The study by Sánchez-Caballé and Esteve-Mon offers a precise, though far from static, map of how teaching methodologies employing digital technologies (DT) are embedded in higher education.
Beyond merely cataloguing trends such as the prevalence of group work or problem-based learning, the research brings to light a disquieting pattern: the substitutive use of DT by many lecturers, as opposed to a transformative use which, although less common, reveals a latent potential to radically redesign the teaching–learning experience. This finding prompts us to consider that genuine innovation does not reside solely in the adoption of a digital tool, but rather in the pedagogical will to harness it for rethinking roles, processes, and outcomes.
In practical terms, the study suggests immediate applications: integrating models such as PICRAT or TPACK into both initial and ongoing teacher training could foster strategies that combine student creativity with a transformative use of DT by educators. Complementarily, the findings indicate that universities should establish institutional frameworks of support, extending beyond technical training to include pedagogical mentoring and reflective engagement with educational purposes. Such a systemic approach could bridge the gap between the proliferation of digital tools and their tangible impact on learning.
Looking ahead, the study opens up stimulating lines of inquiry: How will hybrid active methodologies evolve in a post-pandemic landscape shaped by generative AI? What metrics could capture the added value of a transformative use of DT, beyond student satisfaction or assessment results?
And perhaps most provocatively how might we measure the “critical digital empowerment” students develop when technologies cease to be an ancillary support and instead become a medium for participation and knowledge production? Exploring these questions could position higher education at the frontier of a genuine digital transformation, moving well beyond the mere digitalisation of what already existed.
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How to Cite: Beltrán-Flandoli, A. M., Pérez-Rodríguez, A., & Mateus, J.-C. (2023). YouTube as a Cyber-Classroom. Critical Review of its Pedagogical Use at Ibero-American University. RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 26(1), 287–306. https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.26.1.34372
