Search Results (1,798)

The integration of multimedia technologies is transforming teaching and learning in higher education, offering innovative ways to improve student engagement and learning outcomes. Although numerous studies investigate the impact of multimedia, there is still a clear need for a synthesis that brings together the latest evidence from a variety of disciplines and contexts. To address this need, this systematic review aims to summarize the empirical evidence and provide a clearer understanding of how multimedia is applied in higher education, to outline how educators can effectively design and the implications for curriculum design. This article focuses on three key research questions: (1) How does the integration of multimedia in higher education classrooms influence student engagement and learning outcomes? (2) How does the use of multimedia affect the development of specific skills? (3) What are the challenges and opportunities to integrate multimedia technologies into higher education? Relevant studies were systematically retrieved and screened from major academic databases, including ScienceDirect, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, Wiley Online Library, Springer, Taylor & Francis, and Google Scholar. In total, 48 studies were selected from these sources for detailed analysis. The findings showed that multimedia tools enhance student engagement, motivation, and performance when integrated with clear pedagogical strategies. In addition, multimedia helps to develop skills such as creativity, digital literacy, and independent learning. However, challenges such as technical limitations, uneven infrastructure, and the need for ongoing teacher training remain significant difficulties in fully exploiting the benefits in higher education. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated institutional support, investment in professional development, and careful alignment of multimedia tools with pedagogical goals. Full article

We build on previous studies that explore the challenges faced by current and future teachers as they learn to teach mathematics for social justice by focusing on a precursor to teaching lessons, that is, the process of lesson design. Specifically, in this study we investigate the challenges that current and future teachers identify in their design of lessons and how they navigate those challenges. Using deductive analysis, we examine the written reflections of 11 current and future teachers enrolled in a secondary mathematics methods course in the spring of 2021. Findings indicate that participants experienced challenges in the cognitive, affective, social, and structural domains and resolved those challenges utilizing social, affective, and cognitive resolutions. These findings inform the field of mathematics teacher education by identifying areas where current and future teachers may need support in their design of social justice mathematics lessons. Full article

School textbooks are central to the teaching, studying, and learning processes because they mediate the interaction between the prescribed curriculum and the educational experience in the classroom. Evaluating their didactic structure critically allows us to determine the degree to which they align with current curriculum guidelines and promote meaningful learning. This study aimed to analyze the extent to which Ecuadorian natural science textbooks reflect constructivist learning principles and promote the development of key competencies established in the National Priority Curriculum. This curriculum guides the achievement of essential results and strengthens fundamental competencies for students’ comprehensive development. Content analysis was adopted as the methodological approach given its relevance in examining the didactic and curricular dimensions of educational materials. The analysis covered twelve eighth-grade General Basic Education textbooks and their supplementary materials. The analysis was based on two instruments: specialized summary analysis sheets (RAE) and a purpose-built checklist. The ATLAS.ti 25 and IRaMuTeQ programs supported the systematization and visualization of the data. The results showed limited integration of constructivist strategies, such as teaching for comprehension, inquiry-based learning, and problem solving, in most of the analyzed texts. These findings underscore the need to expand and strengthen the incorporation of contextualized, critical, and meaningful learning experiences to improve the didactic design of school textbooks. Such improvements would promote coherent articulation between objectives, content, methods, resources, and assessment in line with constructivist principles of the Ecuadorian curriculum. Furthermore, given these approaches’ affinity with curricular frameworks in other regional countries, the results could offer relevant guidance and starting points for reflection on developing and using textbooks in Latin American contexts with comparable educational characteristics. Full article

Inclusive education is a central pillar of contemporary educational policy worldwide, aiming to ensure equity, participation, and success for all learners. Understanding how inclusive policies are implemented in everyday school contexts is essential to identify both enabling factors and persistent barriers. In Portugal, this process has been shaped by a progressive legislative framework, notably Decree-Law 54/2018 and its regional adaptation in the Autonomous Region of Madeira (RAM) through Regional Legislative Decree 11/2020/M. This case study combined qualitative documentary analysis with a questionnaire applied to coordinators of the Multidisciplinary Teams to Support Inclusive Education (EMAEI) from 11 of the 14 secondary schools in the RAM (79% of the total). The questionnaire covered five domains: inclusive principles, leadership, professional development, resources, and diagnosis of learning barriers. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used to interpret the data. Results show that coordinators share a strong ethical commitment to inclusion and recognize EMAEI as a strategic organizational structure. However, they point to irregular and insufficient training, delays and mismatches in resource allocation, and limited institutionalization of co-teaching and joint planning. Leadership emerges as a decisive enabler of collaborative cultures. The study concludes that ambitious legislation must be complemented by agile resource management, sustained context-based training, and distributed leadership for inclusive schooling to become everyday practice. Full article

