Global Perspectives on Educational Innovations for Emergency Situations

This open access book focuses on making the transition from in-person, classroom education to other feasible alternative modes and methodologies to deliver education at all levels. The book presents and analyzes research questions to explore in this arena, including pedagogical issues relating to technological and infrastructure challenges, teacher professional development, issues of disparity, access and equity, and impact of government policies on education. It also provides unique opportunities and vehicles for generating scholarship that helps explain the varied educational needs, perspectives and solutions that arise during an emergency and the different roles educational institutions and educators may play during this time.

Developed from a highly successful Presidential Session at the annual meeting of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), this edited volume presents AECT and its membership as the premier organization focusing on the provision of educational communications and technology leadership. In addition, it functions as a contemporary document of this global crisis as well as a rich resource for possible future emergency scenarios in the educational arena.

Vanessa Dennen is a Professor of Instructional Systems & Learning Technologies at Florida State University. She currently serves as Editor in Chief of The Internet and Higher Education. Her research investigates pedagogy and learner engagement in online discussion activities; knowledge management, and knowledge brokering within online networks and communities of practice; and social media use in the school context.

Camille Dickson-Deane is a Senior Lecturer Higher Education Learning Design at the University of Technology Sydney. She is a Fulbright and Organisation of American States (OAS) scholar who has published journal articles, book chapters and media pieces. As a scholar-practitioner her work triangulates the realms of theory, research and practice and can be seen in design artefacts, expert reviews, design cases and evaluations on learning designs. Her research interests include pedagogical usability, individual differences and contextualizing online learning designs.

Dr. Xun Ge is Professor of Learning Sciences at the Department of Educational Department, the University of Oklahoma. She is also the current President of Association for Educational Communications & Technology. Her research involves ill-structured problem-solving, scaffolding, and designing digital learning environments (e.g., game-based, simulation-based, virtual reality, makerspace) to support learner skill development in problem representation, argumentation, mental models, and self-regulation. Her scholarly work intersects cognition, motivation, design, and assessment in various educational contexts.

Dirk Ifenthaler is Professor and Chair of Learning, Design and Technology at University of Mannheim, Germany and UNESCO Deputy Chair of Data Science in Higher Education Learning and Teaching at Curtin University, Australia. Dirk’s research focuses on the intersection of cognitive psychology, educational technology, data analytics, and organisational learning.

Sahana Murthy is Professor in the Educational Technology interdisciplinary program at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Her research focuses on technology-enhanced learning of disciplinary practices: developing students' problem-solving, design thinking and inquiry practices in STEM domains via interactive learning environments. Another area of focus is effective integration of technology by teachers, which has led to the design, implementation and evaluation of frameworks for learner-centric approaches in blended contexts.

Jennifer C. Richardson is a Professor in Learning, Design and Technology (LDT) in the College of Education at Purdue University, USA. Her research focuses on evidence-based practices in online learning environments. Specifically, strategies and design for teaching online, social presence, gauging learning in online environments, and the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework