Integration of digital technologies into the educational process

1. Introduction

In modern education, there is an increasing emphasis on the need for meaningful and purposeful integration of digital technologies into the teaching process. However, mere knowledge of technology is not enough for its effective application. It is necessary to understand how technology can be connected to subject content and pedagogical approaches.

The integration of digital technologies into the educational process is becoming an increasingly important aspect of modern education. It does not only involve the use of computers or the Internet, but also the thoughtful inclusion of digital tools, resources and methods to improve the quality of learning and teaching. Effective integration enables greater interactivity, accessibility and personalisation of the educational experience, and provides teachers with new opportunities to differentiate teaching, monitor progress and collaborate with students. At the heart of this process is the pedagogical purpose, and technology is a support for the achievement of educational goals, not an end. In this activity, you will learn about some of the ways in which digital technologies can be integrated into the educational process:

• selection of digital tools for working with learning outcomes
• using LMS for content management and communication
• application of SAMR and TPACK frameworks for planning technology integration levels
• continuous education of teachers to raise and maintain the level of digital competences
• creation and use of OER content
• ensuring accessibility and inclusivity with UDL
• adaptation of classroom teaching materials to the online environment

2. The difference between online, blended and hybrid teaching

Online learning refers to an educational model that takes place entirely over the internet. In this approach, all teaching materials, activities, communication and assessment are made available to students via digital platforms. Teaching can be synchronous when all participants join at the same time via video call, or asynchronous, when students access content at a time that suits them best. Effective online learning requires carefully designed digital resources, clear instructions and support for students in distance learning.

Blended learning combines online activities and in-person learning, with the two components taking place separately and complementing each other. Part of the learning takes place via an online platform, where students access content, participate in forums or complete assignments, while another part of the learning takes place live in the classroom through lectures, discussions or exercises. It is crucial that both components are planned as part of a single learning design. For example, students can complete a survey online, view introductory content, and participate in a forum assignment, and then analyse the results together and continue working in groups in a learning meeting.

Hybrid teaching refers to teaching in which some students are present in the classroom, while others are engaged online at the same time. The teacher teaches both groups simultaneously, supported by technology that enables the transmission of images and sound and the use of digital materials. This approach allows for greater flexibility but requires careful planning and technical support to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to participate.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the terms blended and hybrid learning were often used interchangeably without a clear distinction. Today, a more precise distinction is increasingly accepted, with blended learning referring to a combination of separate online and face-to-face activities, while hybrid learning refers to the simultaneous delivery of instruction in both physical and digital environments.

Distinguishing between these three models is important for quality teaching planning. Each model carries specific pedagogical and organisational requirements, and their success depends on good preparation, clarity in communication, and alignment with student needs.

3. Choosing digital tools for working with learning outcomes

In modern education, it is crucial that digital tools are tailored to work with defined learning outcomes. This means that every tool, activity and resource must be designed to support the achievement of specific outcomes. In the alignment process, it is important to consider three levels:

1. vertical alignment between outcomes at the level of the study programme and the outcomes of an individual course
2. horizontal alignment between outcomes, teaching activities and assessment
3. compliance with student workload, i.e. that digital activities match the real time and effort required to achieve the outcome.

Such an approach allows the tools to be not only technical accessories, but designed elements of pedagogy that help the teacher to structure the course in a targeted way, and the student to understand what and how he learns. One of the tools that can help teachers plan their lessons and constructively align them with learning outcomes is Balanced Learning Design Planning (BDP).