This study investigates the challenges of promoting accessibility for deaf teachers and students in higher education, focusing on the development of inclusive teaching materials. A qualitative case study was conducted in ten teacher training programmes at the Federal University of Alagoas (Brazil), including nine distance learning courses and one face-to-face LIBRAS programme. Analysis of the Virtual Learning Environment revealed a predominance of text-based content, with limited use of Libras videos, visual resources, or assistive technologies. The integration of Brazilian Sign Language into teaching practices was minimal, and digital translation tools were rarely used or contextually appropriate. Educators reported limited training, technical support, and institutional guidance for the creation of accessible materials. Time constraints and resource scarcity further hampered inclusive practices. The results highlight the urgent need for institutional policies, continuous teacher training, multidisciplinary support teams, and the strategic use of digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Compared with previous studies, significant progress has been made. The present study highlights the establishment of an Accessibility Centre (NAC) and an Accessibility Laboratory (LAB) at the university. These facilities are designed to support the development of policies for the inclusion of people with disabilities, including deaf students, and to assist teachers in designing educational resources, which is essential for enhancing accessibility and learning outcomes. Artificial intelligence tools—such as sign language translators including Hand Talk, VLibras, SignSpeak, Glove-Based Systems, the LIBRAS Online Dictionary, and the Spreadthesign Dictionary—can serve as valuable resources in the teaching and learning process. Full article

Background/Objectives: Integrating 3D visualization technologies, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), into dental education may enhance students’ understanding of facial anatomy and clinical procedures. This study aimed to assess dental students’ perceptions of using MR for three-dimensional visualizations of impacted teeth. Methods: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of patients with impacted teeth were retrospectively selected from a university clinic database. The CBCT images were processed to adjust contrast for optimal visualization before being uploaded to MR goggles (HoloLens 2). A total of 114 final-year dental students participated, each manipulating the 3D images in space using the goggles. Following this, they completed a seven-question survey on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree), evaluating image quality and the usefulness of 3D visualization. Results: The study group consisted of 29 males and 85 females (mean age = 24.11 years, SD = 1.48). The most favorable responses were for enhanced visualization of the impacted tooth’s position relative to adjacent structures and the inclusion of 3D image visualization as a teaching aid, which benefited students while learning and allowed them to better understand the course of the procedure for exposure/extraction of the impacted tooth, with median scores of 1, indicating a highly favorable opinion. A statistically significant relationship was found between the responses of females and males regarding the quality of the presented image using HoloLens 2 goggles. No significant correlation was found between participants with and without prior experience using VR/MR/AR. No significant correlation was found between age and responses. Conclusions: Students reported an improved understanding of the relationships between impacted teeth and adjacent structures, as well as potential benefits for clinical training. These findings demonstrate a high level of acceptance of MR technology among students; however, further research is required to objectively assess its effectiveness in enhancing learning outcomes. Full article

Initial teacher education is an important contributor to teacher retention through teachers’ identity and their resilience in teaching. Relationships are key elements of teachers’ resilience and identity formation. During teacher education, professional learning communities can build these relationships and dispositions that support pre-service teachers’ persistence during challenges they encounter professionally and as students during their teacher education program. While previous research has shown the value of learning communities in professional experience in teacher education, the effects of a learning community approach to the delivery of an entire teacher education program has not previously been examined. A professional learning community approach to delivery of a postgraduate initial teacher education program was designed and has been implemented at regional campuses of an Australian university since 2018. This interpretivist study evaluated the contribution of the program to pre-service teachers’ personal resources for their professional lives as teachers. Focus groups were held with all students enrolled in the regional program in 2018 and 2021, and self-selected alumni of the program in 2022, as well as four teacher educators involved in delivering the regional program in 2021 and 2022. A thematic approach was employed to analyze the transcripts. The professional learning communities built a number of resources for teaching, including relational resilience in the form of strong relationships that offered support during the program, teacher education student engagement, and teacher identity. In the process, the learners obtained skills and dispositions that would equip them to continue to work in professional learning communities during their teaching careers. The findings highlight the importance of relationships in teacher education and have implications for the design of initial teacher education programs for teacher retention. Full article

