Ana Afonso is an Assistant Professor at Universidade Aberta and a researcher at the Laboratory of Distance Education and eLearning (LE@D-UAb), collaborating with CISUC (University of Coimbra). She holds a PhD in Education Sciences, specializing in Educational Technology, and has developed research on managing learning communities as educational contexts. She has published on pedagogical innovation, distance, and digital education. Her work “Distance learning versus emergency remote learning: Portuguese schools in a turning point for digital transformation?” received the Best Research In Progress Award (EDEN, 2020). In 2024, she won the Best Demonstration Award (EATEL) for presenting the “FLeD Learning Design Tool: Scaffolding Flexible Scenarios Through the Use of Flipped Learning Patterns”. She is involved in several Erasmus+ projects on innovative distance education in higher education. She is the section editor of the RE@D journal and serves on the editorial board of Smart Learning Environments Journal. Her most cited works include “Learning communities: a model for learning management” and “Managing Learning in Virtual Settings: The Role of Context”. Her research interests include open and digital education, flexible learning, e-learning, learning design, teacher training, digital transformation, and playful and gamified distance education.