Balanced Learning Design Planning (BDP) tool
The BDP tool is available free of charge as an online solution at the link and is an example of an innovative digital tool aimed at aligning with learning outcomes. Its key features are as follows:

• focus on learning outcomes: defining course outcomes with weighted values
• constructive alignment: linking outcomes, activities and evaluations
• planning student workload: defining the duration of activities and total workload
• learning/design analytics dashboard: visualising the balance between goals, activities and assessments
• automatic export to Moodle LMS: export of courses in structured Moodle format
• support for different pedagogical approaches: flexible planning for different teaching styles
• design collaboration and sharing: public sharing and teamwork in courses
• UI-assistant (experimental): help in course design using artificial intelligence
• free and accessible version: available to everyone at no charge
• wide international user base: used in more than 40 countries

The BDP tool helps align digital tools with learning outcomes by enabling transparent definition and linking outcomes with activities, visual display of priorities, workloads and assessments, thereby helping to identify possible imbalances in e-college design. And finally, everything in the lesson plan can be automatically exported to the Moodle LMS as an activity or resource (including a basic set of initial settings), reducing the amount of unnecessary manual copying and time-consuming migration of content between systems.

Layout of the BDP tool with a display of individual activities, their content, type of execution, type of MOODLE activity/resource, and the like.

GDP tool layout

In addition to the GDP tool, you can also try the ABC tool available at the link.

4. LMS for content management and communication

Introduction

Learning Management Systems (LMS) have become a fundamental tool for planning, organising and implementing teaching in a digital environment. LMS platforms enable teachers to manage educational content in a structured manner, monitor student activities and enable multi-directional communication, thereby significantly contributing to the efficiency and quality of the educational process. In the Republic of Croatia, at all educational levels, the most widespread use of Moodle LMS is primarily because it is a free, open-source solution, localised in the Croatian language with many features and add-ons for expanding it.

Some of the functions of an LMS are:

Course content management

In learning management systems (LMS), such as Moodle LMS, Canvas or Blackboard, course content can be structured in different ways — by weeks, thematic units or modules, providing students with a clear and organised path through the course. The teacher can publish a variety of teaching materials, including PDF documents, presentations, videos and e-scripts, allowing for a combination of traditional and multimedia learning formats.

In addition to static materials, the LMS offers the creation of interactive activities, such as quizzes, assignments, forums or SCORM objects, which encourage active learning and allow students to apply the acquired knowledge. For each content block, it is possible to set clearly defined goals and learning outcomes, which gives students a landmark in the learning process and allows teachers to assess achievements more easily.

One of the important functionalities is the customisation of content visibility: materials and activities can be opened gradually, in accordance with the dynamics of the lesson or individual student progress. Also, the LMS allows for easy integration of external resources, such as knowledge bases, digital repositories or open educational resources (OER), thus expanding the availability of quality resources and enriching the learning experience.

Activity monitoring and evaluation

5. SAMR model

The SAMR model was developed in 2010 by Ruben Puentedura and consists of four levels of online learning, roughly ranked according to their transformative power. SAMR is a reflection tool that can help teachers think about how the integration of digital technology supports learning in specific educational contexts/situations and activities. The abbreviation "SAMR" stands for Substitute (en. substitution), Expansion (en. augmentation), Reshaping (en. modification) i Redefinition (en. redefinition).

The individual phases of the model can be described as follows.

In the Substitute phase, technology is used to solve a task that could equally well be done without the use of technology, e.g. students solve a printed task on paper or use a digital source such as a book.

In the Expansion phase, technology is used for a task that would otherwise take much longer or be more difficult (complex) if students were to solve it without the use of technology, e.g. students solve an online exam with closed questions that the distance learning system automatically evaluates and scores, students edit text on a computer while adding images, sound or video, and the like.

The Compensation (en. Substition) and Expansion (en. Argumentation) phases represent the foundation of the transformation of the educational process which is actually carried out in the remaining two phases: Reshaping (en. Modification) i Redefinition (en. Redefinition).

In the Transformation phase, technology provides students with new learning opportunities, for example, after writing a seminar, students can record it as a short video and share it with their colleagues. They can also create an infographic or poster with interactive elements (such as video, audio, and links to other resources).

In the Redefinition phase, technology allows to create new types of tasks that would be much more difficult to achieve or impossible without the use of technology, such as recording and producing an interactive video on a topic, creating a digital book, an interactive timeline with plenty of multimedia content and links to external content for each of the points/events, interactive maps with data collected during field research, and the like.

