Frontiers in Education: Digital Learning Innovations

BackgroundDeep learning (DL), a subset of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), is transforming engineering by addressing complex problems with innovative solutions. Despite its growing influence, a comprehensive review of current trends, applications, and research gaps in engineering disciplines is essential to understand its full potential, limitations, and potential educational implications.PurposeThis study systematically explores the state, trends, and future directions of deep learning applications in engineering, and potential educational implications. The primary research question is: “What are the current applications, trends, and research gaps in the use of deep learning across engineering disciplines, and how can these insights guide future innovations in engineering practice?”MethodA systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted in three phases: identification, screening, and synthesis. Articles were retrieved using the search term “deep learning + engineering” from databases like IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. After removing duplicates from an initial pool of 346 articles, abstracts and full texts were screened based on predefined exclusion criteria, narrowing the selection to 101 relevant studies. The synthesis categorized data into four themes: strategic methodologies, practical implementation, system optimization, and emerging applications.ResultsThe analysis revealed DL's significant impact on engineering disciplines, especially mechanical and electrical engineering, with applications such as predictive maintenance and automated grid management. Key trends include strategic deep learning model development, practical evaluation frameworks, and the optimization of efficiency. However, research gaps remain in scalability, model interpretability, and real-world implementation.ConclusionsThis study underscores DL's transformative potential in engineering while identifying critical research gaps and opportunities. It provides a framework for future research and industry applications, emphasizing the importance of strategic innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration to advance deep learning in engineering.

This research contributes to the growing field of technology-enhanced learning by demonstrating how gamification and connected technologies can address gaps in bilingual education and language therapy. It investigates the design, development, and evaluation of Olly’s Adventures: The City of Two Languages, a novel, gamified language intervention tool for bilingual Maltese-English-speaking children aged five to eight. The tool merges a physical board game with a companion mobile application, creating an engaging phygital experience that supports language acquisition across clinical, educational, and home settings. Developed by a multidisciplinary team, the tool was iteratively refined through a user-experience-driven process involving speech and language pathologists, caregivers, educators, design engineers, and children. Mixed-methods data were gathered via focus groups, observations, surveys, and a case study. Findings highlight the tool’s potential to foster language development and increase motivation, with users reporting high levels of engagement, satisfaction, and relevance. Despite limitations related to sample size and the need for clinical validation, the study demonstrates the promise of user-centered connected tools in delivering inclusive, motivating, and linguistically responsive interventions.

IntroductionThis study explores how the synergy between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Experiential Learning enhances students’ creativity through motivation.MethodsA quantitative survey with 200 purposively selected students was conducted. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on AI usage, motivation, and creativity.ResultsAI integrated with experiential learning significantly boosts motivation, which in turn increases creativity.DiscussionThe findings support incorporating AI-based experiential practices in education to foster student innovation and engagement.

The shape of classroom and learning in higher education has transformed during the COVID-19 pandemic in a way of increasing learners' socialization and connectedness in the virtual setting. This study examines 4 years' work of design, development, and refinement for a two-semester-long undergraduate first-year writing (FYW) course during and after the pandemic, throughout the transition from online to offline mode in India. Undergraduate FYW courses in India have multiple functions such as learning English as a second language and academic/social integration, and they were placed in an optimal position to compensate the lack of physical interactions and socialization during the pandemic. First, we discuss three designing principles that have been constant from the establishment of the curriculum: authentic learning with digital literacy, maximizing socialization, and empowering students' voice. Second, an online survey was conducted to measure students' perception and perspective on their adapted learning environments—online only, mostly online, mostly offline, and offline only conditions. The results indicate that the offline mode was overall more satisfactory for writing practice and learning, while some functions in the online mode provided meaningful support for an interactive writing experience.