The aim of this article is to identify the effectiveness of a teacher education program based on student perceptions. In this aim, a longitudinal research project was carried out with a sample of 14,229 students at a Spanish university who evaluated their teachers (using a Likert-type scale) after they completed a teacher training program. The CEDA teacher evaluation scale (α = 0.968; ω = 0.968) was used to assess students’ perceptions of the instructor’s role as a facilitator of learning. Complementary qualitative information was also collected, which complemented the quantitative findings. The first conclusion is the positive impact of key variables of the teacher training program: the pedagogical model, educational innovation, and evaluation strategies. Secondly, the students’ perception was slightly better in relation to the pedagogical model, followed by evaluation strategies and finally educational innovation. Thirdly, although students generally rated the teaching of technical subjects more highly than the humanities, the perception of change linked to teacher training was positive for all subjects. Finally, there was a slight difference in students’ perceptions according to the academic course (second, third, or fourth). All of the above should be considered for future teacher training programs. Full article

Background: We present a multidisciplinary training experience based on simulation techniques and critical resource management implemented in the emergency department. Methods: Simulation courses/workshops were conducted with a multidisciplinary team from the Hospital Emergency Department. The timeline for their development includes a preliminary analysis of needs, objectives, and scenario design, development of the simulation course, and finally, areas of implementation. In this last phase, the teaching team prepares a document and/or report/summary of the activity in which, among other things, the aspects with the greatest capacity for improvement or the areas for implementation of safety measures are determined. A total of 112 healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, and care assistants) participated in this training program. Its design consisted of the following stages: a preliminary analysis of training needs, the establishment of objectives and scenario design, the development of the simulation workshop, and finally, a report on areas for improvement in patient safety identified during the workshop learning process. Results: The workshops enabled us to identify areas for improvement and develop local protocols/recommendations aimed at improving patient safety in the emergency department, such as standardizing a protocol to guide us in managing resources in crisis situations, a protocol for airway management, a protocol for massive transfusion, and a review of the triage process. In addition, we added value by incorporating cognitive aids and visual tools into the standardization of processes. Conclusions: For resource management in this type of crisis in the hospital emergency setting, it is essential to use a debriefing process guided by experienced instructors after a specific experiential learning experience through simulation scenarios. This helps to contextualize and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of general recommendations. Full article

Understanding hierarchical geometric relationships represents an important step in the development of geometric thinking. However, researchers have reported challenges in the teaching of this topic to both K–12 students and preservice teachers. Prominent frameworks regarding geometric thinking may influence researchers to focus on certain aspects while ignoring others. Most notably, the roles of hierarchical diagrams and explicitly stated inclusive definitions in the process of learning hierarchical geometric relationships have received insufficient attention. We conducted a teaching experiment with a preservice teacher whom we call Mariah. Over the course of the sessions, she made substantial progress in her thinking about hierarchical geometric relationships. We present the results in the form of two arguments, which we summarize as follows: (a) it is possible for a learner to entertain definitions and their consequences without necessarily changing their conceptions of the shapes involved; and (b) communication with diagrams is nontrivial and can be intertwined with learners’ conceptualizations of relationships among shapes; furthermore, learners’ conceptualizations of hierarchical relationships do not necessarily follow trivially from their conceptions of the shapes involved. We offer implications for the teaching of hierarchical relationships and for further research into the learning of hierarchical relationships. Full article

Background/Objectives: In today’s society, the use of new technologies in education has become increasingly relevant. In the subject of Physical Education, these tools offer resources to increase motivation and allow for a better academic monitoring of students. However, their use has also generated academic debate. This systematic review aims to analyse the educational impact of the use of new technologies and their effect on mental health and academic performance in Physical Education students. Methods: The PRISMA Statement was used. A literature search was conducted from January 2020 to April 2025 in the databases Web of Science, Scopus, SPORTDiscus and Dialnet. To refine the search process, the following research question was posed, following the PICO model: in Physical Education students, what is the educational effect of the use of digital technology on mental health and academic performance in teaching practice? The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess the quality of the studies analysed. Results: From a total of 897 articles, 27 relevant papers were selected and classified according to: authors, manuscript title, year of publication, population, main objective, type of design, digital tool, results and conclusions. Conclusions: The findings of this systematic review underline the importance of adopting a constructivist approach to the use of technological resources in Physical Education classes, without losing sight of the motor component, competence learning and the mental well-being of students. Full article

