Şener Balat is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Technologies at the Vocational School of Information Technologies, Bingöl University, Bingöl, Türkiye, where he currently serves as a faculty member. He received his PhD in Computer Education and Instructional Technology from Atatürk University, Türkiye, and his academic work lies at the intersection of educational technology, instructional design, and open and distance learning. His research interests include artificial intelligence-supported online learning systems, digital transformation in education, e-learning, and the design and management of teaching and learning processes in higher education. He has published empirical studies on the emergency remote teaching practices of Turkish higher education institutions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, on university students' evaluations of their distance education experiences, and on the effects of learning activities delivered in different learning environments on learners' social presence, learning, and satisfaction. His current research extends this line of enquiry to the pedagogical integration of artificial intelligence into active-learning models such as flipped learning, with particular attention to instructional design quality, learner self-regulation, and the equitable and sustainable use of educational technology.