In a post-pandemic landscape where remote education is no longer an improvised experiment but a structured reality, the article by Fidalgo-Blanco, Sein-Echaluce, and García-Peñalvo presents a bold and well-crafted model grounded in the principles of Education 4.0. What stands out in this proposal is not merely its technical sophistication—though it certainly possesses that—but its capacity to transform the classroom into a living lab of innovation, with students positioned as active architects of knowledge.
The model clearly integrates distributed infrastructure, active learning methodologies, and soft skills, with a strong emphasis on the creation of a "4.0 product": a knowledge repository generated and managed by the students themselves. It is, at its core, a firm commitment to a pedagogy of empowerment rather than dependency.
Yet methodological brilliance does not come without questions. Although the quantitative results are compelling—higher academic performance, deeper engagement, and enhanced peer learning—the level of autonomy and the demand for sustained tutoring may prove difficult to replicate in contexts with fewer resources or without highly committed educators.
Where the study shines most is in its ethical and strategic vision of learning: by giving students a central role as knowledge creators, it values not only the acquisition of skills, but also the cultural production of the classroom itself. The repository becomes more than just a tool; it emerges as a symbol—knowledge is no longer merely delivered but constructed and shared.
At a time when education is increasingly called upon to be more critical, collaborative, and meaningful, this work not only rises to the challenges posed by Industry 4.0, it redefines the very purpose of higher education. An inspiring, albeit demanding, model—one that doesn't mark the end of an emergency, but rather the beginning of an era driven by intention and purpose.
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How to Cite: Fidalgo-Blanco, Ángel, Sein-Echaluce, M. L., & García-Peñalvo, F. J. (2022). Education 4.0-based Method to Improve Learning: Lessons Learned from COVID-19. RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 25(2), 49–72. https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.25.2.32320
