Frontiers in Education: Digital Learning Innovations

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.

In the specific context of geography and science teachers' training, socio-environmental problems, including climate change, highlight the need for professional development that facilitates the integration of social and environmental dimensions in favor of sustainability. This perspective seeks to promote wellbeing for all within planetary limits. This article addresses key questions: how has teacher education been structured to address climate change? What topics, methodologies and strategies have been used in this training? Where are documented research studies located on the disciplinary/transdisciplinary spectrum? This study will present the main results and knowledge derived from bibliographic research carried out in accordance with the Prisma 2020 protocol, aimed at identifying trends, challenges and good practices in education for sustainability. The results reveal multiple perspectives, contents, strategies and methodologies that enable us to determine the existence of a gradient ranging from disciplinary perspectives of climate sciences to interdisciplinary approaches that glean knowledge from several disciplines, such as ecology, economics and social sciences. In addition to a broader perspective of climate change, involving not only scientific knowledge, but also local and indigenous knowledge and associated ethical and moral perspectives, which bring these approaches closer to the transdisciplinary perspective.