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Recent developments in Conversational Agents (CAs) have offered researchers new ways to develop personalized learning support for students that is accessible in various environments. Traditionally, CA learner experiences are accessible through home devices, including Alexa Echo and Google Nest, for tasks such as setting reminders, ordering products, and controlling smart home functions. However, there is an opportunity to expand CA's range to investigate the role of CAs in guiding instruction as a novel digital learning modality for learners with diverse needs. This article introduces considerations for designing CAs that leverage aspects of personalized student learning paired with common pedagogical instruction accessible on demand. Guided by classical theories of multimodal learning and self-regulated learning, we describe how to design CAs to capture personalized student variables throughout the voice instruction. Finally, we discuss the implications and potential for CAs moving forward to meet diverse learning needs of all learners.

Teacher education standards are designed to guide the preparation of pre-service teachers to acquire knowledge and develop skills required for delivering high-quality educational experiences to all learners. Analysing how critical thinking (CT) is positioned in educator preparation standards is an initial step towards understanding the conceptualisation and operationalisation of CT in teacher education. In this study, a team of researchers analysed U.S. educator preparation standards across multiple disciplines and learner populations through a crosswalk standards database for the presence of CT, gaps in the standards, and relation among standards. Results indicate that most CT-related standards focus on preparing teachers to perform strategies that promote CT for students. Less prevalent, or missing, are standards that prepare teachers with essential knowledge of the role of CT in the classroom, using assessment to monitor CT, or the role of planning to provide CT learning experiences. Implications for these gaps are discussed.

Background: Personalized learning (PL), conceptualized as an education innovation that tailors learning to meet diverse student needs, has drawn increased attention from different fields of study, such as education, learning sciences, and computer science. Regardless, there is a lack of a comprehensive understanding of PL instructional designs supported by technology. Objectives: This systematic literature review aimed to provide an empirical integration of PL designs and implementation across disciplines through the lens of the universal design for learning (UDL) framework. As an instructional framework that guides the design to embrace learner variability, UDL holds the potential to provide foundational considerations for instructional design components of PL. Methods: We used four databases including ERIC, OmniFile Full Text Select, Academic Search Complete, and Web of Science to search empirical studies investigating technology-supported PL in PK-12 school-based settings. In total, 61 studies published between 2006 and 2020 were included in the review. We analysed PL design and implementation features and aligned these features to the UDL framework. Results and Conclusions: Our results indicated that current empirical PL design features were widely mapped onto the UDL framework. Most current PL studies investigated segmented aspects such as student attributes (e.g., interest, motivation, self-regulation) and instructional practices (e.g., facilitating goal setting) that could contribute to PL design. Rarely did studies investigate how PL was operationalized in a system integrating various design components that consider learner characteristics, instructional support, and contextual implementation factors. Implications: The analysis of alignment between PL designs within the UDL framework can serve as a starting point for stakeholders to take a more holistic approach to designing PL experiences for all learners.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is defined as a scientifically-valid instructional framework for guiding the design of learning environments that support all students. The implementation of UDL often requires proactive considerations of learner variability and iterative instructional designs that meet emergent student needs in a learning environment. This article focuses on a case study with a concurrent mixed-methods design that explored how a codesign process involving researchers, an educator, and students evolved to facilitate the implementation of UDL in an elementary classroom. An elementary educator and 25 students participated in the study. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from observations, interviews, and repeated measurements of student engagement were analyzed to track changes in the educator's instructional designs, attitudes toward UDL implementation, and student engagement. We identified an improvement in the educator's UDL-aligned instructional practices and positive attitudes toward using student perception data to inform instructional improvement through the codesign process. Opportunities and challenges with respect to the UDL implementation were discussed.

