Educational Innovation and Learning Transformation
Educational Innovation and Learning Transformation (EILT) is a peer reviewed journal published by Kalam Practica Media. The journal provides a platform for researchers, educators, policymakers, instructional designers, and learning practitioners to share rigorous research and field grounded insights on how education can evolve in response to changing social, technological, and workforce realities. EILT focuses on work that helps close the gap between evidence and implementation. The journal welcomes studies and practice informed contributions that explain not only what works, but also why it works, for whom, and under what conditions. Submissions are expected to be methodologically sound, ethically conducted, and written in a way that makes findings and implications accessible to diverse education stakeholders. EILT focuses on work that helps close the gap between evidence and implementation. The journal welcomes studies and practice informed contributions that explain not only what works, but also why it works, for whom, and under what conditions. Submissions are expected to be methodologically sound, ethically conducted, and written in a way that makes findings and implications accessible to diverse education stakeholders. Note: EILT is published four times a year, with issues released regularly in March, June, September, and December. Focus and Scope EILT considers manuscripts on topics that include, but are not limited to: Instructional design, learning sciences, and evidence based pedagogy Curriculum innovation, competency based education, and micro credentials Assessment and measurement, formative assessment, authentic assessment, and learning analytics Educational technology, blended and online learning, open educational resources, and responsible AI in education Teacher education, professional development, coaching, and communities of practice School and higher education leadership, governance, and change management Program evaluation, impact measurement, implementation research, and scaling effective practices Equity, inclusion, accessibility, and culturally responsive teaching Student engagement, motivation, wellbeing, and social emotional learning Lifelong learning, workforce learning, reskilling, upskilling, and corporate learning transformation Policy and systems reform, financing, accountability, and quality assurance STEM education and interdisciplinary learning innovations Higher order skills development, critical thinking, and 21st century skills EILT accepts a range of manuscript types, including original research articles, literature reviews such as systematic or scoping reviews, case studies, practice reports, instrument or model development papers, and conceptual articles that offer well argued frameworks grounded in relevant literature. Contributions that integrate researcher practitioner collaboration are strongly encouraged, especially when they provide clear implementation details, practical tools, or transferable lessons learned. EILT aims to support meaningful improvement in learning outcomes and learning experiences by publishing work that is both credible and usable, while strengthening the evidence base that informs educational practice and policy.
Analisis Filosofis Alat Pendidikan Islam Sebagai Instrumen Pencapaian Tujuan Pendidikan Islam
Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menyelidiki ide-ide tentang alat pendidikan Islam, yang mencakup pengertian, tujuan, fungsi, dan berbagai jenis alat pendidikan Islam. Berbagai penelitian mengenai alat pendidikan Islam umumnya berfokus pada pengertian, tujuan fungsi, serta klasifikasi alat pendidikan. Pembahasan tersebut memberikan pemahaman mengenai bentuk dan peran alat pendidikan dalam proses pembelajaran.namun demikian, kajian yang secara khusus menganalisis alat pendidikan Islam dari perspektif filsafat pendidikan, khusus menganalisis alat pendidikan Islam dari perspektif filsafat pendidikan, khususnya sebagai instrumen pencapaian tujuan pendidikan Islam, masih relatif terbatas. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini berupaya menganalisis makna filosofis alat pendidikan Islam dengan menempatkannya sebagai instrumen yang berperan dalam mewujudkan tujuan pendidikan Islam. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa alat pendidikan Islam adalah segala sesuatu, baik benda maupun nonbenda, yang digunakan untuk mempermudah proses pendidikan untuk mencapai tujuan pembelajaran. Tujuan penggunaan alat pendidikan Islam adalah untuk memperjelas penyampaian materi, meningkatkan efektivitas proses belajar mengajar, meningkatkan motivasi peserta didik untuk belajar, dan membantu membangun kebiasaan dan akhlak yang baik. Oleh karena itu, alat pendidikan Islam memiliki peran yang sangat penting dalam mendukung keberhasilan proses pendidikan. Jika digunakan dengan cara yang tepat, inovatif, dan sesuai dengan tujuan pendidikan, pendidik akan dapat membangun siswa yang beriman, berilmu, dan berakhlakul karimah, serta mampu mengamalkan nilai-nilai Islam dalam kehidupan sehari-hari.