Digital transformation (DT) has become one of the most significant trends in higher education institutions (HEIs) in both EU and non-EU countries. Using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to reinvent higher education is contingent upon several factors, including an institution’s development stage regarding the application and strategic integration of ICTs across its key activities and processes. In the extant literature, multiple frameworks of ICT development (maturity) paths have been developed. However, there is a lack of empirical studies on how well those models predict the DT success, and which of their dimensions are most relevant. In this paper, we use a research instrument, adapted from the HigherDecision research project, to capture the subjective assessments of academics and students at three public higher education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Using seven dimensions of the DT construct, prescribed by the HigherDecision framework, we examine their contribution to the subjectively evaluated success of each HEI’s DT initiative and identify the most impactful dimension(s). Our results show that the digital infrastructure and academic teaching and learning are perceived as critical drivers of DT in the academic sector. Provided that the University of Mostar, as a mid-sized public university located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, currently represents one of the DT leaders in the Western Balkans (WB) region, we discuss implications for scaling its good practices in smaller HEIs across the region. Full article

Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming teachers’ knowledge and professional practice, its full potential has yet to be fully realized. To incorporate AI effectively into pedagogical contexts, it is essential that teachers possess the knowledge necessary to guide its responsible use. However, in Latin America, there remains limited empirical evidence to support this process. To address this gap, this empirical study analyzes teachers’ knowledge of AI using the Intelligent-TPACK framework, which includes an ethical dimension. A validated and adapted questionnaire was administered to 709 primary and secondary school teachers from the Metropolitan Region of Chile, using a non-probability sampling method. The sample is compositional–descriptive in nature for the study variables and is not statistically representative of the broader population. Data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The results reveal mixed levels of knowledge—slightly higher in technological knowledge yet lower in terms of integration and ethical awareness. Significant differences were found by gender, age, teaching level, and subject area. Regression models identified teaching experience, gender, and educational level as the most consistent predictors. Additionally, cluster analysis revealed four exploratory professional profiles characterized by varying degrees of knowledge. These findings are discussed in light of teacher training needs and aim to inform the development of professional learning programs better aligned with the actual demands of the teaching profession. Full article

The purpose of the present paper is to revisit the interface between biblical studies, reception exegesis, and reception theory. In the first part of the paper, we discuss what we believe to be the most important lessons learned from recent scholarship on the relationship between these fields and highlight what we think is still an underestimated conclusion: if we assume that “meaning” is contextual rather than essential, the full(er) capacity of a biblical text is not discoverable until we have examined how it has appeared in various contexts. Related to this is the question of why and how texts survive and even thrive in new contexts and in what way later authors utilize the “capacity” of the biblical texts, because even if “meaning” is ultimately brought to texts by their readers, texts are in some senses agents as well. To exemplify these discussions and the connection between reception exegesis and biblical criticism, two short examples from the reception of Psalms 110 and 137 in medieval Christian Arabic and Judeo-Arabic sources are presented. In the first example, we recapitulate findings on how inner-biblical reception generates a complex web of potential interpretations but also how the ambivalence created in the process may be the greatest asset of that text. It is also an example of where interpretation may teach us about the life and thought of ancient and medieval communities and how they interacted with one another over the meaning of the biblical text. In contrast, the second example is more centered on the “capacity” of the text and in what sense communities exploit that potential for their larger purposes. Full article

This empirical paper explores South African preservice accounting teachers’ perceptions of ICT integration in secondary schools’ accounting curriculum practices. Since 2020, curriculum practices have been characterised by disruptions to traditional teaching and learning methods, including those brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Curriculum practices in accounting were not unnoticed. These sparked discussions about pedagogical changes, academic continuity, and the future of accounting curriculum practices. The theoretical framework used to guide the research process is connectivism. The theory is about forming connections between people and technology and teaching and learning in a connectivist learning environment. Connectivism promotes a lifelong learning perspective by training teachers and students to adapt to a fast-changing environment. An interpretive paradigm underpins this qualitative research paper. The data were collected from semi-structured interviews with five preservice accounting teachers about how they navigated pedagogy while switching to digital curriculum practices. Thematic analysis was used. The findings revealed that preservice accounting teachers faced challenges in ICT integration during school-based training, including limited resources, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient hands-on training. While ICT tools enhanced learner engagement, barriers such as low digital skills and a lack of technical support hindered effective use. Participants highlighted a disconnect between theoretical training and classroom practice, prompting self-directed learning to bridge skill gaps. The study underscores the need for teacher education programs to provide practical, immersive ICT training to equip future educators for technology-driven classrooms. Full article