This paper aimed to provide a holistic view of research that investigated online learning in higher education around the globe during COVID-19 utilizing a bibliometric analysis. The researchers used co-citation analysis and text mining afforded by VOSviewer to document and analyze research patterns and topics reported in peer-reviewed documents published between January 2020 and August 2021. Findings of this study indicated that scholars from 103 countries or regions from the Global North and Global South investigated a wide array of topics, such as use of various technologies and strategies, redesigned curriculum, student perceptions and psychological impacts of the pandemic-imposed online learning. Many researchers applied technology acceptance theories and structural equation modeling to investigate factors associated with adoption and impacts of the pandemic-imposed online learning. Of the large quantity of research, medical education and chemical education were the most investigated disciplines. Inquiry-based learning, discovery learning, hands-on learning and collaborative learning emerged as instructional approaches frequently discussed or utilized across the target studies. This paper discussed (a) ongoing and emerging challenges to online higher education, (b) placing innovative pedagogies at the forefront of online learning, and (c) rapid, but imbalanced distribution of evolving literature based on the findings.

Given the complex roles of special educators, it is important that they be offered tailored professional development (PD) opportunities. Unfortunately, most PD tends to occur in "sit-and-get" formats, with generalized content that may or may not meet the needs of attendees. Districts are starting to investigate the use of microcredentials (MCs) to innovate PD and harness technology to personalize experiences. MCs are digital PD focused on the mastery of competency-based skills. With a variety of topics, formats, and platforms available, educators would benefit from guidance on how to navigate MCs. In this article, we examine the historical context of PD and the gaps traditional PD may create for educators, particularly special educators. We explore the attributes and personalization of MCs and paint a step-by-step picture of how an interested educator might engage in the MC process, from selecting a topic to earning the MC and reflecting on the experience.

Mathematical problem solving is a complex cognitive activity, which poses difficulties for students with and without disabilities in inclusive learning environments. With a variety of functions, Learning Management Systems (LMSs) have the potential to enhance personalized learning to meet the diverse needs of all students. This paper provides teachers guidance on using LMSs to implement evidence-based practices for math problem solving in an online learning environment. This paper introduced multiple functions commonly available in most LMSs, such as quiz, multimedia content editor, Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), and learning analytics. Guidance is provided to teachers to leverage these features to maximize student learning experiences, such as engaging in multimedia learning activities, interacting with the teacher and peers, and receiving tailored feedback.

Students with disabilities represent a growing number of learners receiving education in K-12 fully online learning programs. They are, unfortunately, also a large segment of the online learning population who are not experiencing success in these environments. In response, scholars have recommended increasing instruction in self-regulation skills for these students, but whether teachers are able to promote self-regulation as part of their instruction and how they will do so remains unknown. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how practicing teachers provided self-regulation strategies to students with disabilities in a fully online learning environment. In this context, the teachers intended to offer self-regulation strategies to students, but they were largely unable to do so. This work has the potential to influence professional development programs for online teachers in the hopes that students with disabilities will be able to learn self-regulation strategies and ultimately be more successful. [Paper presented at the Special Interest Group on Online Teaching and Learning (SIG-OTL), American Educational Research Association (AERA) Centennial Annual Meeting (100th, Washington, D.C., April 8-12, 2016).]

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015) highlighted technology-based personalised learning (PL) as a means of providing equitable learning experiences for all students. Many states have put forward guidance in their ESSA plans to inform professional development (PD) that empowers educators with skills that maximize PL for students. This brief analysed data from state ESSA plans to better understand how states provided guidance to prepare educators to implement technology-based PL. Results showed that some states provided guidance on preparing educators to leverage technology for PL implementation; other states initiated efforts to provide personalised PD for educators supported through technology. Opportunities of PDPL and PPD for technology-based PL were discussed.

