The importance of providing mechanisms and tools that effectively support the transition from implicit to explicit representations of Learning Design has been emphasised by previous research in the field of Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL). In addition, the benefits of Game-based learning approaches have been long documented in the educational research literature. The paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a card game that aims to support the design process of TEL activities in higher education. The game was tested by a group of 36 students and tutors (n = 36) in higher education during an interactive workshop. Feedback was asked by the participants using an anonymous survey. The results reveal that the participants a) are satisfied with the game process, b) appreciate the groupwork and interaction taking place, and c) believe that they used their communication and collaboration skills. The paper includes the description of the outputs of a group (i.e., the cards selected for their TEL scenario and their actual TEL scenario) to exemplify that it is possible to use the game in order to elicit or diagnose existing LD knowledge from the game participants. The paper concludes on the usefulness of the approach suggested, limitations, and plans for future work.

The paper presents an empirical study conducted in the context of an advanced power electronics design course in a technical university. In selected points of the lectures formative assessments were introduced and supported by the use of clickers. The purpose of the article is to examine students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of clickers use. Individual, semi-structured student interviews conducted which were analysed using thematic content analysis. The findings reveal that the perceptions of the students with respect to the use of clickers were associated to: sustain student attention during the lecture, the provision of confirmatory and elaborative instructional feedback, the anonymity of the students’ answers, asking questions appropriate for this teaching/learning method, students’ motivation, students own suggestions for improvement, and the perceived existence of game-like elements. While in general the findings confirm the previous literature, there are a few points which are unique for this study, such as the relative importance of enhancing the students’ attention compared to other studies, as well as the importance of using appropriate questions from the subject-matter. Besides, the drawbacks of previous research on clickers are not in line with the perceived ones in the present study. The paper is concluded with providing research and practical implications. The former touch upon the potential of this study on informing the research on didactics in the field of electrical engineering in Higher Education, whereas the latter pertains to its contribution with respect to learning design in similar learning contexts.

Higher education recently found itself in the unprecedented situation of being forced to rapidly switch to online education as a demand of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this article is to compare and contrast the experiences of university tutors who teach in two distance education universities with those who teach in a traditional university concerning their online lessons during lockdown. Forty university tutors participated in a survey to capture their teaching experiences. The survey was based on the transactional distance theory. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from both groups. Analysis of the quantitative data indicates no significant differences between the two groups in scores regarding course structure flexibility and the degree of student autonomy; however, significant difference with a high effect size was found regarding instructional dialogue, in favor of the distance tutors’ group. Thematically analyzing the qualitative data allowed the researchers to group the data into three main themes focused on how the instructional dialogue was manifested in the classes of both groups: (a) the learning design approach adopted, (b) the tutor-led interaction for student support, and (b) learner-to-learner communication and the sense of an online community. Ensuing recommendations involve adopting social-constructivist approaches that can sustain high-quality instructional dialogue in online learning settings and creating distance education faculty development programs in traditional universities that will help tutors support dialogical forms of online pedagogy.