As blended learning moved toward a new phase during the COVID-19 pandemic, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technology provided opportunities to develop more diverse and dynamic blended learning. This systematic review focused on publications related to the use of AI applications in blended learning. The original studies from January 2007 to October 2023 were extracted from the Google Scholar, ERIC, and Web of Science databases. Finally, 30 empirical studies under the inclusion criteria were reviewed based on two conceptual frameworks: four key challenges of blended learning and three roles of AI. We found that AI applications have been used mainly for the online asynchronous individual learning component in blended learning; little work has been conducted on AI applications that help connect online activities with classroom-based offline activities. Many studies have identified the role of AI as a direct mediator to help control flexibility and autonomy of students in blended learning. However, abundant studies have also identified AI as a supplementary assistant using advanced learning analytics technologies that promote effective interactions with students and facilitate the learning process. Finally, the fewest number of studies have explored the role of AI as a new subject such as use as pedagogical agents or robots. Considering the advancements of generative AI technologies, we expect more research on AI in blended learning. The findings of this study suggested that future studies should guide teachers and their smart AI partner to implement blended learning more effectively.

As education has evolved towards online learning, the availability of learning materials has expanded and consequently, learners’ behavior in choosing resources has changed. The need to offer personalized learning experiences and content has never been greater. Research has explored methods to personalize learning paths and match learning materials with learners’ profiles. Course recommendation systems have emerged as a solution to help learners select courses that suit their interests and aptitude. A comprehensive review study was required to explore the implementation of course recommender systems, with the specifics of courses and learners as the main focal points. This study provided a framework to explain and categorize data sources for course feature extraction, and described the information sources used in previous research to model learner profiles for course recommendations. This review covered articles published between 2015 and 2022 in the repositories most relevant to education and computer science. It revealed increased attention paid to combining course features from different sources. The creation of multi-dimensional learner profiles using multiple learner characteristics and implementing machine-learning-based recommenders has recently gained momentum. As well, a lack of focus on learners’ micro-behaviors and learning actions to create precise models was noted in the literature. Conclusions about recent course recommendation systems development are also discussed.

Engaging with physical education teachers who were compelled to integrate technology into their lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial to understanding how the pandemic has presented this ‘new normal’ circumstance. It is vital to gain insight into the initial experiences of physical education (PE) teachers who transitioned to online physical education (OLPE) teaching, as well as to identify potential areas for improvement in the future. This study investigated the perspectives of secondary school PE teachers on OLPE teaching during the COVID-19 lockdown, their professional development, online training opportunities and future perceptions. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study analysed data from 35 secondary school PE teachers in Fiji, using Google Forms to collect quantitative data and semi-structured interviews for qualitative data. The quantitative data was categorized by age, gender, school setting, qualifications, and teaching experience, while the qualitative data was analysed by themes. The study found that teachers struggled with OLPE due to lack of preparedness, poor Internet connectivity, and lack of emphasis on PE during lockdown. Despite their readiness, integrating technology remains challenging due to a lack of incentives, limited support, and fear of the unknown. The study emphasises the vital importance of technology in creating engaging and relevant PE experiences and recommends the provision of specialised resources, personalised curriculum guidance, and a change in teacher training institutions' paradigms to incorporate contemporary technological applications in PE.

As labour markets undergo rapid and profound transformations, lifelong learning is essential to ensure a responsive, competitive, and skilled workforce. Mature learners are a diverse group, but in comparison to their younger student counterparts, are more likely to have employment and/or caring responsibilities. This field note discusses the development and features of a novel online open educational resource, called At a crossroads: Navigating work and/or family alongside study (At a crossroads for brevity). The resource aimed to assist university students to both learn about the support options available to them as well as to consider how they themselves might make decisions if they experienced a conflict between their student/work/family roles. At a crossroads is innovative in terms of how it was developed (i.e., via survey-based research, story completion method, and consultations sessions with tertiary students) and in terms of what it is (i.e., an online interactive resource that incorporates short dramatizations, social polls, and opportunities to reflect). Our experience in developing this resource caused us to consider how making resources designed to be engaging and informative, while encouraging, positive changes, must be part of the solution. This is especially so when there is significant concern around the overall well-being of tertiary students and their course completion rates. While universities have attempted to offer a range of tools to support their students, on-demand online resources such as At a crossroads are easily accessed, free to use, and deliver content in an engaging manner.

Learners who learn from OER often cannot have their learning assessed or receive a credential. Open credentials offer a potential solution to this problem, combining badges or micro-credentials with competence frameworks and digital seals. This study identified the current situation of open credentials in post-secondary education in Europe, the main themes of the discourse, and the points of agreement and divergence surrounding them. The data comprised a corpus of transcriptions from 12 expert interviews and a focus group. Qualitative text analysis identified the principal themes. Findings included the following: (a) few assessments are available as open content; (b) linking OER and credentials requires detailed and expensive work on learning outcomes and assessment; (c) the aggregation of open credentials to create higher-level qualifications is a widely accepted ambition; (d) the European Union’s infrastructure to support open credentials is appropriate and effective and can foster trust; (e) the outstanding challenges are organisational and practical, not technological; (f) assessment and content provisions should belong to separate organisational functions; and finally, (g) funding and support for open credentials in professional accreditation are essential for further progress.

Table of Contents Farhad Saba, Ph. D. (c) All rights reserved ERTI’s Exceptional Team ERTI unit managers, radio and television producers, graphic artists and set designers, educational technologists, educational evaluators, researchers and the many broadcast engineers and technicians who made ERTI possible were creative, energetic, enthusiastic and forward-looking young women and men. They embodied the […]

Educational Broadcasting in Iran in the 1960s and 1970s (1) INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND RESLUTS AND CONSEQUENCES REFERENCES KEYWORDS Educational Broadcasting in Iran in the 1960s and 1970s (2) ERTI’S EXCEPTIONAL TEAM HIGH-LEVEL SUPPORT OF NIRT LEADERSHIP FOR ERTI

Table of Contents FARHAD SABA, Ph. D. (C) All rights reserved INTRODUCTION THE 1960s and the 1970s were exciting, effervescent, and consequential times for Iran. After decades of disenchantment because of overt foreign intervention and domestic turmoil there was relative calm in political conditions. This period of tranquility promised a new beginning for the country. […]

Post-Pandemic Future: Implications for Privacy The time has come for privacy to expand beyond compliance to include determinations about what should be protected and consideration of ethical implications, balancing institutional priorities with the rights of individuals. The intersection of issues including COVID-19, student success, and the emergence of the chief privacy officer (CPO) role highlights […]