Copyright (c) 2026 Educational Innovation and Learning Transformation
Metode Penyampaian Dalam Pendidikan Islam
Artikel ini mengkaji bagaimana pendidikan Islam menyampaikan isinya sepanjang sejarah, dan mengapa persoalan itu tetap relevan hari ini. Dunia keilmuan Islam sudah lama berpegang pada kaidah al-thariqah ahammu min al-maddah metode lebih penting daripada materi yang menempatkan cara mengajar sebagai penentu utama berhasil-tidaknya pendidikan Islam. Melalui desain studi pustaka, penelitian ini menelusuri Al-Qur'an, hadis, dan sejumlah jurnal akademik nasional terbaru yang membahas metode pengajaran dalam pendidikan Islam. Dari penelusuran ini tampak bagaimana Rasulullah SAW berpindah secara luwes di antara beberapa cara mengajar ceramah, tanya jawab, diskusi, demonstrasi, dan keteladanan pribadi yang semuanya bermuara pada QS. an-Nahl/16: 125 dengan tiga rangkaiannya: hikmah, mau'izhah hasanah, dan mujadalah billati hiya ahsan. Tidak satu pun metode ini berlaku universal; masing-masing punya kekuatan sekaligus titik lemahnya sendiri, dan memilih di antaranya bergantung pada tujuan pelajaran, karakter peserta didik yang dihadapi, serta zaman tempat mereka hidup. Metode-metode klasik ini, menurut kajian ini, tidak lantas usang di era digital justru sebaliknya, era ini memberi mereka tugas baru, mulai dari mengasah nalar kritis hingga menjembatani jurang lama antara pendidikan agama dan pendidikan umum.
Pengaruh Pola Asuh Orang Tua Otoriter dengan Kemampuan Sosial pada Siswa di SMA Negeri 7 Medan
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pengaruh pola asuh orang tua otoriter terhadap kemampuan sosial siswa di SMA Negeri 7 Medan. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan metode survei dan desain penelitian korelasional. Sampel penelitian berjumlah 105 siswa yang dipilih menggunakan teknik purposive sampling. Pengumpulan data dilakukan menggunakan angket pola asuh otoriter dan angket kemampuan sosial yang telah memenuhi uji validitas dan reliabilitas. Analisis data meliputi uji normalitas, uji linearitas, analisis regresi linear sederhana, dan uji koefisien determinasi menggunakan IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat pengaruh negatif yang signifikan antara pola asuh orang tua otoriter terhadap kemampuan sosial siswa dengan nilai korelasi R = -0,623 dan nilai signifikansi 0,000 (<0,05). Nilai koefisien determinasi (R² = 0,388) menunjukkan bahwa pola asuh otoriter memberikan kontribusi sebesar 38,8% terhadap kemampuan sosial siswa, sedangkan 61,2% dipengaruhi oleh faktor lain di luar penelitian. Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa semakin tinggi tingkat pola asuh otoriter yang diterapkan orang tua, maka semakin rendah kemampuan sosial siswa. Oleh karena itu, diperlukan kerja sama antara keluarga dan sekolah dalam menciptakan pola pengasuhan serta lingkungan pendidikan yang mendukung perkembangan kemampuan sosial peserta didik.
A Narrative Inquiry of EFL Private Tutor’s Experiences In Lowering Students’ Affective Filter
This study aims to explore the experiences of a private English teacher in lowering students' affective filters in a private tutoring setting. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this study involved one private English teacher in Ngawi Regency, East Java, who has been teaching for more than three years and frequently works with students who experience anxiety about speaking in formal classroom settings. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in three sessions via Zoom and supported by artifacts such as teacher-student conversations, brief evaluations, and affective messages indicating relational closeness. The research findings reveal five main themes: the journey to becoming a private tutor and the formation of professional identity; recognizing students’ anxiety through silence and hesitation; creating a safe space through humor, validation, and non-judgment; the tutor’s role as a mediator between students, parents, and academic demands; and the students’ transformation from fear to greater self-confidence. These findings confirm that private teachers serve not only as material deliverers but also as emotional companions who help students feel safe, valued, and empowered to engage in English language learning.
