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The educational landscape has changed in recent years, requiring reflection about new pedagogical methods and theories. There are three important perspectives as drivers of pedagogical reflection: lifelong and life‐wide learning, the idea of learning as a social construct in which internal elements and changing external factors converge, and the recognition of technology as a resource that can promote ubiquitous and expanded learning. Learning ecology has been proposed as a conceptual and empirical framework, but its still emergent nature along with its multidimensionality and complexity require further exploration. The Delphi study we present as part of a broader research project aims to identify the components of learning ecologies. Three panel rounds with international experts were carried out, after which two important dimensions emerged in the structure of learning ecologies. The first is related to intrinsic “learning dispositions,” which is made up of three categories: the subject's ideas about learning, their motivations and expectations. The second dimension, called “learning processes,” comprises four components: relationships, resources, actions and context. The identification of the components of learning ecologies and their influence on formal, non‐formal and informal training processes will provide guidance for educational policies and help to better organize training programmes.

Identifying the roles and competencies of faculty performing in virtual environments is crucial to higher education institutions in order to build a common frame for teaching and training initiatives. One of the goals of this study is to identify and systematize faculty's roles through a review of the most representative surveys. There has also been an effort to identify competencies associated to every role, with an emphasis on those of the pedagogical scope, by means of a focus group. Furthermore, a cross-sectional survey with 166 faculty participants has been conducted in order to identify faculty's level of proficiency on the pedagogical competencies and the interest in training programs.Teacher perceptions on both these aspects constitutes a relevant reference for the design of faculty training programs. Results reveal that content drafting is the aspect in which the subjects declare the highest level of proficiency as opposed to assessment. Faculty also appear to be willing to improve their training, being aware of the changes and requirements entailed by e-learning.

There is extensive research on interaction frameworks in distance education and studies in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) have also focused on establishing interaction models. There is still research to be done, though, in order to identify the elements that configure interaction to build up a framework for their integration, aligned with the learning goals. The purpose of this study is to understand the key elements that configure effective interaction in the implementation phase of CSCL and to analyze the different types of interactions that occur during collaborative learning processes. The study was designed under a nonexperimental quantitative methodology and 106 learners answered a questionnaire after participating in 5 different higher education subjects implementing CSCL. A factorial analysis of results prove that students identify three types of interaction to be necessary during the implementation phase of collaboration in order to reach knowledge convergence: cognitive, social and organizational interaction. Therefore, instructors and institutions who wish to promote effective CSCL should bear in mind the learning goals together with the social and organizational aspects interwoven in the design, implementation and assessment phases of collaborative learning.

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El trabajo colaborativo es una de las presencias dominantes en la formación apoyada en tecnologías, de ahí la importancia de las prácticas que se están desarrollando bajo las siglas CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning). Entre los aspectos que parecen ser determinantes para elaborar propuestas de CSCL se encuentra la planificación, que debe contemplar tanto los recursos tecnológicos como la metodología y la propia configuración de los grupos de trabajo con el fin de favorecer los intercambios y el aprendizaje en comunidad. El propósito de este estudio es analizar la importancia de la fase de planificación del CSCL, estimando el alcance de los componentes clave de su diseño, y examinando la tipología y utilidad de los acuerdos grupales en la creación y funcionamiento de los equipos. Para ello se llevó a cabo una investigación con una metodología cuantitativa de carácter no experimental de tipo encuesta en la que participaron 106 estudiantes de grado de cinco asignaturas que implementaron CSCL. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto la utilidad de los componentes de la planificación, así como la importancia de la redacción de acuerdos grupales y su incidencia en la creación y funcionamiento del grupo. Resulta esencial planificar adecuadamente el CSCL para garantizar el aprendizaje y entender que las decisiones organizativas, pedagógicas y tecnológicas deberían confluir en el objetivo de sustentar tanto los aspectos cognitivos como sociales que configuran el aprendizaje individual y grupal.Collaborative learning has a strong presence in technology-supported education and, as a result, practices being developed in the form of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) are more and more common. Planning seems to be one of the critical issues when elaborating CSCL proposals, which necessarily take into account technological resources, methodology and group configuration as a means to boost exchange and learning in the community. The purpose of this study is to analyze the relevance of the CSCL planning phase and weigh up the significance of its key design components as well as examining group agreement typology and its usefulness in team building and performance. To do so, research was carried out using a non-experimental quantitative methodology consisting of a questionnaire answered by 106 undergraduate students from 5 different CSCL-based subjects. Results prove the usefulness of the planning components and the drafting of group agreements and their influence on group building and interaction. In order to ensure the quality of learning, it is essential to plan CSCL initiatives properly and understand that organizational, pedagogical and technological decisions should converge around a single goal which is to sustain the cognitive and social aspects that configure individual and group learning

This study analyses the extent to which faculty use the technological resources that make up their Learning Ecologies to encourage their teacher professional development. The interest of this research is the growing impact of Learning Ecologies as a framework to examine the multiple learning opportunities provided by the complex digital landscape. Global data referred to the use of technological resources grouped in three dimensions (Access, Search and Information Management resources, Creation and Content Editing resources, and Interaction and Communication resources) has been identified. In addition, the influence of different variables such as gender, age, years of teaching experience and the branch of knowledge were also examined. The methodology used has been quantitative through a survey. The sample consisted of 1,652 faculty belonging to 50 Spanish universities. To meet the aim of the study, descriptive and inferential analysis (ANOVA) were carried out. On the one hand, it is noted a moderate use of technological resources for professional development and, on the other hand, significant differences are observed on all variables analysed. The results warn of the need to promote, both at individual and institutional level, more enriched Learning Ecologies, in such a way that each teacher can take better advantage of the learning opportunities, provided by the networked society. En este estudio se analiza en qué medida el profesorado universitario utiliza los recursos tecnológicos que configuran sus Ecologías de Aprendizaje para propiciar su desarrollo profesional como docentes. El interés de esta investigación radica en el creciente impacto del constructo de las Ecologías de Aprendizaje como marco para examinar e interpretar las múltiples oportunidades de aprendizaje que ofrece el complejo panorama digital actual. Además de identificar los datos globales referidos al uso de los recursos tecnológicos agrupados en tres dimensiones (recursos de acceso, búsqueda y gestión de la información, recursos de creación y edición de contenido, y recursos de interacción y comunicación), también se examina la influencia de diferentes variables como el género, la edad, los años de experiencia docente y la rama de conocimiento. La metodología empleada ha sido de corte cuantitativo a través de encuesta. La muestra está compuesta por 1.652 profesores pertenecientes a 50 universidades españolas. Para dar respuesta al objetivo del estudio se llevaron a cabo análisis descriptivos e inferenciales (ANOVA). Se constata un empleo moderado de los recursos tecnológicos para el desarrollo profesional y, además, se observan diferencias significativas en función de las variables analizadas. Los resultados alertan de la necesidad de fomentar, tanto a nivel individual como institucional, Ecologías de Aprendizaje más enriquecidas, de manera que cada docente pueda aprovechar mejor las posibilidades de aprendizaje que ofrece la sociedad en red.

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