This paper outlines a speculative artistic research project, Orbital Reveries, which develops an alternative representational practice for engaging with satellite sensing. The project appropriates terrestrial satellite imagery and parses it through various algorithmic processes to generate visual-poetic 'textscapes'. The goal of this exercise is to resituate satellite sensing within other modes of representational knowledge-making, exploring the value of creative speculation and experimental emergence in mapping ecological crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As referenced in the Every Student Succeeds Act and the National Educational Technology Plan, personalized learning is the new focus in many K-12 learning environments. Nonetheless, few people understand what personalized learning really means and even fewer can design and implement a personalized learning environment appropriate for all learners, especially learners with disabilities. This 18-month descriptive research study focused on identifying the design characteristics of personalized learning environments and the initial results of these environments. Findings indicate that personalized learning environments require more than technology, that the technology itself is simply a tool to support implementation. These personalized learning environments were highly learner self-regulated, had transparent and actionable near-real-time data, provided various structures for student voice and feedback, and integrated purposeful supports for embedding the principles of Universal Design for Learning at the cornerstone of practice. Personalized learning requires a shift in instructional practice on behalf of both the teacher and the learners. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.

Pioneering research studies in teacher preparation in online settings have taken place, yet little to no work has been done specifically focused on teacher preparation for special education and learners with disabilities. In the present study, researchers from the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities conducted a web-based survey of special education teacher preparation faculty to determine the level to which they were attending to online education preparation. The survey was developed with a specific alignment to the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) online teacher standards. The results of this survey pinpoint several areas of need in the preparation of teachers who are will be working in online education and attending to students with disabilities in these settings.

This article describes a study of online educators' use of technology as part of the accommodations they provided to students with disabilities at their school. Specifically, research focused on four teachers who were members of an interdisciplinary team in a large virtual school program, in a state with established policies regarding online education, and online course work as a requirement for graduation. Data were collected over 4 months in a series of weekly interviews and through a content analysis of stipulated accommodations and modifications in student Individualized Education Program (IEP) documents. The findings of this study indicated (1) providing technologically grounded accommodations and modifications required intensive collaboration with students, parents, and other special education support staff at the virtual school, (2) online teachers struggled to keep up with all of the possible means and methods of enhancing the learning experience and providing accommodations that were stipulated in the IEP while also remaining sensitive to practices and supports that they could provide (using technology that were not mandated), and as a result (3) technology use as part of accommodation was most often relegated to what naturally exists in an online learning environment and is available to all students. The implications of this work are that transferring disability service plans, and IEPs in particular, is no simple matter, and that moving to a technological environment (and the notion that the online environment is inherently accommodating) needs interrogation at every level (practice, research, and policy).

There has been a dramatic increase and acceptance of online learning in the last decade. In its various forms, online learning has begun to disrupt the status quo of K-12 education and, in turn, special education. The growing prevalence of K-12 online learning provides a grounded opportunity to reflect on traditions and redesign policies, systems, and practices. The most recent report by the Evergreen Education Group (2015), the annual status report for online learning in the United States, found that online learning exists in some form across every district in the country. Yet, even with the tremendous increase in online learning, it is impossible to identify how many students, including students with disabilities, are participating in some form of online learning. This lack of understanding, alongside the involved nature associated with the various forms of online learning, provides complexities in researching as well as evaluating the impact of online learning in practice. The concern is that districts across the United States may be adopting various forms of online learning without considering the complexities that online learning introduces to the teaching practice and how these changes may be impacting students. The purpose of this article is to provide education leaders and educators with a basic understanding of online learning policies in the United States. As the current adoption rates for online learning continue, state and district leaders should be aware of the nuanced models as well as individual practices that might impact student learning. All systems and models in online learning are not equal. Thus, it is critical to ask questions on behalf of students with disabilities. Through collaborative partnerships, data can be gathered to support relevant research, technical assistance, and overcome challenges and barriers to success. Finally, there is an urgent need to consider policy and guidance to support parents and professionals serving students with disabilities across the various online environments.