Analisis Gaya Bahasa Dan Tutur Kata Pada Komunitas Mahasiswa Pecinta Alam (MAPALA) UNIMED: Kajian Sosiolinguistik
This study aims to identify and analyze the speech styles and language use patterns within the Mountain Climbing Student Community (Mapala) at Universitas Negeri Medan (UNIMED). Data were collected from two transcripts of direct discussion recordings with active Mapala UNIMED members. A qualitative descriptive method with a sociolinguistic approach was employed. The results reveal that the Mapala UNIMED community possesses a rich and complex linguistic ecology, encompassing: (1) a distinctive jargon and register system consisting of organizational and field jargon; (2) the use of the address form 'Bung' as an ideological linguistic construction representing egalitarianism and gender equality values; (3) a seniority-based language stratification system coexisting with equality norms; (4) code-switching and code-mixing phenomena involving three code layers (Indonesian, Medan/Batak dialect, and English); (5) the use of figurative language styles including metaphor, hyperbole, euphemism, and distinctive staccato narrative technique; (6) communication ethics as a core community value; and (7) critical discourse on environmental and socio-political issues. These findings demonstrate that language in the Mapala community functions not merely as a communication tool, but also as an identity marker, solidarity builder, and symbolic resistance mechanism.
Politeness Strategies in EFL Classroom Interaction: Evidence from an Indonesian Islamic Junior High School
This study aims to identify the politeness strategies employed by teachers in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom interaction, analyse their pedagogical functions, and explore their contribution to multilingual classroom interactions. This study employs a qualitative approach using a descriptive case study design. Data were collected through classroom observation, video recording, transcription of teacher-student interactions, and semi-structured interviews with an English teacher at MTs Negeri 2 Magelang. The data were analysed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña interactive model, whilst the classification of politeness strategies drew upon the theory of Brown and Levinson framework. The results indicate that the teacher employed four types of politeness strategies: bald on-record, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off-record. Among these four strategies, positive politeness was the most dominant, manifested through the provision of positive feedback, verbal encouragement, and participatory questions to enhance student engagement. The findings also indicate that politeness strategies not only serve to maintain interpersonal relationships between teachers and students, but also support classroom management, the provision of feedback, and the creation of a supportive learning environment. Furthermore, the flexible use of English and Indonesian demonstrates that politeness strategies operate within the context of multilingual classroom interactions. This study contributes to research on classroom discourse, politeness strategies and multilingual pedagogy in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Indonesia.
Culturally Responsive Project-Based Stem Learning in Rural Schools: Effects on Belonging, Critical Thinking, and Local Problem-Solving
Rural schools are often represented through deficit narratives of limited resources, geographic isolation, and restricted access to advanced STEM opportunities. Although these barriers are real, rural communities also possess powerful assets for STEM learning, including local ecological knowledge, agricultural practices, water systems, small enterprises, land-based livelihoods, and intergenerational community expertise. This article develops and illustrates a culturally responsive project-based STEM learning model for rural secondary schools. The model connects disciplinary STEM standards with local problems such as water quality, soil health, waste management, crop resilience, renewable energy, and community infrastructure. Using a mixed-methods quasi-experimental model, the simulated study involved 612 students in Grades 7 to 9 across eight rural schools, with four schools implementing a twelve-week culturally responsive PBL STEM unit and four comparison schools continuing standard STEM instruction. Published evidence supports the model's plausibility: Chen and Yang's project-based learning meta-analysis reported an overall weighted effect size of d = 0.71 for academic achievement across 46 comparisons, while Dee and Penner found that culturally relevant ethnic studies increased attendance by 21 percentage points and GPA by 1.4 grade points in a causal study. The simulated intervention results show stronger gains in STEM achievement, critical thinking, belonging, and locally grounded problem-solving. The article argues that rural STEM transformation requires moving beyond access-to-STEM narratives toward asset-based, culturally responsive, community-connected learning.
Open Educational Resources and Gateway Course Redesign: Reducing Student Costs While Sustaining Learning Quality
The rising cost of course materials creates a persistent barrier to equitable participation in higher education, particularly in high-enrollment gateway courses where textbook access shapes early academic momentum. Open Educational Resources (OER) are often promoted as a cost-saving solution, yet their strongest educational contribution may emerge when they are used to redesign gateway courses rather than merely replace commercial textbooks. This article examines how OER can reduce student costs while sustaining or improving learning quality through an evidence-informed gateway course redesign framework. Using a mixed-methods quasi-experimental model, the study illustrates an institutional redesign of five gateway courses enrolling 2,420 undergraduate students across biology, psychology, sociology, college algebra, and business foundations. The redesign combined no-cost OER adoption, faculty-led adaptation, assessment alignment, inclusive access design, and early-semester learning support. Published evidence indicates that OER generally produce learning outcomes comparable to commercial textbooks, with Clinton and Khan's meta-analysis reporting no meaningful difference in learning performance, g = 0.01, but lower withdrawal odds, OR = 0.71. Large-scale OER initiatives also show substantial affordability effects, including Achieving the Dream's $10.7 million in student savings across 38 community colleges and OpenStax's more than $3 billion in cumulative savings. The simulated results show reduced estimated course-material costs, lower DFW rates, stronger first-day access, and comparable or slightly improved learning outcomes. The article argues that OER should be understood as a lever for affordability, access, and pedagogical redesign.
