The article “Innovative Teaching Strategies and Competences for Digital Education,” coordinated by Albert Sangrà, Montse Guitert-Catasús, and Patricia A. Behar, serves as an introductory text and presentation of the special issue published in the Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia (RIED).
From the outset, the authors frame the impact of the pandemic as a turning point that forced universities and teachers to abruptly migrate to online modalities, revealing both structural shortcomings and opportunities for pedagogical transformation. The text not only provides historical context for the role of distance education as a “lifeline” in times of crisis, but also clearly distinguishes between planned online education and what has been termed “emergency remote teaching,” thus avoiding oversimplifications about the effectiveness of digital learning.
Throughout the discussion, the article analyzes the methodologies adopted during lockdown and focuses on the level of digital competence among university faculty. Beyond the “zoomification” of classes (understood as the mere transfer of face-to-face lectures to videoconferencing) the authors highlight experiences that embraced active approaches, such as collaborative learning, strategic asynchrony, course redesign, creative use of digital resources, and the promotion of student self-regulation.
The central argument maintains that methodological innovation is sustainable only when accompanied by solid digital teaching competence, supported by institutional frameworks and continuous professional development policies.
Finally, as the opening text of the special issue, the article fulfills an articulating function: it presents the main thematic axes and synthesizes the contributions included in the issue, organized into two blocks, one focused on foundations and digital competences, and the other on technological applications and active methodologies.
In this way, it acts as a conceptual map of the whole, connecting empirical research, case studies, and systematic reviews. The overview of the academic landscape and innovative experiences conveys a forward-looking and optimistic vision, inviting readers to rethink higher education through hybrid, flexible, and pedagogically sound models that go beyond the immediate response to the health crisis.
---
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