As participation in online learning grows, so do concerns around the ways in which students with disabilities are served in virtual school programs, both full and part-time. At the crux of this struggle is the way in which federal and state laws (many of which were incepted before online learning existed or gained traction as an educational option) are interpreted by educators and translated into policies at the school level. Further, administrators, special education case managers, and teachers all interpret school level policies and answer to directives from a hierarchy of supervisors. The interpretations of these policies and the understandings educators use to guide their thinking have not been well-researched. In the present study, teachers, special education case managers, school level special education administrators, and regional directors were interviewed about their roles in developing, supporting, and implementing accommodations and other forms of support for students with disabilities in online courses. Findings from this work focus on the role conceptions of various types of educators in virtual schools and the tensions they experience as they work to support each other in positioning students with disabilities for success.

Purpose: Many teachers and students in the USA and various parts of the world are migrating some aspects of education online out of necessity. The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe strategies of the self-regulated learning (SRL) framework for K-12 students learning in online environments to support remote learning with online and digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The SRL framework (Zimmerman, 2008) has been used consistently to support students in learning to work independently. This framework highlights three phases: planning, performing and evaluating. Previous research in K-12 online learning has yielded specific strategies that are useful. The paper identified and described the strategies to an audience seeking answers on how to meet the needs of students in online learning environment. Findings: The main types of strategies that have emerged from previous studies include asking students to consider how they learn online, providing pacing support, monitoring engagement and supporting families. Originality/value: Although the social crisis of COVID-19 is unique, prior research in online learning may be useful for supporting teacher practice and suggesting future research. Developing SRL skills of students will ensure the effectiveness of online learning that the field of education may ultimately focus on in the future.

The passage of the 2015, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), affords states funding for many new options to address the needs of learners. One of the prominent options is personalized learning (PL). This study sought to determine how states positioned PL in their state plans. This study used a qualitative research design to analyze state ESSA plans for presence of and relation to PL. From this analysis, four themes emerged, (a) definitions of PL, (b) goals of PL for students, (c) supports for PL, and (d) partnership for PL. The findings from this study suggested that many states contain aspects of PL in their state plans; however, there is little consensus of how to best implement PL. This article reported on these findings as well as offered guidance to policymakers and state departments of education on how to operationalize and implement PL.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, school closures across the country have altered the way educators teach and provide services to students. Engaging technologies in learning environments have become the primary mechanism delivering curriculum and maintaining the intellectual wellbeing of students. With the accelerated expansion of technologies across the K-12 curriculum, students' opportunities to engage with education-focused artificial intelligence (AI) software have increased (Touretzky et al., 2019). Students are beginning to interact with and orient themselves to AI through the use of home devices, such an Amazon Alexa (Jones, 2019). Many families and educators already have an Alexa device in their home that provides simple interactions with immediate feedback. Users can access Alexa's built-in functionalities, such as using search engines, providing weather information, or playing their favorite song (Wang, 2017). Any developer with knowledge of code can build the skills through the Alexa Voice Service platform (Amazon Alexa, n.d.). Amazon also provides users with premade blueprints for Alexa that are shells of skills made to be used by users of all technological abilities. The blueprints offer the average user guidance to create customized and personal voice user interface activities. In this article, the authors propose the use of AI devices, Amazon Alexa, and their prebuilt blueprints as an emerging form of educational technology. Educators can adapt the established blueprints to meet the needs of their students, mainly to help support distance-learning initiatives.

Family–professional partnerships are essential for promoting positive outcomes for students with and without disabilities. However, the extent to which professional preparation standards address skills to cultivate family–professional partnerships is unclear. Without this knowledge, it is challenging to understand the preparation of education professionals in developing partnerships with families. The purpose of this study is to explore the relation between preparation standards and two factors of family–professional partnerships (i.e., enhancing connection and enhancing capacity) for general and special education teachers as well as other education professionals. The authors use expert review to identify and evaluate 159 professional preparation standards from 15 Specialized Professional Associations and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium in relation to the two factors. Findings showed no significant differences among the standards in relation to enhancing connection among family–professional partnerships. Standards related exclusively to special education, younger students, or teachers (vs other education professionals) were significantly more likely to reflect enhancing capacity among family–professional partnerships. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]