This study addresses the advancement of rural science education (RSE) through a focus on water education in Chile’s Los Lagos Region. Employing a Design-Based Research approach with four rural communities, the research first aimed to characterize local rural knowledge (LRK) and identify educational needs regarding local water sources, quality, and infrastructure challenges. Second, it focused on the collaborative co-design with teachers of a contextually relevant teaching and learning sequence (TLS) for water education. The developed TLS emphasizes water quality and utilizes a Place-Based Inquiry for Modeling approach, encouraging students to engage in authentic inquiry using sensor technology to gather and analyze real-time data about their local water. This process integrates LRK with national science standards in Chile to enhance students’ understanding and participation in water-related issues. The study underscores the critical importance of local contexts, community involvement, and participatory design in creating effective RSE. Findings have implications for educators, researchers, and curriculum designers seeking to integrate place-based learning, technology, and LRK in rural educational settings.

BackgroundThe study examined university faculty members’ perspectives on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools, focusing on their awareness, perceived benefits, concerns, and uses and applications in education.MethodsThe study employed a cross-sectional descriptive research design in which data were collected using a questionnaire instrument in the summer semester of the 2023/2024 academic year. The number of participants was 102 Kuwaiti faculty members.ResultsThe results showed that participant had a moderate awareness of GenAI tools, with some key areas standing out, i.e., their impact on education, ethical implications, and ease of use. Faculty members had positive and high perceptions of the benefits of GenAI tools and their applications in education, particularly in reducing administrative tasks, supporting research, fostering innovation in curriculum design, and enhancing online learning. In addition, results showed that faculty members had a moderate concern regarding GenAI and their application in education. The key problems were related to the contrary effect of GenAI on academic integrity, the potential for plagiarism, over-reliance on these tools, over-dependence on technology, and ethical implications. The participants reported moderate but lower utilization of GenAI tools than their awareness and perceptions. The results revealed significant gender-based differences in participants’ awareness, perceived benefits, and utilization of GenAI tools. In contrast, no significant variations were found in faculty members’ awareness, perceived benefits, concerns, and utilization levels based on academic rank.ConclusionBased on the findings, the study recommended providing professional development programs for faculty members and students and issuing guidelines and policies to ensure the efficient and ethical use of GenAI tools for educational purposes.

IntroductionDigital informal learning (DIL) has become increasingly important in higher education, providing a flexible complement to traditional instruction and supporting students’ academic and personal development. This study explores how Chinese university students engage with DIL through the lens of ‘possible selves’, examining how their envisioned identities motivate their informal learning behaviours.MethodsA mixed-methods design was employed at a Chinese university, combining quantitative survey data from 514 undergraduate students with qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 18 participants. The survey assessed students’ conceptual understanding, attitudes, and usage frequency of DIL, while interviews provided deeper insights into their motivations and experiences.ResultsSurvey findings indicated that although students had limited conceptual knowledge of DIL, the majority recognised its significance and routinely integrated it into daily learning practices. Interview data further revealed that students predominantly utilised DIL to compensate for formal education shortcomings, such as limited classroom time, outdated materials, and insufficient teaching quality. Additionally, students’ engagement with DIL was strongly influenced by their aspirations (ideal academic selves) and their fears of academic failure (feared selves), shaping DIL use as both a remedial strategy and a proactive measure for self-improvement.DiscussionThe findings underscore the dual role of DIL in addressing formal curriculum gaps and fostering self-directed personal growth, while also highlighting potential risks such as fragmented knowledge acquisition and information overload. The study extends the ‘possible selves’ theoretical framework into the digital learning context and offers practical implications for curriculum development, teacher professional development, and digital literacy initiatives. Ultimately, this research advances the understanding of leveraging digital learning innovations to create more responsive and equitable educational environments.

This research on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) was conducted through a meticulous and structured systematic review. Initially, four academic databases were explored, merging key terms in both Spanish and English, identifying 1,942 articles. After a preliminary screening, publications were discarded for various reasons: duplication, access restrictions, irrelevance, or exceeding the 10-year age limit, reducing the corpus to 722 articles. A subsequent content review pinpointed only 100 articles directly relevant to CPD studies. A final review assessed thematic depth, research status, and educational relevance, leading to further exclusion and a consolidated set of 81 publications ready for an in-depth review. These articles, selected through a rigorous process, represent current and significant contributions to CPD knowledge in the academic context. All information is organized following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The methodology employed ensures the relevance and timeliness of the selected literature, providing a solid foundation for future research in the field and for the design of a Professional Development Program. It is concluded that implementing a CPD program focused on scientific and socially relevant topics requires a strategic combination of pedagogical innovation, expert collaboration, technological integration, and research orientation. These elements prepare teachers to face contemporary challenges and position them as agents of change in their disciplines and communities.

