Abstract

Online learning—learning that involves interactions that are mediated through using digital, typically internet-based, technology—is pervasive, multi-faceted, and evolving, creating opportunities and challenges for educational research in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this special issue, we advance an interdisciplinary agenda for online learning research at the intersection of educational technology, educational psychology, and the learning sciences. In this first article in the issue, we define online learning including its variants, review historical and current contexts, explore its multidimensionality, and assert key issues shaping contemporary online learning. We propose five important lenses: community, engagement, pedagogy, equity, and design-based research, through which scholarly communities are creating knowledge that influences research and practice in online learning contexts. These lenses highlight points of conceptual overlap between the online and psychological learning literatures. The special issue is organized around these lenses and includes an article representing each one, complemented by commentaries that offer critical appraisal and synthesis.

摘要

在线学习——涉及通过使用数字（通常是基于互联网的）技术进行交互的学习——是普遍的、多方面的和不断发展的，在 COVID-19 大流行之后为教育研究创造了机遇和挑战。在本期特刊中，我们在教育技术、教育心理学和学习科学的交叉点推进在线学习研究的跨学科议程。在本期的第一篇文章中，我们定义了在线学习及其变体，回顾了历史和当前背景，探索了它的多维性，并断言了塑造当代在线学习的关键问题。我们提出了五个重要的视角：社区、参与、教学法、公平和基于设计的研究，学术团体通过这些研究创造知识，影响在线学习环境中的研究和实践。这些镜头突出了在线和心理学习文献之间的概念重叠点。特刊围绕这些镜头组织，并包括一篇代表每个镜头的文章，并辅以提供批判性评估和综合的评论。