This research line focuses on investigating new ways of teaching and learning in different contexts and scenarios (current and future) stressing on the new and more flexible education and learning models. We want to look at how they fit with the new student profiles and their needs, and to take into accounts which are the different social and cultural contexts in which they are immersed.
The main research areas would include:
- Exploring new educational models, both blended and online, which have been generated from diverse cultures and environments, and which mean different approaches to education;
- Identifying those pedagogies that are underlying these new models or which better fit with;
- The new forms of organization of learning;
- The technologies which contribute to these new emerging models;
- The opportunities online education provide in the framework of globalization;
- Studying the potential of open and flexible models to guarantee equity and access to education for those traditionally most disadvantaged groups;
- The components of quality and cost of the new emergent models and their outcomes.
Keywords:
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Thesis Proposals |
Researchers |
Research Group |
Keywords |
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Emergent, Prospective and Future Learning Scenarios
Analysis of emerging learning scenarios (formal, non-formal and informal) and the futures of education in a context of lifelong learning, as well as the development of digital skills -including those corresponding to AI- as a need of the 21st century citizen (student-citizen focus).
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Coordination
mguitert@uoc.edu
ncabrera@uoc.edu
lguardia@uoc.edu
mmaina@uoc.edu
mromerocar@uoc.edu
tromeu@uoc.edu
asangra@uoc.edu
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Edul@b | emerging learning scenarios; educational futures; digital skills |
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New Forms of Learning Organization
This research area explores emerging forms and trends in learning, focusing on innovative pedagogies and models that redefine educational practices. It examines microcredentials as a new approach to structuring and recognizing learning in flexible and personalized ways.
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Coordinator
cpagesserra@uoc.edu
afitob@uoc.edu
mmartinezarg@uoc.edu
eserradell@uoc.edu
rferreras@uoc.edu
cplag@uoc.edu
mpujoljo@uoc.edu
Dr Jordi Sales-Zaguirre
jsales@uoc.edu
Dr David Roman Coy
droman@eada.edu
nbasilico@uoc.edu
cbruguerat@uoc.edu
Dr Mitchell Peters
mjosephp@uoc.edu
plara@uoc.edu
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MeL | micro-credentials; innovative pedagogies; educational innovation |
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Educational Transformation and Pedagogical Innovation in Education through Digital Technologies
This proposal studies how pedagogical innovations and digital technologies, in combination with educational research-based methodologies, can help to transform education. It focuses on analysing the challenges of educational transformation in various settings and at different levels and stages (school, university and community education, as well as formal and non-formal education), and on exploring how innovation can promote equity, inclusion and participation. This involves co-designing educational practices, analysing territorial innovation experiences, and evaluating the impact of interdisciplinary and cultural projects. It also implies analysing the adoption of digital technologies in institutions and classrooms, and the factors that influence how effectively these technologies are used. The proposal also addresses the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and educational data as tools for transforming teaching and learning.
Similarly, it explores the educational potential of music and the arts as ways to boost creativity, motivation and well-being, in dialogue with creative technologies. Finally, the proposal aims to investigate innovative teaching practices in music teaching, analysing how digital technologies can transform music learning experiences in schools and extracurricular settings
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Dr Marta López Costa (Coordination)
mlopezcos@uoc.edu
mfernandezferrer@uoc.edu
gbautista@uoc.edu
llluchm@uoc.edu
emasdeuy@uoc.edu
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GREDU | educational transformation, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, musical and artistic education |
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Design and assessment in online learning & teaching Design and assessment in online learning & teaching environments,supported by social and collaborative tools. This line of research studies the pedagogical, organizational and symbolic aspects of the new social and collaborative environments and technologies for teaching and learning in a complex and changing world. |
Dr Adriana Ornellas aornellas@uoc.edu |
NODES |
social and collaborative environments; design; assessment
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Design and Evaluation of Learning Spaces
This research proposal focuses on exploring how physical, virtual and hybrid learning spaces can be designed and evaluated to foster students' educational experience, well-being and participation. It follows a three-dimensional approach involving pedagogy (didactic use of space), the environment-architecture (physical layout or set-up) and digital mediation (technologies and virtual environments). This proposal is relevant in the context of school and higher education studies, particularly in settings involving methodological innovation or the reorganization of school or university spaces.
