Jesús Salinas

Desde la generalización de la educación obligatoria, la personalización del aprendizaje ha constituido una preocupación recurrente en la investigación y en la práctica pedagógica, en la que la tecnología educativa ha estado siempre presente. Este trabajo analiza el estado de la cuestión sobre la personalización del aprendizaje facilitada por tecnologías digitales, identificando tendencias, retos y perspectivas desde la Tecnología Educativa. Para ello, adopta la forma de ensayo teórico basado en una revisión narrativa de literatura, centrada en trabajos de revisión y marcos conceptuales publicados en revistas especializadas. El análisis identifica dos grandes vertientes de la personalización, articuladas en torno al continúo propuesto por Cuban (2018): una centrada en la adaptación tecnológica, mediante algoritmos, analíticas de aprendizaje y sistemas de tutoría inteligente, y otra orientada a la flexibilización curricular y a la agencia del estudiante, mediante entornos personales, itinerarios flexibles y procesos de codiseño. La inteligencia artificial generativa actúa como acelerador de ambas vertientes, pero intensifica el riesgo de que la apariencia de personalización sustituya al aprendizaje real. Se identifican barreras conceptuales, institucionales, psicológicas, tecnológicas y pedagógicas que dificultan su implementación. Se concluye que la personalización constituye, ante todo, un problema pedagógico y político, cuyo desarrollo exige, más allá del avance tecnológico, equilibrar la estructura del diseño didáctico con la autonomía del alumnado.

El objetivo de este artículo es presentar los resultados de un estudio diseñado para determinar las causas más relevantes de la deserción en educación a distancia, en el contexto colombiano. Inicialmente se realizó una revisión de literatura, en la que se encontraron cinco categorías que dan cuenta de la deserción en educación a distancia. Además, se evidenció que esta tiene una mayor tasa de deserción que la educación tradicional. Seguidamente se diseñó, validó y aplicó un cuestionario de cuyos resultados se deduce que la principal causa de deserción en educación a distancia es la económica, seguida por la institucional/organizacional. Una de las razones más relevantes está asociada a las dificultades para interactuar con tutores, compañeros y contenidos. Esta brecha podría explicarse por la falta de un modelo para la educación a distancia que considere sus particularidades, contexto en el cual la teoría de la distancia transaccional, propuesta por Michael G. Moore, surge como relevante para el diseño de tal modelo.

This article documents the design of an educational resource mediated by independent video games to strengthen videoludic literacy and foster European key competences 5 (personal, social and learning to learn) and 6 (citizenship). This design-based research (DBR) study addressed three research questions: (1) Which variables and instruments can capture improvements in students’ civic and socio-emotional competences? (2) Which video games are pedagogically relevant for constructing dialogue-based activities to achieve these aims? (3) What structure and activities should an educational resource include to achieve such objectives? The DBR process generated three outcomes: (1) an assessment instrument to guide subsequent stages of the intervention, (2) a curated selection of independent video games aligned with the pedagogical aims of the project, and (3) a classroom-ready resource consisting of ten sessions that teachers can implement. The study not only focuses on strengthen teachers’ video game literacy but also highlights the potential of such practices to promote students’ socio-emotional development and civic competencies, enabling more critical, reflective, and participatory learning.

Aim/Purpose: This study examines how digital technologies are used to support communication between families and educational centers, understood as formal primary and secondary schooling institutions, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The research explores parents’ perceptions of these communication practices, their perceived influence on family involvement, and the challenges and opportunities associated with digitally mediated family-school relationships. Background: The rapid digitalization of educational communication during the pandemic transformed established family-school interactions worldwide. Understanding families’ beliefs, everyday practices, and perceived difficulties in using digital technologies is essential to inform more inclusive and participatory communication strategies that remain relevant beyond emergency contexts. Methodology: The study uses a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative methods through a convergent or concurrent triangulation design. For the quantitative phase, the COMCEFAM questionnaire (Questionnaire on Communication between the School and Families) was used, which was designed and validated for this purpose. It consists of 36 items and was administered to the families of primary and secondary school students. For the qualitative phase, a parent discussion group was used to explore in depth experiences and perceptions related to digital communication with schools. Contribution: This study’s contribution concerns parents’ perceptions of the use of digital technologies in family-school communication during and after the pandemic, the impact of this communication on family involvement in the school, and possible proposals for the use of digital technologies that promote new scenarios for family participation. Findings: Results indicate a broadly positive perception of digital technologies as tools for family-school communication. A large majority of respondents agreed that digital technologies are useful for communication (88.22%) and necessary in contemporary society (85.20%). However, perceived support for family participation through digital means was moderate, and only 30.48% of families reported receiving training from educational centers on using these technologies. Qualitative findings highlight persistent challenges, including the dispersion of communication channels, unequal digital competencies, and the predominance of informational rather than participatory communication practices. Recommendations for Practitioners: Promote training and digital literacy for families and teaching teams. Implement procedures that promote educational, participatory communication rather than focusing solely on the exchange of information. Recommendation for Researchers: Analyzing and understanding family-school communication is essential for designing quality proposals that enable effective and equitable communication between families and schools, regardless of context and the availability of devices and technological training. Impact on Society: Highlights the importance of communication between families and schools to improve family involvement in academic issues. Identifies additional challenges, such as the lack of preparation among teachers and families Future Research: Discuss possible proposals for the use of digital technologies that promote new scenarios for family participation, both for everyday situations and for unexpected emergencies.

