J., & Wiesinger, A. (2021, March 1). Teacher survey: Learning loss is global – and significant. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/teacher-survey-learning-loss-is-global-and-significant

Hansen, R. J., Talmage, C. A., Thaxton, S. P., & Knopf, R. C. (2019) Enhancing older adult access to lifelong learning institutes through technology-based instruction: A brief report. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education. DOI: 10.1080/02701960.2019.1618852

Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020, March 27). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning

Merriam, S. B. (2001). Something old, something new: Adult learning theory for the twenty-first century. New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education, 2001(89), 93-96. https://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ace.12

Pew Research Center. (March, 2016). Lifelong Learning and Technology. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2016/03/22/lifelong-learning-and-technology/

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1). http://www.itdl.org/

Prof. Dr. Laura Sujo-Montes
Guest Editors

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• COVID-19 Lessons Learned

• Technology-mediated Teaching and Learning

• Lifelong Learning