6. TPACK framework

7. Continuous education of teachers to raise and maintain the level of digital competences

Introduction

In the context of the accelerated digital transformation of education, teachers' digital competencies are becoming a key prerequisite for quality, inclusive and relevant teaching. They include not only technical mastery of tools, but also pedagogical integration of technology, the ability to adapt to digital trends and critical reflection on the use of technology in teaching.

1. Why is continuing education necessary?

Digital technologies are constantly evolving — tools, platforms, methods and student expectations are changing. What was relevant a few years ago may be outdated today. Therefore, continuous education is necessary to maintain relevant digital skills, keep up with pedagogical innovations, adapt to the digital environment and generational changes in learning, and ensure the quality and effectiveness of e-learning. Without regular professional development, digital skills quickly fade, which affects student engagement and learning outcomes.

2. Key areas of digital competence

According to a framework such as DigCompEdu (European Digital Competence Framework for Teachers), training should cover the following areas:

• professional digital behavior (security, data protection, digital ethics)
• selection and design of digital resources
• digital learning design (planning, evaluation, adaptability)
• managing digital interactions with students
• monitoring progress and providing digital feedback
• active student engagement through technology.

3. Forms and models of education

Continuing education should not be uniform or one-off. An effective system for developing digital competencies includes various forms.

• workshops and webinars focused on specific tools or methods
• online courses and MOOCs
• mentoring systems and communities of practice
• collaborative course development and exchange of good practices
• microqualifications and digital badges.

Education in context has a special value — that takes place with application in real classes, through reflection and support.

4. The role of institutions

Higher education institutions should recognise teacher education as a strategic priority, ensuring:

• access to training and learning platforms
• time and organisational conditions for training
• system for evaluating and recognising digital competencies
• incentives and recognition for teaching work in the digital environment.

It is equally important to develop a culture of lifelong learning within the teaching community, where digital literacy is not considered an additional obligation, but a professional responsibility.

Conclusion

Continuing education of teachers in the field of digital competences is not a luxury, but a necessity of modern education. It enables teachers to remain professionally relevant and ensures students a stimulating and high-quality learning experience. Only education systems that invest in the development of their teachers can successfully respond to the challenges of the digital age and build inclusive, adaptable and resilient higher education.

8. OER contents

9. Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

What are the guidelines for UDL?

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines are a fundamental framework for creating curricula and teaching units that provide the best access and results for every individual, initially created in 2008. More information is available here: https://udlguidelines.cast.org/. There are several versions of the UDL guidelines, the latest from July 2024 is UDL 3.0 (more on this at: https://udlguidelines.cast.org/more/about-guidelines-3-0/).

• They are used in the development of curricula.
• The design process leads to flexible content and lessons that can be used by all students.
• It starts from the assumption that every student's brain is different and provides multiple opportunities to access each learning network so that each individual can learn in the best possible way for them.
• In addition to learning the content being taught, students will also understand its importance and how it can be applied in their context.

UDL guidelines shape the educational environment to support student autonomy, which should be:

• purposeful — internalised self-efficacy, acting in ways that are personally and socially meaningful
• reflexive — self-awareness and metacognition to recognise internal motivations and external influences that support learning and adaptations when necessary
• resourceful — understanding and applying an individual's advantages, strengths, resources, and linguistic and cultural capital
• authentic — increasing understanding and deepening understanding in authentic ways
• strategic — setting goals and monitoring learning through planning
• action-oriented — independent and group action in achieving learning goals.

UDL aims to change the design of the environment, not frame the problem as a perceived deficiency within the student. When environments are intentionally designed to minimise barriers, every student can engage in meaningful learning.

Designing learning environments that support student independence requires continuous examination of the relationship between educators and students and the creation of a space where students can individually and collectively understand content through interaction and reflection. Furthermore, supporting student independence requires recognising the dimensions of culture and identity and examining where prejudices and expectations can be obstacles for students to fully realize their independence.