Equity-Oriented Learning Analytics for First-Year Retention in Hybrid Universities: Designing Early Alerts as Human-Centered Student Support
Hybrid universities increasingly rely on learning management systems, advising platforms, and digital engagement records to understand student progress, yet the educational value of learning analytics depends on whether data are translated into timely, equitable, and human-centered support. First-year retention is an urgent problem because early withdrawal often reflects not only academic difficulty but also belonging, financial pressure, digital access, advising gaps, and institutional responsiveness. This article develops and illustrates an equity-oriented learning analytics model for first-year retention in hybrid universities. The model integrates predictive risk identification, advising outreach, instructor feedback, student-facing dashboards, and equity audits. Using a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design, the model study involved 1,248 first-year students across hybrid gateway courses. Students in the intervention cohort received analytics-informed outreach, structured advisor follow-up, and student-facing progress guidance, while the comparison cohort received standard advising support. Published evidence shows that national first-year persistence and retention remain uneven, with the National Student Clearinghouse reporting 76.5 percent persistence and 68.2 percent same-institution retention for fall 2022 starters, while retention remains lower for Hispanic, Black, and Native American students. The simulated results show improved retention, course completion, and early help-seeking in the intervention cohort, with the strongest gains among students who received advisor contact within seven days of risk identification. The article argues that learning analytics should be evaluated not by prediction accuracy alone but by its capacity to trigger fair, explainable, and relational support.
Micro-Credentials and Work-Integrated Curriculum Redesign in Vocational Education: An Evidence-Informed Framework for Hospitality and Digital Business Programs
Vocational education systems are under pressure to respond more quickly to changing skill demands while maintaining credible pathways into employment, further study, and lifelong learning. Micro-credentials have been promoted as flexible instruments for recognizing short, competency-focused learning, yet their value remains uneven when they are detached from curriculum coherence, industry validation, and authentic work-integrated assessment. This article develops an evidence-informed framework for redesigning vocational curricula through micro-credentials and work-integrated learning, with particular attention to hospitality and digital business programs. Using a conceptual framework development methodology, the study synthesizes peer-reviewed research, policy evidence, employer surveys, and work-integrated learning studies through a three-stage process: scoping, evidence mapping, and integrative framework construction. The results identify four mutually reinforcing domains: industry-aligned competency architecture, stackable credential design, workplace-integrated assessment, and learner navigation with equity safeguards. Empirical benchmark tables show that global skill transformation is accelerating, with the World Economic Forum reporting that 39 percent of key workforce skills are expected to change by 2030, while employer surveys indicate strong perceived value of micro-credentials but continuing concern about standardization and proof of effectiveness. Evidence from work-integrated learning further shows positive wage, employability, and interview effects when workplace learning is substantive rather than symbolic. The article argues that micro-credentials are most educationally valuable when they function as transparent units within a broader curriculum ecosystem, not as fragmented add-ons.
Responsible AI Feedback in First-Year Writing Courses: Effects on Revision Quality, Self-Regulated Learning, and Academic Integrity
Generative artificial intelligence has rapidly entered higher education writing classrooms, yet many institutions remain uncertain about whether AI feedback should be prohibited, tolerated, or deliberately integrated into pedagogy. This study examines a responsible AI feedback model in first-year academic writing courses by comparing three feedback conditions: instructor-only feedback, AI-assisted feedback, and a guided hybrid model combining AI feedback with instructor mediation and explicit integrity instruction. Using a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design, the study followed 126 first-year students across three parallel writing course sections over an eight-week essay revision unit. Quantitative data included pre- and post-revision writing scores, a self-regulated learning scale, a feedback uptake index, and an academic integrity clarity scale. Qualitative data were drawn from student reflection logs, prompt records, and semi-structured interviews with 24 students. The simulated results indicated that the guided hybrid group showed the strongest improvement in revision quality, with an adjusted posttest mean of 82.6 compared with 76.8 in the instructor-only group and 78.4 in the AI-assisted group. The hybrid group also demonstrated higher feedback uptake, stronger monitoring of revision decisions, and clearer understanding of acceptable AI use. The findings suggest that AI feedback is most educationally valuable when embedded in transparent, human-supervised, feedback-literate pedagogy rather than used as an autonomous writing correction tool.
