No 22, December 2025

This 2025 varia issue of Mediations and Mediatizations brings together eight contributions: two literature reviews, one empirical research study, two practitioner accounts, and three discussion and debate articles. These works offer a multidimensional dive into current digital education issues. The authors explore research on educational technologies, the use of video games for educational purposes, the synergy between active pedagogy and technologies in an African context, flexibility in distance learning pathways, support for student success, the evolution of assessment practices and professional development in the era of artificial intelligence, and the strategic transformation of open universities. This issue highlights the advances, tensions, and challenges encountered in research, innovation, and digital inclusion, and invites a critical perspective on educational technologies within a responsible transformation framework.

Since the 2000s, the integration of educational technologies in higher education has generated growing interest, reflecting a major transformation in pedagogical practices. The Quebec college network, positioned at the interface between secondary education, universities, and the job market, is no exception to this evolution. However, a recent synthesis of research specific to this context is nonexistant. This article presents a scoping review of scientific studies published between 2000 and 2024 on the integration of educational technologies in Quebec’s college sector. Following PRISMA guidelines, the analysis combines both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Three major themes emerge: the impact of technologies on students, their influence on teaching practices, and the design of digital learning environments. The study also highlights emerging issues such as student mental health and teacher well-being. It shows that research evolves alongside technological advancements to better understand their effects on teaching and learning. By providing an overview of published studies, this review sheds light on research trends related to digital integration in college education and offers perspectives to guide future research in this context.

Video games, an ever-evolving technological medium, have overtaken the film and music industries (combined) in monetary terms since the early 2000s. At the same time, interest in their educational potential has grown. The COVID-19 pandemic, marked by isolation at home, distance learning and digital socialisation, has also led to an increase in the consumption of video games. We would like to draw up a portrait of the literature published during the pandemic on video games in history teaching using the EPPI (Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating) method. The results are grouped into five themes: game titles, video game categories, historical periods, the use of video games in the classroom and the perceived effects of their use. We then discuss potential avenues of research into the use of video games in history teaching.

This action-research project conducted in the Republic of Congo as part of the REAL project, in collaboration with the Action Real NGO and the CIRNEF laboratory of the University of Caen, explores the interaction between active and participatory pedagogies (APP) and educational technologies in the Republic of Congo. The study, based on the training of 100 teachers and inspectors, aims to determine whether there is interdependence between the integration of active methods and the use of information and communication technologies for education (ICTE). This is a first in Congo, where such pedagogical synergy remains unexplored. Our results highlight an interdependent relationship between ICTE and APP, whose effect may act either as a barrier or as a lever for pedagogical transformation. The catalytic effect of ICTE on active methods is not automatic and requires specific orchestration through integrated training. Based on these observations, we propose a training-support model designed to optimize the joint implementation of ICTE and active pedagogies, with the goal of improving educational quality in Congo and other sub-Saharan countries.

This article presents an asynchronous distance-learning university course on French as a Foreign Language (FFL) didactics, which, for two consecutive years, offered students the possibility of choosing between three differentiated learning pathways. The characteristics of these three pathways are described in terms of content, learning modes and assessment. The article proposes certain hypotheses concerning the course’s flexibility and the impact this openness may have on learning. It examines the ways in which students make use of the choices on offer and the parameters that guide their choice of entry into a given learning pathway. It then attempts to draw up an assessment of these two years, based on anonymous end-of-semester questionnaires collected from students in this course.

As part of the Kwe l’Université! Project, an initiative aimed at supporting the perseverance and academic success of Indigenous students at the university level, a competency profile for the student role was developed. This initiative responded to an identified need: few existing frameworks explicitly address the competencies related to being a student, especially in Indigenous contexts. The development of this profile, carried out between 2019 and 2025, was based on a rigorous approach combining the analysis of existing frameworks, a review of literature on school perseverance in Indigenous settings, and consultations with Indigenous students as well as Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers and professionals. Inspired by the Medicine Wheel, the competency profile is structured around four roles: collaborator, communicator, organizer, and reflective strategist. Integrated into the Kwe l’Université! Learning Wheel, the profile guides the design of courses that take Indigenous realities into account and allows students to document their learning in an evolving portfolio. It also supports personalized guidance by the Kwe l’Université! support team, thereby fostering the engagement of Indigenous learners throughout their academic journey.

In the current context of rapidly evolving technology, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) is profoundly transforming educational practices. This article offers a critical reflection on the professional development (PD) models for teachers, focusing on their effectiveness in inducing sustainable changes in teaching practices. By analyzing the most influential approaches, the study identifies key success factors of an effective PD model, including collaboration, alignment with institutional goals, and integration of AI. The methodology employed is based on a critical analysis of existing models in the scientific literature through a narrative and thematic approach, combined with an evaluation of the impacts of these models on teaching practices. Although not yet evaluated, the CRITICA methodological framework (Critique, Reflect, Interpret, Theme, Innovate, Collaborate, Act) is used to structure this analysis in three stages: critique, reflect, and propose innovative solutions for implementing PD in the AI era. This approach helps contextualize PD's evolution within a constantly changing educational environment. This study also paves the way for a better evaluation of current models and the proposal of new models adapted to contemporary challenges.

The rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping higher education and profoundly challenging assessment practices. This article offers a reflective analysis of the tensions between disciplinary expertise, AI literacy, and educational goals. Rather than framing the debate as a choice between banning or integrating AI, it calls for a rethinking of the alignment between purposes, methods, and assessment approaches, with the aim of preparing students for a critical and ethical use of these technologies. Returning to pedagogical fundamentals emerges as a necessary step to preserve education as a space for human emancipation in a world where AI is omnipresent.

The purpose of this article is to build upon empirical research, leadership theory, open university practice, and shifting global trends to provide open university leaders with a framework for strategic reset. Strategic reset entails re-setting institutions’ priorities – making leadership choices – and taking action to build competitive advantage, quality, and service for the future. The foundational pillars of strategic reset are centred around 1) digitalization – specifically online capacity; 2) setting new strategic priorities, and 3) establishing a national footprint that aligns with critical national employment and workforce development needs. A secondary theme that weaves itself through this article is the need for open universities to revitalize their commitment to innovation. The article concludes by offering some tactical actions that open university leaders can consider for framing strategic reset and setting new priorities for the future. These include the following: 1) streamlined open university models; 2) precision access; 3) building a national service footprint; 4) renewal of critical partnerships; and 5) exploring alternative funding models.