In the context of online and hybrid learning, UDL guidelines provide a framework for designing activities that are accessible, flexible and inclusive for all students. They encourage teachers to anticipate different ways of participating, expressing, and presenting content in a digital environment at the planning stage. The UDL approach allows for the adaptation of teaching materials to different learning styles and technical capabilities, thereby reducing barriers to participation in online activities. In this way, the digital environment becomes a space that supports individual differences and enables every student to actively and meaningfully participate in learning.

Quick tips about UDL

• Different groups — different materials — different activities.
• Working in a group (a common goal creates bonds and develops community belonging).
• Using various digital tools.
• Provide students with autonomy, the feeling that they can decide for themselves how they will learn (this will increase their motivation).
• Basis of work with students: TPS (en. Think-Pair-Share) — Think-Pair-Share.
• Students with difficulties should have their activity time extended, and gifted students should be set different goals (more demanding, complex and challenging).

10. Adapting classroom teaching materials to the online environment

Introduction

The digital transformation of education has brought numerous challenges, but also opportunities for improving the quality of teaching. One of the key challenges is the adaptation of traditional classroom teaching materials to the digital, online environment. This is a process that goes beyond the mere transfer of content to digital platforms — it requires pedagogical, technical and didactic transformation of teaching materials to make them functional, useful and accessible to students in a virtual environment. Teachers often own digital teaching materials, but the design and purpose of these materials is more oriented towards classroom use, and less towards independent student work in an online environment.

1. Pedagogical-didactic adaptation

Classroom materials often presume the physical presence of a teacher, spontaneity of interaction and the ability to directly explain content. In an online environment, materials need to be reshaped to encourage independent and active learning. This includes:

• a clear introduction to the topic, goals and expectations
• asking questions for reflection and self-examination
• visual organisation of information (e.g. infographics, summaries, tables)
• specifying deadlines for working with some content
• inclusion of diverse forms of material (text, video, audio, tests).

2. Technical adaptation

Materials prepared for the classroom (e.g. PowerPoint presentations, notes, instructions) must be adapted for display and distribution via e-learning or educational content sharing systems (e.g. Moodle, MS Teams or Google Classroom). Basic technical adaptations include:

• use of formats available on different devices (e.g. PDF, MP4, HTML5)
• adding subtitles and transcripts to video content
• compressing large files for easier download (but this is not possible with video and audio recordings because they are already compressed)
• checking the accessibility of teaching materials (contrast, font size, existence of alternative text/description for images).

3. Interactivity and engagement

The digital environment requires a greater degree of active student involvement. Therefore, classroom materials should be enriched with tools and activities that enable two-way communication and collaboration:

• by incorporating knowledge checks and feedback within the content
• using forums and comments for discussion
• by implementing tasks that encourage the application of knowledge (case studies, projects)
• gamification of content for additional motivation.

4. Accessibility and inclusivity

Online materials must be accessible to all students, including those with diverse needs and limitations. Accommodation includes, among other things:

• ensuring compatibility with screen readers
• structuring content using headers and tags
• using simple language and clear navigation
• avoiding content that requires special programmes to view (to a reasonable extent).

5. Evaluation and feedback

Unlike a classroom environment where the teacher can immediately spot misunderstandings, in an online environment it is crucial to include mechanisms for self-checking and feedback. Materials should include:

• built-in tests with answer explanations (i.e. specific feedback)
• student feedback capabilities/functionality
• instructions for additional learning, repetition or corrections (with an emphasis on self-regulated learning if there is a need for it).

Conclusion

Adapting classroom teaching materials to the online environment does not mean copying them literally, but rather transforming/reshaping them into a form that is meaningful, effective and stimulating for digital learning. Such materials must be pedagogically well thought out, technically feasible and didactically effective. Only in this way can they meet the needs of the modern student and support the achievement of defined learning outcomes in the online context.