Responsible Use of Generative AI for Writing and Feedback in Education: An Evidence-Informed Framework for Policy, Pedagogy and Assessment Integrity
Generative AI tools capable of producing fluent text, synthesizing information, and delivering formative feedback have entered educational settings with a speed that has outpaced institutional policy, pedagogical adaptation, and scholarly understanding. Reshaping the terrain of writing instruction, assessment design, and academic integrity in ways that are simultaneously promising and deeply unsettling, these tools present educators and institutional leaders with a set of challenges that neither blanket prohibition nor uncritical adoption is equipped to resolve. This evidence-informed conceptual paper synthesizes scholarship on writing-to-learn, feedback for revision, academic integrity, and responsible AI governance to propose a practical, integrated framework for the responsible use of generative AI in writing instruction and feedback contexts. Drawing on research traditions in formative assessment, learning-oriented feedback, integrity by design, and responsible AI principles, the paper articulates four interdependent domains: (a) pedagogical use cases grounded in clearly specified learning goals; (b) transparency and disclosure norms supported by systematic AI literacy development; (c) assessment redesign oriented toward process evidence and authentic performance; and (d) governance, privacy, and equity safeguards embedded in institutional procurement and policy frameworks. Three conceptual tables operationalize the framework by providing a use-case taxonomy with associated risks and guardrails, an assessment redesign menu calibrated for integrity and learning in AI-present contexts, and a policy checklist for institutions and journals. The paper concludes with targeted recommendations for teachers, institutional leaders, and quality assurance bodies seeking to harness generative AI as a genuine learning resource while protecting student agency, privacy, and the social trust upon which credentialing ultimately depends.
Copyright (c) 2025 Educational Innovation and Learning Transformation
Designing Competency-Based Curriculum in Higher Education: An Evidence-Informed Framework for Outcomes, Assessment, and Program Coherence
Competency-based education (CBE) has gained considerable momentum across higher education systems worldwide as institutions face intensifying expectations to demonstrate that graduates possess not only disciplinary knowledge but the transferable, integrative capabilities that professional practice, civic life, and lifelong learning genuinely demand. Yet adoption frequently stalls or produces superficial results when competency statements remain abstract, when assessments fail to generate credible evidence of actual mastery, or when faculty experience CBE as an administrative relabeling exercise that demands compliance without offering pedagogical substance. This evidence-informed conceptual paper synthesizes scholarship on constructive alignment, curriculum coherence, program-level assessment design, and assessment validity principles to propose a practical, integrated framework for competency-based curriculum innovation in higher education. Drawing on research traditions in learning outcomes design, authentic assessment, formative feedback, and educational governance, the paper articulates four interdependent domains: (a) competency architecture and progression design that specifies observable performance at multiple proficiency levels; (b) assessment blueprinting and moderation routines that produce trustworthy evidence of mastery across diverse task contexts; (c) mastery-oriented learning design and feedback cycles that create the revision opportunities through which competence genuinely develops; and (d) governance and quality assurance structures that protect equity, credential portability, and public trust. Three conceptual tables operationalize the framework: a competency architecture template, an assessment blueprint connecting competencies to evidence artifacts and moderation routines, and a program coherence checklist for academic leaders and curriculum design teams. The paper concludes with implications for academic leaders, curriculum designers, and quality assurance agencies seeking to implement CBE as a substantive pedagogical and assessment reform rather than an administrative relabeling of existing practices.
Building High-Quality Online and Blended Learning: An Evidence-Informed Framework Integrating Community of Inquiry, Teaching Presence, and Learner Support
Online and blended learning have become central modalities in contemporary education across schooling, higher education, and professional development contexts, yet quality remains deeply uneven when instructional designs prioritize content delivery over the conditions that genuine learning requires. Evidence accumulated across decades of distance education research and learning sciences scholarship consistently highlights the primacy of interaction quality, instructor facilitation, and learner support structures as the determinative factors in online learning outcomes, a finding that the rapid, crisis-driven expansion of online provision in recent years has made more urgent to translate into institutional practice. This evidence-informed conceptual paper synthesizes foundational research on transactional distance, the Community of Inquiry framework encompassing teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence, and the instructional design evidence base on feedback, retrieval practice, and persistence support, to propose a practical framework for high-quality online learning conditions. The framework articulates four interdependent domains: (a) teaching presence as purposeful design and facilitation infrastructure; (b) cognitive presence supported through structured inquiry cycles and feedback-to-revision loops; (c) social presence and belonging through equity-conscious participation design; and (d) learner support and equity-by-design, including accessibility provisions, workload-sensitive pacing, and ethical use of learning analytics. Three conceptual tables operationalize the framework by providing a Community of Inquiry-to-design mapping of concrete course routines, a persistence and wellbeing support matrix calibrated to identifiable risk patterns, and a quality assurance checklist for programs and institutions. The paper concludes with recommendations for educators, instructional designers, and institutional leaders aiming to scale online learning responsibly without relying on weak engagement proxies or treating technology adoption as a substitute for pedagogical design.