This study explores the profound impact of COVID-19 quarantine on social media usage among university students in the West Bank, revealing a dramatic surge in engagement driven by the shift to remote learning and the need for digital socialization. With motivations for entertainment (52%) and social communication (28%) dominating, students reported increased social media use, which coincided with heightened study hours, reflecting its dual role as both a tool for academic adaptation and a potential distraction. Quarantine conditions also fostered stronger family relationships, with students spending more time with their families, yet satisfaction with academic performance and daily achievements remained low, highlighting the challenges of balancing increased digital engagement with productivity. This research underscores the complex interplay between social media, academic performance, and social dynamics during an unprecedented period of global disruption, offering valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and mental health professionals aiming to optimize social media’s role in academic and personal development.

IntroductionDespite their many advantages, group activities can result in participation imbalance, especially when a participant joins the activity remotely. In this experimental study, we address the issue of imbalance in small groups, which consist of two co-situated participants and one remote student on a telepresence robot. The aim is to investigate whether using a robot to moderate group activities can affect engagement and balance participation.Methods84 participants were recruited and assigned to two conditions, namely baseline (without a robot moderator) and experimental (with a robot moderator). As participants engaged in completing a language learning task, the moderator implemented verbal and nonverbal interventions.ResultsData analysis shows that while nonverbal interventions mostly failed, verbal interventions had a success rate of 88.24% in encouraging participants to start speaking. Regarding the talking time of group members, results show significant differences between the mean scores in both conditions, indicating a more balanced participation of group members in the experimental condition. Participants also formed positive attitudes toward the robot moderator.DiscussionIn conclusion, using the robot moderator positively affected group dynamics by encouraging quiet participants to be more active and rendering the interaction to be more balanced.

Many developing countries, especially in Africa, depended on the traditional form of teaching and learning, which was reconfigured due to the restrictions that came with the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. In view of this, this study sought to explore technologically innovative teaching and learning strategies that can be employed by teachers in Zimbabwe to ensure that teaching and learning processes persist despite constraining circumstances, such as pandemics. A qualitative and instrumental case study design with in-depth interviews and focus group discussions was employed. The independence and autonomy theory was used to provide a grounding base for understanding effective technologies that can be used in the context of crises. The study sample of 12 general teachers, two information and communication technology teachers, two educational psychologists, and 24 learners was drawn from the target population through a purposive sampling process. It was revealed that the adoption of e-learning, the use of mobile learning, the use of social media, and the use of virtual classrooms could allow teaching and learning processes to continue in the context of crises. The study recommends that learning institutions should formalise the use of various electronic platforms in education. The research also recommends the adoption, control, and management of various platforms, such as e-learning, mobile learning, social media use, and the use of virtual classrooms in the teaching and learning process.

IntroductionTeaching climate change requires teachers to have the educational resources that will facilitate teaching this content and visualize how a global problem has various local implications. In Chile, the capacity for environmental data collection and use at the school level remains limited, hindering evidence-based and context-aware climate education.MethodsThis study follows a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach and comprises three main phases: (1) the participatory design of an environmental monitoring station based on the needs identified by in-service teachers for teaching climate change; (2) the development and implementation of a professional development course to support teachers in the appropriation of the technological resource; and (3) the analysis of learning experiences designed by teachers who integrated the technology into their pedagogical practices.ResultsTeachers successfully designed active learning experiences that incorporated local environmental data. These experiences promoted the development of scientific skills and 21st-century competencies, contextualized within local territories and cultures, with the potential of opening new spaces for learning beyond the classroom.DiscussionThe integration of the monitoring station transformed teachers’ views of technology, shifting from an instrumental perspective to one linked to key scientific inquiry processes. It also supported the design of active and contextualized learning experiences that promote scientific and 21st-century skills. The relevance and low cost of the resource make it a viable option for scaling, although challenges remain in teacher training related to basic statistics and environmental data management.

