In the introductory article to the RIED special issue titled "Innovative Teaching Strategies and Competences for Digital Education", coordinators Albert Sangrà, Montse Guitert-Catasús, and Patricia Behar reflect on the impact the pandemic had on higher education and the urgent need to transform traditional teaching practices.
The lockdown forced a massive shift to virtual environments, revealing significant technological and pedagogical shortcomings in many institutions and among educators. Drawing from this experience, the authors encourage a clear distinction between “emergency remote teaching” and truly planned, active, and learner-centered online education.
This special issue of the journal provides a broad overview of the current state of digital competence among university faculty and the development of innovative methodologies that address today’s educational challenges.
The studies presented demonstrate how the design of collaborative activities, the use of emerging technologies, personalized feedback, and immersive environments not only transform the learning experience but also foster more creative and meaningful teaching practices. The importance of the European DigCompEdu framework is also highlighted as a key reference for improving digital teaching competence.
Far from being a passing trend, digital education has become an essential dimension of current and future hybrid learning models. The contributions in this issue offer concrete evidence and proposals to guide institutions, educators, and policymakers toward a more flexible, inclusive, and effective higher education system.
As the coordinators emphasize, this is a crucial moment to rethink teaching and place learning at the center—with the support of active methodologies and strong digital competence.
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How to Cite: Sangrà, A., Guitert, M., & Behar, P. A. (2023). Innovative Teaching Strategies and Competences for Digital Education. RIED. Revista Iberoamericana De Educación a Distancia, 26(1), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.26.1.36081