Carlos Emilio Fuentes Carlos Emilio Fuentes
Program Evaluation and Implementation Research in Education: An Evidence-Informed Framework for Measuring Impact and Scaling Effective Practices
Educational innovations across diverse national and institutional contexts routinely diffuse and scale before they have been adequately evaluated, producing costly, system-wide reforms whose effects on student learning remain ambiguous and whose equity consequences frequently go unexamined until disparities are already entrenched. Simultaneously, traditional evaluation approaches that prioritize summative impact verdicts over explanatory insight often fail to illuminate why an intervention produces strong outcomes in one implementation context while underperforming in another, leaving practitioners and policymakers unable to distinguish design failures from implementation failures or to identify the contextual conditions that determine whether an intervention's theoretical mechanisms actually operate. This evidence-informed conceptual paper synthesizes program evaluation traditions, including logic models, theory of change methodology, and utilization-focused and developmental evaluation approaches, with implementation research constructs of fidelity, adaptation, reach, and feasibility, and with contemporary principles of impact measurement and equity-sensitive indicator design, to propose a practical framework for learning-oriented evaluation of educational innovations. Drawing on widely used frameworks including RE-AIM, the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, and principles of construct-valid outcome measurement, the paper articulates four interdependent domains: (a) a clearly specified theory of change that distinguishes core intervention components from adaptable elements and explicitly names mediating mechanisms; (b) implementation measurement with equity-sensitive indicators and interpretive guardrails that protect data from punitive misuse; (c) outcome measurement grounded in construct validity and triangulated across multiple evidence sources; and (d) scaling decisions structured as staged, evidence-guided learning processes rather than as threshold-based deployment verdicts. Three conceptual tables operationalize the framework through a theory-of-change template for educational interventions, an implementation and outcome indicator menu with interpretation guardrails, and a scaling readiness checklist for institutional leaders. The paper concludes with recommendations for evaluators, researchers, funders, and education system leaders seeking to measure impact responsibly while accelerating the improvement of educational practice at scale.
Javier Solano Pineda Javier Solano Pineda
Designing for Durable Learning in Blended Education: An Evidence-Informed Framework Integrating Retrieval Practice, Feedback, and Cognitive Load
Blended and online learning environments have expanded rapidly across higher education and professional training contexts worldwide, yet a substantial proportion of their instructional designs continue to prioritize content delivery over the conditions that produce durable, transferable learning. Evidence accumulated across decades of learning sciences research consistently demonstrates that long-term retention and meaningful transfer depend not on the volume of information to which learners are exposed but on how they practice retrieving that information, how they receive and act on actionable feedback, and how cognitive demands are managed during learning activities to ensure that available mental resources are directed toward deep rather than superficial processing. This evidence-informed conceptual paper synthesizes three complementary bodies of empirical scholarship, the testing effect and retrieval practice literature pioneered by Roediger and Karpicke, the formative assessment and feedback research synthesized by Black and Wiliam and elaborated by Hattie and Timperley, and cognitive load theory as developed by Sweller and extended to multimedia learning contexts, to propose a practical design framework for durable blended learning. The framework articulates four interdependent domains: (a) retrieval-rich task sequences that embed spaced, interleaved, and low-stakes retrieval as the default learning activity rather than as an occasional supplementary check; (b) feedback loops structured to support revision and self-regulation rather than merely to evaluate performance; (c) cognitive load-sensitive multimedia and pacing decisions that reduce extraneous processing demands while preserving the generative challenge that deep learning requires; and (d) equity-by-design supports that ensure retrieval and feedback mechanisms are accessible and inclusive across the full diversity of learner characteristics and circumstances. Three tables present empirical data on retrieval practice effect sizes across design conditions, feedback type effectiveness across common learning bottlenecks, and implementation quality indicators with measured outcomes from blended learning research. The paper concludes with recommendations for instructional designers, teachers, and program leaders seeking to improve learning outcomes without relying on simplistic engagement proxies.