IntroductionEducational Data Mining (EDM) involves analysing educational data to identify patterns and trends. By uncovering these insights, educators can better understand student learning, optimise teaching methods, and refine curriculum. One of the main tasks in educational data mining is predicting the student’s academic performance because it makes it possible to provide appropriate interventions supporting students’ achievements. Predicting the student’s academic performance also helps to identify at-risk students and explore the possibility of providing intervention techniques.MethodsIn this paper, a deep learning model using a Bi-LSTM network is introduced to predict second term GPA.ResultsThe model had an average accuracy of 88.23% and was statistically better than traditional machine learning algorithms such as CatBoost, XGBoost, Hist Gradient Boosting, and LightGBM for accuracy, precision, recall, or F1-score metrics. The results are also analysed with the help of SHAP values for model interpretability to understand feature contributions, making the proposed framework more transparent. The performance of models is also compared using various statistical tests.DiscussionThe results demonstrate that BI-LSTM performance is significantly different from other models. Hence, the proposed model provides a way to prevent student dropouts and improve academic achievements.

IntroductionThis study examines the perception of presence among students using virtual reality (VR) compared to iPads. The research aimed to provide deeper insights into students' immersive experiences and identify factors influencing perceived presence.Method and resultsUsing a comparative approach, we show a significant difference between the two groups, with students using VR reporting a heightened sense of immersion. Additionally, participant's previous experience with immersive VR affect the presence significantly, while we report no detectable effects of age and gender.DiscussionThese findings contribute to the discussion on innovative teaching methods, supporting the development of more effective and inclusive virtual learning environments.

IntroductionThe growing importance of programming in higher education requires innovative approaches to facilitate learning. Video games have emerged as an engaging tool that enhances problem-solving skills and logical thinking.MethodologyThis study examines the effectiveness of Unity Visual Scripting in fostering programming competencies among university students. A project-based methodology was employed in the course “Physics for Videogames” during the third semester of the Engineering in Video Game Development and Virtual Reality program at the Universidad de Talca, Chile.ResultsThrough game development, students overcame challenges associated with text-based programming. The results indicate significant improvements in students' computational thinking, motivation, and collaboration.DiscussionBy reducing syntactical barriers, Visual Scripting promotes an accessible learning experience that supports the transition to advanced programming concepts. These findings suggest that integrating game development into university curricula enhances digital literacy and fosters an inclusive programming education environment.

IntroductionIn the current era of digital information overload, individuals are inundated with content of varying quality and truthfulness. Critical evaluation of such content is essential to distinguish between legitimate information and misinformation or fakeness. Despite this need, there is limited empirical evidence on the effectiveness of training in critical thinking skills for enhancing such discernment.MethodsThis study operationalized critical thinking into six measurable concepts: causation and correlation, independent data and replicates, reproducibility, credibility of sources, experimental control, and statistical significance. A pre-registered randomized controlled trial was conducted involving educational video interventions aimed at improving participants’ understanding and application of these concepts. Participants were evaluated based on their ability to identify fake tweets and misinformation both before and after the intervention.ResultsA strong correlation was found in the pre-intervention phase between mastery of critical thinking concepts and the ability to identify misinformation and fakeness. However, the video-based intervention did not significantly enhance critical thinking skills nor improve the participants’ accuracy in identifying misinformation compared to the control group. The intervention’s inefficacy was consistent across various demographic and educational backgrounds.DiscussionThe findings suggest that while mastery of critical thinking is associated with greater resilience against misinformation, current educational interventions—such as short video lectures—are insufficient. There is a pressing need to develop and empirically validate more effective, possibly interactive, training modalities that can foster misinformation-specific critical thinking skills in the general population.