Thesis proposals:
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gbautista@uoc.edu
(Coordination)
mlopezcos@uoc.edu
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GREDU
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learning spaces, educational well-being, pedagogical design, sustainability, hybrid environments
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Collaborative and interdisciplinary learning network: community of practice applications, and learning & teaching Communities of practice are nowadays an important concept in the healthcare sector. Described as a group of people who share an interest in a domain of human endeavour and engage in collective learning that creates bonds among them, they give healthcare professionals the chance to build collective knowledge working at different levels of care. These virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) have proven capable of solving healthcare professionals' information and communication problems in a much simpler way. Moreover, they have been found to improve the functioning of organizations by generating the kind of tacit knowledge that emerges from interactions among colleagues. Finally, through virtual communities of practice, the optimal conditions for facilitating a collaborative and interdisciplinary learning network are created. The interest in identifying the benefits that VCoPs offers in the healthcare sector is relatively new in specialized literature. |
Dr Francesc Saigí |
Epi4health |
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Pedagogical principles and practices in online and distance doctoral education
This research proposal is devoted to studying student learning in online doctoral education. This implies, on the one hand, the analysis of the learning experience of doctoral students, taking into account the educational conditions and the sociocultural implications of doctoral education in the current contextOn the other hand, the pedagogical conceptualization of a sustainable and appropriate online learning model for their research skills development to participate both inside and outside of academic contexts, taking into consideration career guidance and employability.
Some of the topics that are intended to be addressed are: structure, flexibility and presence in online doctoral learning; doctoral students' networked and community learning and the development of a relational agency; students' engagement and self-direction in doctoral online learning; diversity, inclusion and student support and guidance in online doctoral supervision
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Dr Iolanda García González
Dr Mitchell Peters |
MISS (Iolanda Garcia)
(Mitchell Peters)
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online doctoral learning; self-directed online learning; networked learning |
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Food and nutrition online: opportunities and challenges for higher education and lifelong learning
Due to the multidisciplinary nature of food studies, in the large variety of European Food Sciences programmes the central core considers food technology, consumer sciences, business and economics, nutrition and health studies. Research on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) applications in educational systems confirms the potential of ICT to promote and encourage innovation and improve the quality of education, as well as to achieve greater inclusion and equity quotas. On the other hand, online lifelong learning training systems through different training modalities (e-Learning, b-Learning or m-Learning, MOOCs) make a more extensive and inclusive lifelong training possible in formal and non-formal education, proving to have the potential to be effective in expanding food studies. In addition, ICT is also a powerful pedagogical tool for the treatment of curricular contents related to: determinants of food choice, food marketing, food culture, food security, food safety and food technology. This research line aims to raise awareness and help to adapt food related modules/courses to these new opportunities and educational challenges.
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fxmedina@uoc.edu
aaguilarmart@uoc.edu
abachf@uoc.edu
lesquius@uoc.edu
mmassips@uoc.edu
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Epi4health |
food technology; online food & nutrition studies; lifelong learning
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Oral interaction in blended language learning programmes
This project aims to oral interaction in language learning by addressing challenges in transferring face-to-face (f2f) practices to online and blended formats. It highlights the potential of technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of interaction tasks but emphasizes the need to adapt instructional design to the online context rather than directly replicating f2f methods. The project can focus on key elements like teacher discourse, task design, learner engagement, and feedback strategies. It also seeks to explore how multimodal tools and feedback mechanisms in blended settings differ from f2f classes, aiming to identify effective strategies for promoting oral interaction and improving learning outcomes in increasingly digital teaching environments.
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mappel@uoc.edu
jrobbins@uoc.ed
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realTIC-UOC |
language learning, oral interaction, blended learning
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Virtual exchange for language and intercultural communication
Doctoral thesis projects under the title Virtual Exchange for Language and Intercultural Communication are invited to investigate how online collaborative environments can enhance both language learning and intercultural understanding across diverse educational contexts. Research may examine the design, implementation, and evaluation of virtual exchange initiatives that connect learners from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, focusing on how digital tools and pedagogical approaches foster communicative competence, language development, and intercultural awareness. Projects could explore areas such as task design for meaningful interaction, the role of identity and agency in multilingual communication, or the impact of emerging technologies such as AI, virtual reality, and social platforms on language learning and intercultural engagement. Studies that adopt innovative methodologies or draw on interdisciplinary frameworks from applied linguistics, education, and communication studies are particularly welcome.
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mappel@uoc.edu
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realTIC-UOC |
virtual exchange, global citizenship, intercultural communication
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Collaborative online (international) learning activities in early childhood and primary education
Collaborative Online International Learning is a teaching methodology that began to be applied in higher education in EEUU in 2004. It is an innovative way for students to participate in international educational activities by collaborating with peers from other countries. Research on this innovative approach is scarce and mainly based on case studies, since only a few projects have so far been implemented, usually at the initiative of higher education professors. Prior results suggest that participating in COIL projects enables students to develop several cross-cutting competencies. This project supports innovation in teaching and learning processes by identifying the potential and possible limits of collaborative online international learning (COIL) in early childhood and primary education. It also aims to investigate the learning process in early childhood education settings using traditional vs. COIL classroom teaching methods.
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lcrescenzi@uoc.edu
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ChildTech Lab | collaborative online international learning, early childhood education, primary education |