Teaching Critical Thinking and Argumentation In Education: An Evidence-Informed Design Framework for Instruction, Assessment and Equity
Critical thinking and argumentation are among the most widely endorsed outcomes of contemporary education across virtually every national curriculum framework, professional accreditation standard, and employer capability profile, yet the gap between their rhetorical prominence and their genuine, systematic development in classroom practice remains stubbornly wide. Constructs are routinely invoked without the definitional precision that would make them teachable; instructional sequences are designed without the progressive scaffolding that reasoning development requires; and assessment systems rely on surface-level proxies that conflate engagement activity with reasoning quality. This evidence-informed conceptual paper synthesizes scholarship on critical thinking definitions and subject specificity, research on argumentation as a core dialogic and epistemic practice, and empirical syntheses of instructional approaches including meta-analyses of explicit reasoning strategy instruction, argumentation-based learning, problem-based learning, and writing-to-learn routines, to propose a practical, integrated design framework for teaching and assessing critical thinking and argumentation at scale. The framework articulates four interdependent domains: (a) construct clarity and disciplinary epistemic practices that specify observable reasoning moves calibrated to domain-specific standards of evidence and justification; (b) instructional routines for reasoning, dialogue, and inquiry that make argumentation a learnable, repeatable practice rather than an occasional activity; (c) formative assessment, feedback, and moderation routines that produce trustworthy, equitable judgments of reasoning quality; and (d) equity-by-design and accessibility supports aligned with Universal Design for Learning principles that ensure reasoning opportunities and participation structures are genuinely inclusive. Three tables present empirical data on instructional effect sizes across pedagogical approaches, rubric dimension performance distributions across student populations, and implementation quality benchmarks with associated outcome data. The paper concludes with actionable guidance for educators, instructional designers, and institutional leaders seeking to move beyond aspirational rhetoric toward coherent, evidence-grounded systems for developing and assessing critical thinking and argumentation as genuine educational outcomes.
Bernardo Castillo Reyes Bernardo Castillo Reyes
Lucía Vargas Mendoza Lucía Vargas Mendoza
Coaching-Supported OER Implementation for Learner Self-Regulation in Secondary Blended Learning: A Mixed-Methods Framework
Open educational resources have been widely promoted as equity-oriented tools for expanding curriculum access in secondary education, yet their integration into blended learning environments consistently underdelivers measurable improvements in learner self-regulation when implementation lacks the pedagogical scaffolding and professional support structures that effective use requires. This paper proposes a mixed-methods framework for coaching-supported OER implementation in secondary blended learning, grounded in the theoretical intersections of OER-enabled pedagogy, self-regulated learning theory, instructional coaching research, and implementation science. The framework identifies four interdependent implementation conditions: OER quality and instructional alignment, coaching-supported teacher capacity development, self-regulation scaffolding embedded within blended task design, and institutional sustainability conditions encompassing leadership, infrastructure, and professional community. A quasi-experimental study involving 155 secondary school learners across two blended learning cohorts, complemented by qualitative interviews with participating teachers and students, provides the evaluative architecture within which these conditions operate. Three quantitative tables present outcome data on learner self-regulation, academic performance, and engagement alongside published benchmarks drawn from the OER, coaching, and self-regulated learning literatures. The paper argues that OER adoption in secondary blended contexts cannot deliver its equity and learning potential without simultaneous investment in teacher coaching, self-regulatory task scaffolding, and the institutional governance conditions that make sustained open practice both professionally rewarding and organizationally coherent. Implications are offered for secondary school leaders, curriculum designers, librarians, and system-level policy makers seeking to build OER-enabled blended learning environments that are equitable, pedagogically rigorous, and sustainably maintained.
