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Emerging Perspectives
ep.journalhosting.ucalgary.ca

Editorial: Designing for Digital Futures

Emily Coombs* & Arushi Manners

University of Calgary

The global pandemic catalyzed a transformative shift in education, exposing the
fragility and resilience of traditional systems as institutions rapidly pivoted to digital
platforms. In Designing for Digital Futures, this editorial examines this abrupt
transition's lessons, challenges, and opportunities. Drawing on insights from multiple
contributors, it explores how integrating technology, including artificial intelligence,
can reshape education while addressing persistent issues of equity, inclusion, and
academic integrity. The editorial highlights various articles that delve into
decision-making frameworks in faith-based and higher education institutions, the
ethical dimensions of digital citizenship, and the evolving landscape of assessment
and feedback practices. It also emphasizes the importance of centring Indigenous
knowledge systems and decolonizing digital education. Through diverse
perspectives, the edition invites reflection on how digital tools can enhance learning
and foster more adaptive, inclusive, and human-centred educational environments.
This collection challenges us to reimagine the future of education, where technology
and tradition coexist to create equitable and dynamic learning ecosystems.

Keywords: Digital education, Equity, Inclusion, Post pandemic, Innovation

Coombs, E., & Manner, A. (2024). Designing for Digital Futures. Emerging Perspectives
Special Edition: Designing for Digital Futures, 7(1), 1–4.

The global pandemic reshaped education in ways previously unimaginable. With

classrooms closed and institutions pivoting to digital platforms almost overnight, the crisis

became an opportunity for transformation. This sudden shift revealed both the fragility and

resilience of traditional education systems. As we emerge into a post-pandemic world, pressing

questions remain: Will education revert to its old forms, or can it embrace the innovations born

from necessity to craft a more adaptive, inclusive, and dynamic future?

Designing for Digital Futures is a special edition born out of these reflections. It

examines the lessons learned, the ongoing challenges, and the potential of digital learning and

teaching. The pandemic forced educators and learners to reimagine education in real time,

*emily.coombs@ucalgary.ca



Wang & Walsh/ Emerging Perspectives (2020) 2

sparking critical conversations around the role of technology, the integration of artificial

intelligence (AI), and the enduring challenges of equity, inclusion, and academic integrity.

As theorists like Illich (1971) envisioned decades ago, technology has immense potential

to decentralize and democratize education. Yet, as digital platforms become ubiquitous, there is a

risk of replicating existing inequities rather than dismantling them (Selwyn, 2016). This edition

addresses these tensions by exploring how education can evolve as an adaptive system that

balances tradition with innovation, equity with accessibility, and human connection with

technological advancement.

Contributors in this collection delve into the intersections of technology, equity, and

creativity, offering nuanced perspectives on what a reimagined educational landscape might look

like. Together, their voices invite us to understand education not as a static system but as an

evolving ecosystem that responds to the challenges and opportunities of a digital world.

One article explores decision-making in online Catholic education through the lens of

Communities of Faithful Inquiry (CoFI). By investigating the factors that shape LMS selection,

this piece highlights how faith-based institutions navigate digital platforms to meet both

pedagogical and spiritual goals. Another examines the complex interplay of policy and practice

in higher education, providing key considerations for blended and online learning policy

development. These contributions demonstrate how decision-making frameworks and

institutional priorities shape the digital learning experience.

An article discussing academic integrity and digital citizenship centers on the ethical

dimensions of digital learning. Drawing on post-secondary teaching experiences, the authors

examine how open digital tools, such as discussion boards, can foster thoughtful learning while

addressing the challenges of diverse student cohorts. By emphasizing accessible design, norming

practices, and ethical engagement, this piece aligns with frameworks for digital literacy that

prioritize citizenship and independent thinking (Ribble, 2011).

The special issue also critically addresses equity in assessment and feedback practices.

The pandemic exacerbated inequities in Ontario’s K-12 system, challenging traditional grading

methods. One article advocates for a compassionate, holistic approach using data



Wang & Walsh/ Emerging Perspectives (2020) 3

triangulation—observation, conversation, and student products—to prioritize feedback and

student agency over rigid grading systems. Similarly, another article investigates assessment

literacy among teachers in Confucian cultural contexts, offering insights into how cultural values

shape online learning environments.

Another contribution introduces an innovative approach to navigating academic

disciplines through hyperlinked, visual-spatial digital maps. Using tools like the Learning

Discourses map, the article demonstrates how hypermedia can foster a relational and dynamic

understanding of knowledge, moving beyond traditional textbooks to create accessible and

interconnected academic landscapes (Azevedo & Witherspoon, 2009; Sawyer, 2022).

The lived experiences of students also feature prominently in this issue. One article

focuses on racialized students in postsecondary online classrooms, exploring how digital spaces

can act as safe environments where students control their visibility, reducing microaggressions

and fostering belonging. These findings emphasize the importance of creating inclusive digital

and in-person spaces that advance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives (Ahmed,

2012; Nasir et al., 2012). Additionally, a Brazilian case study highlights how digital technologies

were leveraged to strengthen school-family partnerships during the pandemic, illustrating the

importance of collaborative, culturally responsive practices. Indigenous perspectives add a

crucial dimension to this collection. Two articles explore how educational technology intersects

with decolonization and land-based learning. They emphasize the importance of centring

Indigenous knowledge systems and practices in digital education, presenting models that honour

relational and place-based approaches to learning.

Together, these contributions—highlighted here and many others—invite readers to

envision a future where digital tools not only enhance learning but also address systemic

inequities and drive meaningful innovation. They challenge us to critically examine the

intersection of tradition and technology, urging the design of educational systems that are

equitable, adaptive, and profoundly human. As Selwyn (2021) aptly reminds us, the future of

education extends beyond merely adopting new technologies; it is about reimagining the

possibilities for learning, teaching, and inclusion.



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References

Ahmed, S. (2012). On being included: Racism and diversity in institutional life. Duke University

Press.

Azevedo, R., & Witherspoon, A. M. (2009). Self-regulated learning with hypermedia. In D. H.

Jonassen & S. M. Land (Eds.), Theoretical foundations of learning environments

(2nd ed., pp. 171–210). Routledge.

Earl, L. (2003). Assessment as learning: Using classroom assessment to maximize student

learning. Corwin Press.

Illich, I. (1971). Deschooling society. Harper & Row.

Nasir, N. S., Rosebery, A. S., Warren, B., & Lee, C. D. (2012). Learning as a cultural process. In

K. R. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (2nd ed.,

pp. 489–504). Cambridge University Press.

Ribble, M. (2011). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know. ISTE.

Sawyer, R. K. (2022). The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (3rd ed.). Cambridge

University Press.

Selwyn, N. (2016). Education and technology: Key issues and debates. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Selwyn, N. (2021). Should robots replace teachers? AI and the future of education. Polity.