The continuous evolution of learning design (LD) necessitates a systematic review to comprehensively map the available tools that support educational practice, thereby highlighting current trends and development gaps. This study aimed to classify and analyze the features, evolution, and technological maturity of tools supporting the LD process. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, analyzing fifty-six tools identified from major academic databases based on their support level (design, implementation, evaluation), user focus, and other characteristics. The analysis revealed a clear transition from static, desktop-based applications to dynamic, web-based, and open-source platforms. Crucially, most tools heavily focus on the initial design phase, exhibiting significant deficiencies in supporting the subsequent implementation and, particularly, the evaluation phases. The findings conclude that while the LD tool landscape is diverse, its development is uneven, suggesting a critical need for future tools to offer more robust, end-to-end lifecycle support and integrate current educational technological innovations such as Generative AI.

La personalización del aprendizaje, cuando hace referencia al cultivo de las competencias personales relacionadas con la autonomía, la agencia, la construcción y cultivo del propio entorno personal de aprendizaje, tiene en la construcción de itinerarios flexibles de aprendizaje una potente estrategia metodológica que implica tanto al alumnado como al profesorado. Esta sección especial de la revista EDUTEC, reúne ocho contribuciones que abordan, desde enfoques diversos y contextualizados, el diseño de itinerarios flexibles de aprendizaje en distintas modalidades educativas. Los artículos que se presentan a continuación exploran estrategias didácticas, entornos de aprendizaje y propuestas curriculares que responden a los desafíos contemporáneos de la inclusión, la personalización y la equidad educativa. A través de experiencias desarrolladas en contextos rurales, urbanos, escolares y universitarios, se ofrece a la comunidad académica un conjunto de modelos, reflexiones y evidencias educativas que pueden servir como referencia para el avance y consolidación de prácticas pedagógicas transformadoras.

La crisis de la Covid-19 supuso que profesorado, alumnado y familias tuvieran que adaptarse a la enseñanza a distancia además de la necesidad para los centros educativos de generar para el curso 2020-21 planes de contingencia y, en el caso de las Islas Baleares, planes digitales de contingencia, actualizados para el curso 2021-22. ¿Cómo respondieron los centros educativos de educación primaria y secundaria de las Islas Baleares a los requerimientos de la Conselleria d’Educació en cuanto a la elaboración y actualización de planes digitales de contingencia tras la pandemia? Para dar respuesta a esta pregunta se plantea una metodología investigación de escritorio (Desk Research), recopilando una muestra de 109 planes de contingencia de centros de educación primaria y secundaria de las Islas Baleares, categorizando los datos y extrayendo información sobre: la organización digital del centro, la competencia digital del alumnado y del equipo docente, la comunicación con las familias, el equipamiento tecnológico y el contexto concreto de cada centro. Del análisis se concluye que, aunque ha realizado un diagnóstico en dichos aspectos y en una situación de emergencia, todavía no se han desarrollado verdaderos planes digitales.

This paper presents the redesign process of FLIC, a web application developed for creating personal learning itineraries in higher education, now adapted for primary and secondary education as FLIC-IPAFLEX. This redesign meets the need for personalised learning through flexible pathways. It supports teachers in creating learning situations (LSs) as per the criteria set forth by the new Spanish Education Law (LOMLOE). The SCRUM model, integrated into Design-Based Research (DBR), was employed, implementing several iterative cycles involving teachers to validate the tool’s utility. The platform facilitates the creation, publication, and reuse of LS by enabling the filtering of competencies, evaluation criteria, and basic knowledge, as well as integrating with Google Classroom, an application widely used by teachers. The results show a positive user evaluation, highlighting its ease of use and capacity to foster collaboration among teachers, thereby promoting the co-design of flexible and adaptive LSs. FLIC-IPAFLEX aims to contribute to the field of learning design technologies, aligning with the demands of compulsory education and supporting collaborative processes within the educational environment.

Video games, particularly those developed in the independent scene, are a form of media with great educational possibilities. This work in progress will be completed in three years and it aims to improve teachers video game literacy and help them implementing activities for ethical and socioemotional development (European key competencies 5 and 6) through indie games. Therefore, through design-based research and mixed-method designs, it aims to achieve three goals: (O1) identify the perception and meaning-making processes that teachers and students have about videogames and learning through video games; (O2) design a measurable training program for teachers around the educational possibilities of indie games and help them implement activities for ethical and socioemotional development; and (O3) evaluate the programs impact based on the indicators of key competencies 5 and 6. The project is in its first phases and it will be developed in the next three years. First, representative samples of each agent will be accessed to analyze their beliefs, types of knowledge, and practical experience in the field. Subsequently, four independent video games that promote key competencies 5 and 6 will be selected, and classroom activities will be designed for each of them. Next, teachers from four high schools in Spain (Cantabria, Baleares, Andalucía and Catalonia) will be trained in the use of the educational resources, and they will be accompanied in its implementation with students. Finally, the programs impact on students will be evaluated based on various psychological variables associated with key competences 5 and 6 (e.g., empathy, emotional identification, civic skills, etc.) as well as the participants perceptions of the experience, enabling the generation of design principles for future iterations and for the programs scalability.

Design patterns for learning are about articulating, testing and sharing the principles of problem solving in the educational context. In this way, multiple patterns are developed to solve common problems, described in various pattern language formats. Therefore, this work is about characterizing and establishing functional relationships between the components involved in the construction of a learning design pattern. The research was carried out in a Delphi study of double round individual non-contact between experts (n = 14), from different areas (educational technology, e-learning, distance education, higher education), selected through the coefficient of expert competence. The main result is a pattern language composed of attributes, components, and groups of processes. It is concluded that the language obtained allows externalizing knowledge from its consistent and shareable structure, which makes it suitable for use in different scenarios that require a formal pattern language and facilitates its implementation in online learning contexts.