Learning Analytics Dashboards in Online Stem Education: A Mixed-Methods Framework for Improving Conceptual Understanding in Teacher Preparation
Conceptual understanding in STEM disciplines represents one of the most persistent and consequential challenges in teacher education, where surface-level procedural knowledge without genuine conceptual depth produces teachers inadequately equipped to develop scientific and mathematical reasoning in their own students. Online STEM teacher education programs have proliferated rapidly across tertiary systems, driven by flexibility demands and widening participation agendas, yet their capacity to foster deep conceptual understanding remains unevenly documented and theoretically underdeveloped. This mixed-methods paper proposes a framework for improving conceptual understanding in online STEM teacher education through the purposeful integration of learning analytics dashboards within inquiry-based, interdisciplinary course designs. Drawing on conceptual change theory, cognitive load research, self-regulated learning models, and the emerging empirical literature on learning analytics in STEM contexts, the framework identifies four interdependent design levers: inquiry-structured interdisciplinary task sequences, analytics-informed formative feedback cycles, metacognitive scaffolding for self-monitoring, and institutional conditions governing equitable analytics implementation. A quasi-experimental study design involving 155 pre-service STEM teachers across two online cohorts provides the empirical architecture within which these levers are evaluated. Three quantitative tables present outcome data on conceptual understanding, engagement, and satisfaction alongside published benchmarks drawn from the STEM education and learning analytics literature. The paper argues that improving conceptual depth in online STEM teacher preparation requires simultaneous reform of instructional design, data-informed feedback practice, and the institutional governance structures that determine whether analytics tools serve learner development or reproduce the performance anxieties and equity disparities that poorly governed data systems characteristically generate. Practical implications address program designers, STEM educators, learning technology specialists, and institutional leaders.
Policy and Systems Reform for Blended Learning: A Mixed-Methods Framework for Improving Assessment Performance in Teacher Education
Blended learning has emerged as a structurally significant modality in teacher education, combining face-to-face instruction with online components in ways that can expand pedagogical flexibility and accommodate the diverse professional schedules of pre-service and in-service teachers. Yet the proliferation of blended designs across teacher preparation programs has consistently outpaced the institutional capacity to implement them coherently, leaving persistent gaps between the learning outcomes that blended configurations promise and the assessment performance that programs reliably produce. This mixed-methods paper proposes a conceptual framework for policy and systems reform in blended teacher education that integrates evidence-based instructional design, accountability-oriented feedback structures, and equity-sensitive governance into a testable, scalable model. Drawing on the educational technology literature, self-regulation research, and implementation science, the framework identifies four interdependent reform levers: outcome-aligned instructional sequencing, actionable and timely feedback architecture, responsible learning analytics integration, and systemic policy conditions supporting sustainable adoption. A quasi-experimental evaluation design involving 155 pre-service teachers across two cohorts in a redesigned blended teacher education sequence provides the study architecture within which these levers operate. Synthetic outcome data are organized into three quantitative tables presenting engagement, performance, and satisfaction benchmarks alongside published effect-size estimates from comparable intervention studies. The paper argues that improving assessment performance in blended teacher education requires not incremental adjustment of individual course elements but coordinated systemic reform encompassing instructional design quality, learner support infrastructure, and the institutional policies that determine whether evidence-based practices can take root and persist across program cycles.
Sustainable OER-Enabled Pedagogy: A Conceptual Framework for Open Educational Resources, Renewable Assignments, and Equity-By-Design
This paper proposes a framework for sustainable OER-enabled pedagogy that integrates open educational resources (OER), renewable assignments, accessibility, and equity-by-design across four interdependent domains. OER adoption has grown substantially in recent years, driven by documented cost savings ranging from $90 to $200 per student per course and by meta-analytic evidence of modest but statistically significant improvements in student performance (d = 0.17–0.20). Yet adoption frequently underdelivers its educational promise when materials are curated without instructional coherence, when accessibility requirements are neglected, or when institutions lack the policy infrastructure and workload incentives necessary to sustain open practices at scale. OER-enabled pedagogy extends beyond cost reduction by leveraging open licenses to support renewable assignments, in which learners create shareable artifacts that contribute to public knowledge and community learning. Renewable work enhances motivation and positions students as knowledge producers, yet simultaneously introduces ethical responsibilities related to consent, privacy, inclusivity, and quality assurance that must be addressed proactively. Synthesizing research from instructional design, open education, accessibility standards, and implementation science, the paper proposes a framework with four domains: (a) instructional coherence and design quality, (b) renewable assignment design and learner agency, (c) accessibility and culturally responsive adaptation, and (d) institutional sustainability, encompassing policy incentives, infrastructure, and communities of practice. Three empirical tables present quantitative benchmarks drawn from published studies on OER learning outcomes, renewable assignment engagement, and institutional adoption rates. The paper argues that sustainable open education requires coordinated attention to pedagogy, ethics, and systemic institutional change, and offers practical implications for educators, instructional designers, librarians, and academic leaders.